Attic Lace

DIY French Linens

So I'm going through a french countryside phase, I think...this week's Wednesday's Wanderings was good proof. As I scout out new bed linens, shams, etc. for our bedroom makeover, my heart aches for antique french linens. The simple farm style, with varying widths of red and indigo striping...the simple monograms. These can end up being a bit pricey though, so when I saw  these DIY versions here and here I got so excited! I gave it a try with some raw muslin I had laying around here, and I couldn't believe how simple it really was...

I cut my material to my desired size, ironed it out, and adhered blue painter's tape for my first stripe. I mixed several tablespoons of water with about a half teaspoon of blue acrylic paint and a teeny bit of black. I tested the color on a scrap piece of fabric, adding more of each color until I got my desired shade of indigo blue...

Using a small brush I gently brushed the paint mixture on. The thinness of the paint gives the final product its faded, aged look. When the first stripes had dried I pulled off the tape and did my next, wider stripe, parallel to the skinny one, and so on. It is important to let each stripe dry before taping over anything, to avoid smudging or bleeding.

I did three different versions and when they were all dry, I re-ironed them to help the paint "set" into the fabric. 

Then I  hemmed all four sides of each to avoid fraying. If you are going to try this on actual thick linen, you may not need to hem, especially if you are going for the classic "frayed edge" look.

(I also used a permanent marker to stencil on a faux "L" monogram;) It looks pretty convincing, no?)

This was a really fun project...I love that they were so inexpensive to make, but ended up look so classic and pretty. Of course, they are far from the real deal, but I still really love them.

Happy Friday! Wishing you all a great weekend...

Xo

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