Hey all,
My MIL just gave me several pieces of hand crocheted and filet crochet lace. Some of them are doilies. Some of them are just pieces of lace that my husband's grandmother, and great-aunt made. (lace for pillowcases, or other linens.) There are also quite a few linen tableclothes and dresser scarves. Some of those have lace, others have hand embroidery. My husband's grandmother passed away the end of last summer. This was all part of the things that were given to us from her house.
Really gorgeous stuff that I'm thrilled to have in the house. All of it will be taken care of and passed down to the children some day.
Right now, it's all BADLY in need of laundering. :( I have the normal dust, and dirt and some assorted food stains to deal with. Also I have a heavy dose of nicotine to deal with. I'm thinking (although it scares the you-know-what out of me) of taking the big hand crocheted lace tablecloth with coffee stains to the dry cleaner. (I want to get those stains out if possible, but frankly I'm loathe to trust this irreplaceable cloth in strangers' hands.)
What have you all used on things like this? What worked well for you? I want to get them bright and pretty again (I'm actually looking forward to standing at the ironing board for hours with it all. LOL) But I'm very worried about damaging them in the process. I have oxyclean, liquid All, ammonia and peroxide on hand. I have a wal-mart two minutes from my house. So I'm equipped to handle the task. ;) I just need some guidance (and a few encouraging pats on the head possibly) to get me going.
TIA!!!
Sharon