Thanks to reader Linda, who emailed me yesterday to let me know that Crate & Barrel is now offering some exclusive Vintage Vera Neumann designs on dish towels.
Currently there appear to be three designs available — Insalata, Canning, and By the Pint.
The towels are cotton, and cost just $5.95 each. Link: Vintage Vera Neumann dish towels at Crate & Barrel.
Thanks to Crate & Barrel for providing the images!
But also read on — New Old Stock vintage linen dish towels are also still widely available.
Personally, I prefer linen towels, but if want Vintage Vera, those are getting harder and harder to find, and they are likely to be more expensive. Like, $20 – $30 each. So, buying these designs from Crate & Barrel puts Vera Neumann solidly within the reach of many more homeowners.
That said, other designs of NOS linen dish towels — unused, still with their original tags — still can be found via ebay, etsy and estate sales — at very reasonable prices (if you don’t get sucked into some kind of bidding war). It seems that many women collected these or received them as a gift… and then socked them away for a special occasion (?). I personally adore how linen wears, and find that it is just as absorbent as cotton. Some of the big names in vintage linen dish towels include Parisian Prints, Kay Dee, Bucilla, Vera, and Tammis Keefe. Note, Tammis Keefe is as collectible as Vera; Tammis designs also will be spendy. Read one of my main stories about Tammis Keefe here.
marta says
Like Pam, I prefer linen, and have way too many linen tableclothes, some with too many frays, worn spots, and holes to use as intended. I can’t seem to get rid of them, as some were passed down in the family.
Having recently set up a dedicated sewing area, I’ve decided to cut the problem cloths up into napkin/paper towel sizes, and use the rolled hem foot on my indestructible 1958 Singer Slant-O-Matic 403 to finish them nicely. I may add some decorative stitching. But, my goal is to have everyday napkins I don’t need to fret over. With the amount of paper products I go through, I stand to save quite a bit of change.
Jason says
From reading this site – I learned about Vera.
At Christmas I was in Macy’s and they had Vera placemats(holiday print I believe), I commented to the salesperson that I didn’t know they had Vera things here. She said “oh yes, she is a new designer…”
LOL – If only she knew about RR and Pam:)
Love these dish towels.
pam kueber says
🙂
Heidi says
I have piles of Vera napkins, towels, bed sheets, scarves, tops, dishes, etc that I’ve been collecting for like 25 years, and I’m happy to see her back in circulation! Macy’s has a few lines of Vera inspired bathroom sets too…have you seen these?
pam kueber says
Yes, I’ve featured these before. But there are always new designs coming out, I think!
hannah says
Marta, regarding Parisian Prints items, this tablecloth (which is suggested but not assured) to be by them is going for big bucks (IMHO) for the condition. This would be my dream tablecloth and I’ve seen 3 of them in the last half year go for various (but high) prices.
http://www.thevintagetable.net/catalog/desc/i6771.htm
I do have about 3 of my Mother’s old dish towels, but I cherish them so much that they only stay in the drawer for ‘viewing’ pleasure and not use.
marta says
Oh, Hannah! That tablecloth is perfect! I love that it would settle as nicely into a pink kitchen as into a turquoise one. I use my pretty vintage tea towels out of normal rotation, keeping them for extra drying after company meals, to line trays with, to wrap glass dishes I’m taking to someone else’s dinner, etc.
When we remodeled our kitchen, I used a vining berry paper with yellow background because it reminded me of my Oregon roots. It’s beautiful, but all my vintage tablecloths and towels clash. I’m over the wallpaper now, though, and it’s coming down shortly to be replaces by pale yellow paint.
Stacey says
I really love linen tea towels. I have a lot of them (as my FIL likes to point out). As with most of my MCM stuff, I got them from my mother. She was one of those that saved them for , so they were in perfect condition by the time I got them.
I had no idea about the different big names in vintage linen dish towels. I wonder how I could find out who made the ones I have?
hannah says
Same here Pam. I’m pretty well addicted to my tablecloths right now (searching, buying and using). I’ve only bought a very few towels, and that’s from the woman you let us all know about on eBay. LOVE HER stuff!!! <3
hannah says
I purchased about 6-8 Vera reproductions from Tuesday Morning after we got the house in May 2011. They were a bargain, but boy – do they take some washing to break down the dyes used so they’re more flexible. Not really absorbent, but I got them for looks mostly, and, to make me happy. 🙂
pam kueber says
Yup, this is why I love vintage linen so much….
Jane / MulchMaid says
Beautiful! I love the vintage designs, although, I also prefer linen. But cotton will work, especially with these great patterns.
Rebecca Prichard says
Oh my god. I love them!
Marta says
I have several beautiful ‘tea’ towels which I use often, but I also have several with their original labels still attached which I’d like to use, only I’m hesitant to remove the labels.
None of the labeled ones are Vera, mostly Kay Dee and Parisian Prints, so it’s not like they’ll ever become significantly more valuable. Neither do I buy them for their collectible value. I just have an addiction to textiles. But, one of my New Year’s resolutions is to reorganize, and get all the things I have stacked up in “holding pattern” cleaned and put away. And, still, I hesitate to pull those labels. 🙂