July 2017
My daughter is getting married in October, and she will stand under a chuppah. The top is my grandmother’s 80-year-old beige linen tablecloth (Jewish custom). There are several brown spots on the cloth. What do you suggest? Will Oxiclean be too harsh on older, thinner linen? Help! We are desperate. My daughter wants to follow the custom, but we have to get rid of stains… Thanks.
~ Ellen, mother of Bride
Ellen, how wonderful to have your grandmother’s linen cloth for use in your daughter’s wedding! I am honored that you contacted me with your question—and happy to help get your family’s treasure back into circulation.
You mentioned “brown spots” on the cloth. I’m guessing they are simply storage/oxidation stains (rather than rust). The product I recommend is Mama’s Miracle Linen Soak. It’s gentle, gets great results, and its distributor (Shelley Stewart) is super easy to contact if you have questions. (Of course, I’m still available as well.) You may purchase it here: https://mamasmiracle.com
If there are any remaining stains once the storage stains are removed (i.e. rust), I’ll be happy to help you with next steps. In the meantime, I suggest you take a look at my series of linen care posts; especially notice my tips for handling your linen cloth when it’s wet. Here’s a link: http://myplacetoyours.com/vintage-linens
Best wishes to your daughter on her upcoming wedding. I hope all of the plans fall into place smoothly. Her special day will be here soon!
In case you’re not familiar with the chuppah, it’s a canopy under which a Jewish couple stand during their wedding ceremony and represents a home the couple will build together. Although seen in many different forms, the basic construction of a chuppah is four upright poles supporting a fabric covering.
When I followed up with Ellen to see if she’d had success cleaning the antique tablecloth, this was her response:
The wedding was beautiful and, thanks to your advice, they did stand under the Jewish Chuppah with the tablecloth from my mother’s wedding in 1948 and my grandmother’s in 1917. The cloth was yellow with age until you told me how to fix the problem. It was a beautiful creamy white for their wedding day…. We did soak the cloth as you told us and, as in a miracle, it did become good as new. Thank you for helping to make their wedding a success. My mother and grandmother up in heaven also thank you and were smiling down from heaven during the wedding.
Ellen’s daughter on her wedding day
This is the beautiful wedding chuppah erected for Ellen’s daughter’s wedding. The sheer draping provided a foundation on which to place the family heirloom.
You can only see the linen tablecloth when standing under the chuppah and looking up.
I happen to love that!
With eyes raised heavenward, the fourth-generation bride was sheltered by a century-old linen cloth; the same cloth that sheltered her mother, her grandmother, and her great-grandmother.
Will a fifth generation bride someday repeat the tradition?
Very possibly! Ellen tells me the bride and groom now have a baby daughter, and she’s hopeful this beautiful family tradition will continue with the next generation. I hope so, too! At least now she knows how to clean her heirloom cloth—and how to store it properly.
Does your family have a special wedding tradition? Please share in the comments!
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