I use my mother's linen tablecloths as backs for my table runners or special wall hangings. No one wants to use them anymore, so this way I'm preserving them in a way. They hold up nicely and I haven't had any problem washing the runners.

I don't have any old stuff, period. However, I love linen and have recently finished a quilt top and back using lots of it. Linen is very durable, so I actually think it should hold up very well in quilts. I love the texture and used it along with quilting cotton in piecing. I've never done any whole cloth projects, as I'm just not ready for any project that actually features the quilting part.

My sister-in-law had pillows made from her mom's linen tablecloths and gifted them to her brother and sister. A wonderful remembrance of their mom and does not require machine washing

Keep those ideas coming. Excellent suggestions so far and I really appreciate all the input here!

They may not have done a lot of entertaining, but you really had to be prepared at all times. In the day, paper was not acceptable. LOL!

I have two enormous damask ones I inherited and often think about using them for backs, it is such beautiful. But I can't justify the cost of longarm quilting (can't hand quilt anymore) unless I use two tops per quilt, double sided in other words.

OMG Woody, watched the slide show & those quilts are totally Awesome!! Anything you can repurpose,reuse in any way works for me and if there's a will there's a way!

My Mom came from Sweden and always had a Swedish tablecloth on the table. Each one is beautiful, depicting people dancing in their native costumes. Some day I will make a quilt out of them, it's just not time yet.

Thank you for this discussion. Maybe this will be my "push".

I have a bag full of linen napkins. My sister loves linen table runners and center cloths for her table. She changes out often. She dresses her house like a million bucks and everything is pre-owned. She works at Goodwill and dresses the different department. All the dining room tables are dressed with the artificial flower arrangements and baskets. One woman stopped in and bought a bedroom set and dining set and with all the trimmings. She was helping her recently divorced son set up housekeeping. That day the woman spent $1000.00. One of the pieces was an armoire. She often asks my sister for help in pre-owned decorating. Working at Goodwill is a dirty job but she loves it.

Thank you for this link. I had the privilege of meeting Cindy when she spoke at our guild meeting a few years ago. She is excellent and a wonderful encouragement to those without a longarm.