Huum, I'd be interested in this too. I don't think I could bring myself to actually using such a treasure! But I'm on the look out for old linen napkins and dish towels at thrift shops etc and will be interest in the care for these too! Supposedly linen is just the best for drying glass. So my use is mostly for cleaning. But I am wanting to get away from using paper towel in favor of cloth.

Could you put an iron-on patch on the reverse side of the monogram to stabilize the fabric? It wouldn't be beautiful, but you could still use the napkins. BTW, I'm not any kind of fabric expert, so I don't know if there are other products that could be used to bolster the fabric. If you don't get any responses here, you might take one of the napkins to a sewing/fabric store and see if any of the people there could help.

frame some? or maybe use one for pillow front?

sorry i did not realize you wanted to continue using as napkins, my idea was silly then

You might find some experts in old linens at the Antiques and Collectibles forum.

I am 64, and have been using my great grandparents linens, china, silver and crystal for at least 25 years. I also have several crystal pieces from my great great grandmother who was born around 1851. Yes, I am running a risk, and they will or may break or deteriorate, but what is the point in having them if not to use them? My gr grandparents, then grandparents, used these things often if not daily. My parents kept them in boxes. I am thrilled to use them, both because they are beautiful and for the history.

Keeping the napkins packed away, unless they are kept in museum
boxes, probably won't stop fabric rot. If you want to preserve them, try mounting them under glass for display. There are some very fine iron on interfacings available that may help preserve them from further deterioration, but it will not be beautiful.

I have some of my grandmother's handmade linens, would love to use them, but I am worried about ruining them. I will be curious to see what recommendations are offered. I want to be able to continue passing them on.

Jennava, I am actually in the process of making a ring bearer's pillow for my Future DIL from one of my grandmother's lace hankies from the early 1900's. I am embriodering their monogram and wedding date. DIL loves things that are connected to family history, so I thought it would be perfect for her.

My grandmother gave me the pick of her dishware in her pantry. She had some lovely odds and ends from her family. I chose a small crystal dish in a lovely pale chartruse green meant for a relish dish. The admonition from her was that I could select one item to have, but I had to promise to use it regularly, not store it away as had her family. So eventually, I broke it while washing and drying it. But it did make more sense to use it. I now have a water jug that had been hers, and some dessert plates, which we use regularly.

I learned lots from a doll forum on ebay (some years ago) about washing and preserving antique doll clothing. I still have the products, but it has been along time since I have had a reason to used them. Antique fabrics or fabrics of any age require some delicate handling. Betcha Lindac over on the Antique forum would have an idea or two.

Repairs include patching, darning, and stain removing (quite a bit online regarding laundering old linens.)

Restoration includes matching embroidery with antique colored floss, hand embroidering and creating a matching motif over holes, reworking tattered needlework or needle lace, replacing or adding lace trims, repairing old embroidery, and hemstitching. You've got to be fairly skilled or go to the expense of entrusting them to a professional.

I'm with sherrmann and have used the beautiful and intricately worked linens from my great greats for decades. I'm not cavalier about the care and preservation of lovely, irreplaceable things, but it seems using them is a greater tribute to a family's history than boxing them away in acid free tissue. They were utilitarian things right from the get go since paper napkins didn't spring onto the scene until the early 1930's. I doubt my great greats ever bothered to dream someone in 2012 would still find joy in using a square of cloth they painstakingly embellished. But if something should happen, well, it just happens and I might have fewer than a full set.

I might look at things a little differently as I don't have children.

My kids grew up appreciating these old things. Christmas day we were telling my 8 yo granddaughter that she was the 7th generation of woman to be born in Chicago, the 7th generation to eat on these dishes, use the napkins, etc., and the 8th generation to serve cranberries from the crystal goblet and light the candle in the crystal holder. She was very impressed and delicate, and we talked a lot about the monograms, the ancestry, the delicacy. I gave her a blue crystal paperweight ball that had belonged to my favorite aunt. I bet she will have it forever.

I love the idea of making a ringbearer's pillow, and will suggest it to my daughters if they ever marry. Lovely.

What a nice discussion, even if a little OT from the OP. I hope you find a satisfying way to keep and use your napkins.

I have a number of tatted handkerchiefs made by my cousin, who was a Catholic nun so she had plenty of spare time. I mean, after dinner, she'd go to her room and tat. I treasure them and will either frame the nicest or sew some together to make a wall hanging.

Thank you all for your responses. These napkins have been well used by my Gt.Grandmother and also my Grandmother who left them to me. I too believe that heirlooms should be used and enjoyed, not hidden away. The body of each napkin is in perfect condition. It is just at the edges where the monogram is placed that there is wear. Back in the days when I sewed I remember something called "Stichwitchery" I don't know if it is still made, but perhaps there is something similar that I could iron on the back that would reinforce it. I know it would never be perfect, but folded it might look presentable and once it is on ones lap who cares, plus the history of the napkin is the important thing.

Pamies, I wouldn't use stitch witchery.. I would get me some embroidery floss, and darn around the monogram with a thin strand of maybe only two fibers... and continue using the napkins.

Like you, I use the stuff from my grandma. No good having it in a closet... all packed away... can't enjoy it that way.

:)

Moni