2 Vintage White Embroidery Pillowcases Yellow Wreath

Two Vintage  1960s Cotton Poly Pilowcases: 20x32" embroidered with a yellow wreath of yellow cross stitched flowers
Soft soft cotton and poly mix, with 3" wide turned and stitched hem
Hand Embroidered

PLEASE NOTE:  for US buyers, second item always ships free.  For international buyers, you will only pay actual weight

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Found this beautiful pair of white cotton and probably polyester pillowcases with yellow and green embroidered decoration at a recent estate auction.  Larger size, 20x32" with plain hem, lightweight and creamy soft cotton mix.  You can tell from the pattern that these are form the 1960s, less detail, less fancy embroidery, but nice pillowcases all the same.  Great for a pair of spare pillows in the guest room.   I bought about 8 sets at an auction yesterday.  None are used.  All are clean and 50 years old.

Having embroidered pillowcases has always been fashionable.  But in the Victorian and Edwardian eras the embroidery was very tastefully made, usually initials with lots of lace, hemstitching, and woven damask patterns within the weave of the fabric.  Looks over the top to us, but necessary to people who felt every household item had to be beautiful and useful.

By the 1920s and 1930, the style changed.  Beautiful prints became popular and linen followed that trend.  We started to see the linen pillowcases with flowers, etc.  By the 1940s and 1950s we had beautiful ladies in long dresses, animals, loads of flowers and beautiful trims on the cases.  This was the heyday of decorated embroidered pillowcases.  Cutout hems, crochet, tatted or knitting trim, lavish embroidery with satin stitches, on many cases you see it all! 

By the 1960s, newer types of needlework began to emerge, crewel embroidery in bell pulls and pillows, and needlepoint with colorful flowers.  Not many people continued to embroider pillowcases, and those that did found that the selection started to be a bit limited. On the batch of cases I just bought, the designs pretty but not fancy,  colonial ladies, flowers and the embroidery is not fancy padded satin stitches, nor do they have trims. 

People were getting away from that old fashioned stuff and preferring bright hot colors and styles.  That dreaded polyester was invented and started to be use in everything.  I suspect these pillowcases are poly mixed with cotton by my own secret method of detection, if lots of fuzz sticks to the fiber, I know its poly (and one pillowcase has a tab that shows poly/cotton mix)!

Pretty lighter weight linen in white with yellow and green embroidery.  Cross stitched wreath of flowers in center with vines on each side.  Decoration stretches from side to side, so almost 20" of embroidery. 

Colors:  bright yellow , green on a white pillowcase

 Measurements: 20x32"

Condition: very good for its age. No rips, tears or damage.  No smudges or spots.  These are unused and unwashed.  The embroidery ink can still be seen and will wash out with first cleaning.

Pretty little lighter weight linen pillowcases, very delicate and pretty pattern.  Will blend well with an earthtone bedroom.

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IMPORTANT:  For USA buyers, second item ships free and free insurance for any item(s) over $20.  Confirmation included.  Returns accepted but please contact me first to discuss the problem.  All items covered completely against loss in the mail whether you buy insurance or not. 

International buyers welcome, but payment by Paypal only (contact me if a problem).

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