Whole Cloth Quilts from Vintage Table Linens by Kathleen Rountree

Old table linens and lace has always held a special spot in my heart.  To be able to use these wonderful creations as a palette is magical.

Before I create anything with a vintage linen, I pin it up on the wall and just watch it for a few weeks, admiring the original embroidery. Gradually, I begin to see ways to connect points, enhance lines, add detail and line, re-imagining the original cloth or doily into something new, and yet, still old.  I imagine myself as the partner with the original needle artist, who may have worked by the light of a lantern or candle.

After creating these pieces, I experience great joy watching others view them.   Inevitably, they stand very close to study the intricate details, working to ascertain which parts of the design were created far away, by hand, a hundred years ago, and which parts I completed recently on my modern sewing machine. After a while, you hear someone say, “I have some linens that belonged to my grandmother . . . . . “ .   Watching viewers become linked to these vintage treasures is my privilege and my honor.

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