You may find that your lovely vintage linens have yellowed with time. The concern with using chemical cleaners to whiten yellowed linens is that the cleaner may be too harsh for the delicate linens. Here is one method that works well. Fill a pot with fresh water and a few slices of lemons. Place it on the stove and bring to a boil. Then turn off the heat and add your linens. Let the linens soak for an hour and then launder as usual. Low heat for drying or even better, hang them in the sunshine to dry. The sunshine seems to give them an extra boost of brightening!
 
What is tatting?
The rare art of tatting is a form of knotted lace made with an oblong shuttle, around which the thread is wound and by means of which loops and knots are worked. The name is derived from tattie, an Indian matting that it slightly resembles. You will find tatted lace trim on a wide variety of vintage articles ranging from clothing, especially cuffs and collars, to a vast array of household textiles including sheets, pillowcases and towels and baby bonnets.
 
What is toile?

It has come to our attention that many people don't know how to pronounce the word. Toile rhymes with ball (twall). That being established, lets move on to a brief description of the appearance of toile. French in origin, most times this print was done with a soft ivory color in the background although others colors have become available in recent years. It is the unique patterns on the background that make it toile. Think pastoral, primitive French country scenes all done in shades of one color. Due to its timeless classic simplicity, toile is often used by designers. This has given rise to a far reaching variety of patterns and colors. However, the monochromatic color scheme is what distinguishes this print.

For a very funny expose on toile you may enjoy this article.