Early last year, I found this tablecloth at our local Refuse Tip. Would you believe someone had actually been using it as a grease rag. I so wish now that I'd taken pics of it in it's sorry state. It was absolutely covered in black grease. Well, with the help of some Morning Fresh washing up liquid, Sunlight laundry soap and a final soaking in some Napisan, I finally managed to remove all the grime with very little fading to the colours of the embroidery.
It has a little damage to the lace on the top right, in a couple of spots the cloth has come adrift from the edging and is very slightly frayed and a few stitches here and there may need replacing ( Maybe I really shouldn't be attempting any repairs - any advice would be most welcome.) Made of a very good quality linen, I am just so pleased that it can now be preserved as a very small part of Australia's Sewing History. I love vintage linen and now have a small collection, mostly bought from thrift shops or flea markets. Stained or damaged linen can often be utilised in Crazy Quilting or other sewing projects instead of being discarded as is too often the case.