Mom's Stenciled Linen Luncheon Cloth

In honor of Mother's Day I wanted to show you another treasure. This stenciled linen luncheon cloth was made by my mother for her own hope chest, many many years ago. She gave it to me because I loved those cheerful yellow daffodils. I've always been impressed with what my mother can do, she is talented and capable in so many different ways. In this case, mom simply frayed the edges of a length of linen and stenciled the pattern on each corner. Mom used a darker color to shade and add dimension to the large flowers. She also stenciled in the corner of the small napkins. There were four napkins at one time, but one must have been lost or ruined.

Ladies from my mother and grandmother's generation used to entertain their friends at luncheons, teas or card parties. These small luncheon cloths were made to fit a card table or another small table. The hostess would plan and serve a light luncheon or other light refreshments. The menu was simple, usually two courses. The hostess always laid a nice table with a beautiful luncheon cloth and cocktail-sized napkins.

Stenciling is an easy, lovely way to embellish fabric items for a hope chest. Miss Abigail posted a simple tutorial about stenciling on fabric. See this post if you would like to try.