COLLECTING: Sha Sha Sha Chenille!

V I N T A G E ~ C H E N I L L E

B E D S P R E A D S

For those of you too young to remember the

wonderful tufted cotton comfort of a chenille

bedspread, it's not too late. Chenille holds

up remarkably well and their popularity has

returned, particularly for those whose decor-

ating leans towards cottage or country, min-

imalist, even art deco and western.

Chenille bedspreads made their debut in

the good ol' US of A in the late 19th century.

The word chenille is French for caterpillar. The

first spreads were white on white, but by the

Roaring Twenties, color accents appeared in

the tufting and the rest is history.

I was born in the mid-fifties and recall

them in our home, in our neighbors homes,

and in my maternal grandmother's house.

Today they are nostalgic pieces in my own home

and I collect chenille to use in pillows, quilts,

children's clothing, and more. The excess I sell

in pieces or quilt squares to defray the cost of

my own purchases. Over the past couple of years

I have accumulated quite a stash.

The colors and patterns are endless. I've seen

hundreds of chenille bedspreads, probably more

like thousands thanks to the ease of the online

auctions like eBay and others. It is important to

make sure the bedspread is 100% cotton, and be

sure and get accurate measuremnts. Back when

these beauties were new, there was no such thing

as a king-sized or queen-sized bed, so if you're

in the market for a vintage spread, plan on using

a dust ruffle for a queen-sized bed and to get

creative if your bed is king-sized. You can fold

a regular (also called double) sized chenille

spread and display it on the foot of your bed just

so. You can also purchase brand new, 100%

cotton queen or king-sized bedspreads at Wal-Mart.

I have one on my king-sized bed. I purchased it

at Wal-Mart about 3 years ago. I have seen the same

bedspread, in different colors, offered in auctions

as vintage chenille bedspreads, so beware!

If it is king-sized, it's new.

Planning a vintage nursery? There are

vintage chenille crib blankets with lambs,

fawns, rabbits, horses, etc. If you've ever

thought about trying to make a quilt, a

vintage chenille baby quilt is a super-easy
first project. There are also twin-sized

chenille bedspreads with cowboys, trains,

ballerinas, etc.

Probably the very best of the many good

things about chenille is that it is 100%

cotton, virtually wrinkle-free, and can

hold up to a lot of abuse (in most cases).

They are wonderful as extra blankets

when you have more guests than beds

and you start assigning couches!