Hello sweet friends, for everyone who watched my DIY Tiny House Tour // Tiny Cottage Farmhouse Tour And my DIY Tiny Farmhouse Christmas Tour on Living it Country Channel, Thank You!
I had never done anything like it before. However, so many of the questions I got were about the spreads on my tiny sofa in my living room. Those are my special pieces, I use them all year long. When I was a little girl, I would go with my mother to our neighbor (Etta’s) home and she had these beautiful bedspreads on all of her beds. The fringes hanging down would barely be touching her shiny wood floor in her small but cozy bedroom, which had a way of catching my eye, it looked so elegant. The unique soft fluffy cotton designs on these bedspreads add texture to the vintage Chenille bedspreads, not to mention when you took a nap on one of these spreads it would leave the imprint of the lovely design on your face and other parts of the body.You looked like something from the movie fright night. If you’re from the 60’s you know exactly what I’m talking about.
I don’t know why that was such a vivid memory, but it stuck with me. I love these Chenille blankets and I use them a lot in my home decor.
I get questions like where do you get those throws on your sofa? First and foremost, they are called bedspreads. What is a bedspread, you younger ladies might ask? A bedspread is a lightweight cover used as a decorative element on your bed. Now, back in the early 60’s the largest mattress was a full size, and these Chenille bedspreads were large enough to cover the entire bed to the floor and including enough to tuck under the pillows and fold over the pillows and hang down a bit. Making a bed back in the day was an art of spreading the cover over the bed and smoothing it out to have no wrinkle. And tucking the pillows was an art that took a lot of practice. I have found all of mine at antique and thrift stores. They are full to twin size. I seriously got one for $5.00 at a thrift store last November in 2020. You can find the best Chenille bedspreads at thrift stores, believe it or not. I love the history and story behind the vintage ones. They can also be laundered very easily in warm or hot water with just a tiny bit or bleach and Woolite laundry detergent. Throw them in the dryer to fluff them right back up. I found a way to deep clean these beautiful blankets to bring them back to life after years of use. I will leave my recipe for deep cleaning vintage bedspreads, below.
Brightening Bleach Powder Recipe
1 ½ gallons of boiling water. (Rolling boil)
1 cup of Borax powder bleach
2 cups of Cascade dishwasher powder
Long handle tongs or dowel rod for dissolving the powders in the boiling water.
1 Large kettle or stock pot
Boiling rinse water and 1 cup of lemon juice
If you are doing smaller items, you can just heat your water in the microwave for about 11 minutes
Warning! boiling water and vapors
Bring 1 ½ gallons of water to a boil in your stock pot. For this next step you want to turn on your vent over your stove. If you don’t have one, no problem! Take the water outside in the open air. Pour in your powders and mix it up with your long handle tongs or dowel rod until it dissolves. Now, gently place your pieces into the solution and give them a swirl. If possible, soak for 24 hours. If you can’t do that, soak for as long as you can. 6-8 hours may work for light stains. Then rinse, rinse, rinse. I like to rinse in boiling water and 1 cup of fresh lemon juice and hang outside in the sun. I think the secret is lemon juice and a bright, bright sun shiny day!
You can buy new, replicated bedspreads at stores such as Target, JCPenney, Brylane Home Country Door and Amazon. Newer bedspreads are gorgeous but just don’t do it for me, I want the real deal.
These Chenille bedspreads would look beautiful in any home, they are becoming more popular in the farmhouse and barndominium homes because they incorporate the past with the present. I hang mine on old barn ladders and place them in baskets throughout my home, in places such as our living room and bedroom. I display them on my tiny sofa and chairs, in reach for family members and guests to just grab one when needed. Not often, but I’ve even been known to cover my dining table with them on special occasions!
All you need, to add that warm and cozy feeling to your new barndominium or farmdo, is as easy as displaying some of these Chenille beauties. Once more I don’t like just displaying my vintage finds, if I don’t use them, I don’t need them. That’s my motto! Enjoy the things you love now, sweet friends. Don’t worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself.
May your day be blessed,
