Styling thrifted linens in your home can feel challenging, but I’ve got some great ideas to share with you that will make it easy as can be!

This post is a continuation of my on-going series, Styling Thrifted Decorations, but this month we’re going to take a deep dive into thrifted linens specifically!

I’ll be sharing some of the new items I found this month, and giving you an overview of some of my favorite past DIY projects using linens I found at either thrift stores, garage sales, or as “hand me downs” from family and friends!

The Big Questions:

When you’re thrifting, there are really two big questions:

• What do I look for?
• What do I do with it when I get it home?

And through this whole series I’ve been sharing my favorite tips to give you some clarity as you answer both those questions for your own home!

If you’re not caught up on the past year of styling thrifted decor posts, I’ll link the entire list at the bottom of this post for you to reference!

*This post contains affiliate links to products I know &/or love.

This Month’s Thrifted Linens & How I styled Them:

The first item I found this month was two white Nautica brand king size pillow cases. If you happen to not be familiar with Nautica, they’re a really beautiful and high quality brand – so you’ll be especially excited when you hear they were in the free box at a garage sale!

Always check if there is a free box at garage sales!

And how do I use them in my house… well, as laundry hamper liners!

That sounds kind of funny to type out right after mentioning their nice quality, BUT we made these really practical DIY laundry hampers a few years back and king size pillow cases are the perfect size for lining them. And super easy to launder when needed!

I love that these hampers fit in with the rest of our house and that they aren’t an eye sore! Bright white pillow cases in good shape add to the look!

Next I found this lovely soft wool blanket in a beautiful greige color. It was only $10 at a thrift store and I had an idea right away about how I could modify it to give it some more character and charm.

Enter: Lovely crochet trim from Amazon.

I’ve been slowly working on hand-sewing this trim along the edge of this blanket and I couldn’t be happier with how it looks. It’s the perfect balance between feminine and masculine, rustic & Victorian.

I have about 8 more hours of hand sewing to go before I’m finished, but I’ve been working slowly while we watch a movie or while I catch up on audio books, and it’s been a really peaceful task.

I highly recommend it, not just for the process, but for that finished result! *sigh

Totally work it!

Also in the free box (you can’t ever go wrong taking a peak!) I found this really cute dainty muslin bag with a pretty stamped detail.

I have a small (but growing) collection of natural fiber and neutral woven bags hanging in our front room and this bag was a perfect addition.

I love having these handy to grab when I’m heading out grocery shopping or needing to return items to a friend.

To be honest this little rack is nearing it’s capacity, but I loved the way this little muslin bag brought in more of the contrasting cream color, and added some variation to the sizes of the bags that were there already.

I was really excited when I found this next item, a beautiful creamy white acrylic blanket with a “M” monogram on it. My maiden name started with an M, so I have a soft spot for them!

This blanket was $5 at a garage sale, and out of curiosity when I got home I looked for a label, found out it was from Pottery barn, and saw online that it was originally $79!

Score!

I tucked it in on one of our chairs in our master bedroom seating area.

I think it will carry right on through fall and Christmas decorating, and I can’t wait to wrap up in it!

The last new thrifted item from this month was another set of white pillow cases, also in a free bin! These were standard size, which is what we use for our actual bedding, so after I washed, folded and ironed them I stored them in our room in a cute wire basket with the rest of our spare cases.

There’s just something so satisfying and comforting about clean and crisp white sheets.

My Seven Favorite Thrifted Linens:

And now let’s take a little walk down memory lane to see my seven favorite thrifted linen DIY projects!

Number One | Upcycled Men’s Dress Shirt turned Apron

This men’s dress shirt was another free find at a garage sale years ago. I did some simple sewing and created this fun French bistro style apron that I still love and use!

You can find the printable tutorial HERE.

Number Two | Crochet Bird Doily Turned Skirt Applique

I inherited this doily and at first was a little stuck on what on earth to do with it. It felt like it was right on that fine line between really fun and unique and a little dorky.

But then, I had the idea to hand sew it on to this linen skirt I had found at Goodwill, and viola! That was the ticket!

I get so many cheerful comments when I wear this skirt and after we lost our baby girl in 2017 to a miscarriage, I started calling this my Wren skirt after her. It’s even more special, now.

Number Three | Dust Ruffles & Their Many Talents

If you find a nice quality twin size dust ruffle or bed skirt with crocheted detail, snap it up!

They make great table cloths for regular size folding tables.

(This was the set up for our Anne of Green Gables Birthday party)

They make lovely window treatments.

And when stitched onto contrasting linen, they make lovely throw blankets as well.

Number Four | Lace Table Cloths Turned Tents

A few years back I turned lace table cloths into these cute little tents and gifted them to my nieces for Christmas.

Lace & satin ribbons… is there a more sweet touch for a little girl’s room? I think not!

Number Five | Handkerchiefs Turned Sail Boats

These handkerchiefs were passed down to me by my Grandma, and I was a little worried that I would get some push back for cutting them up to make into these adorable driftwood sailboats – but everyone in the family actually loved them!

The driftwood pieces are from my parents’ beach property, so that makes them even more special!

I love pulling these out for summer decor, gifts and party decor!

Number Six | Lace Table Cloth Turned Window Screen

The Lace table cloth is back in the running for a second time (almost catching up in popularity to the dust ruffle!), this time for these DIY window screens.

We originally made these out of desperation because we did not have regular screens for these windows, but they’ve been proudly used year after year ever since them because of how pretty they are.

Number Seven | French Chair Makeover

Last but not least is my French chair makeover. The chair itself was a garage sale find, but more specifically I wanted to share the idea of using a fun piece of material as your back panel for chair renovations.

I did an embroidered wreath which was the logo for my blog at the time on the back of this chair, but the possibilities are truly endless!

And it’s nice to keep in mind that you could find a use for that smaller piece of fabric that you might not have enough of to complete other projects.

I hope these thrifted linens spark some inspiration and give you something to look forward to on your next thrift shopping trip!

Previous Posts in the Styling Thrifted Decorations Series:

• Tips for Styling Thrifted Decor
• Styling Your Thrifted Finds, Part 2
• Styling Thrifted Decor, Part 3
• Styling Thrifted Decor, Part 4 (Christmas Edition)
• Styling Thrifted Decor, Part 5
• Styling Thrifted Decor, Part 6 (Spring Edition)
• Styling Thrifted Decor, Part 7
• Styling Thrifted Decor, Part 8
• Styling Thrifted Decor, Part 9 (Summer Edition)
• Styling Thrifted Decor, Part 10
• Styling Thrifted Decor, Part 11
• Styling Thrifted Decor, Part 12 (Fall Edition)

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xoxo,