Q & A | How are Linens Hand Embroidered?
April 18th, 2008 . by The Linen Doctor“Dear Linen Doctor, how are fine linens hand embroidered? 
Hand embroidery is not as popular as it used to be, but it is still being done and customers still request it, particularly for table linens. The first step in the process is to draw the pattern onto tracing paper. A hand-held stitch counter is then dragged over the pattern lines to determine the number of stitches required to embroider it. The embroiderer is paid by the stitch.
A picote machine driven via foot pedal perforates the paper along the lines of the pattern. An inkpad-like “doll” saturated with ink is swiped over the paper to transfer the pattern onto the fabric below it. In Maderia, Portugal, for example, the printed fabrics, a sheet specifying colors and stitches to be used, and the embroidery threads are given to a delivery agent who farms them out to embroiderers. The embroidered pieces are returned to the factory, washed to remove the ink, and smoothed by hand using heavy, flat-faced irons.
One fancy cutwork tablecloth may take as long as eight months to complete, since only one person can work on the tablecloth at a time to ensure consistency in stitching and to eliminate puckering near the embroidery. One way to tell great embroidery work is to turn the embroidered fabric over to check the neatness and tightness of the embroidery by making sure that the back side embroidery is relatively flat compared to the top side, where it will typically be raised.
Almost all of the great hand embroidery used to be done in Madeira, but now much of it is being done in Vietnam In my opinion, that work is comparable to the European work we’ve seen for centuries. This wasn’t true of Chinese embroidery years ago, but the Vietnamese seem to have mastered the embroidery techniques required to produce quality work.
There really is no substitute for actually physically trying a mattress. Most sleep experts say that you should test a mattress for 15-20 minutes each. If you experience any uncomfortable pressure points, consider another mattress. 
In 1878, John Wanamaker of Philadelphia department store fame decreed January to be the time for a white sale where bed linen, which were available in white only, were sold at a discount. It is believed he might have done so to keep linen makers in business during a slow time of the year.
Dinner was wonderful and the guests were charming, but your linen tablecloth has all the evidence of a Thanksgiving dinner. There are spots from gravy, wine, cranberry sauce, coffee, and candle wax. Where do you start? Do you treat all of these stains the same?
The traditional “drop” for a tablecloth (the amount that extends below the tabletop) is 12-14 inches. Measure the width and length of your table, then add (double the desired measurement of drop) to each dimension for the correct size cloth. For example, for the desired drop listed above, measure both length and width of your table and add 24 to 28 inches to both width and length for the proper size cloth.
With proper care, your fine bed linens can last for many years. In order to assure the long life of your bed linens, it is best to alternate the use of each set on a weekly basis. Three sets of sheets for each bed is a good guideline to follow - one on the bed, one in the wash, one in the closet.
There are four basic steps that affect the quality of a sheet. The finest feeling sheets start by using the best cotton with the longest staple, usually about three inches long. A staple is what you pull from a ball of cotton. Shorter staple cottons can result in yarns that break and fabrics that pill.