YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Do you have a china pattern?

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Do you have a china pattern? https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 17 Apr 2026 22:11:27 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php MsMary on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2313522 Tue, 14 Mar 2023 22:31:57 +0000 MsMary 2313522@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ We keep the stuff we use daily or near-daily in the kitchen cabinets, but the older stuff is in the linen closets, which have been repurposed as makeshift butler's pantry type deals for overflow dishes and small appliances. Hubby plans to install pullout shelves as one of his next carpentry projects. ETA: LOL don't judge me for my messiness!! April on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2313339 Mon, 13 Mar 2023 16:57:12 +0000 April 2313339@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Blue willow!  Lots of fans here; maybe post it on this thread.   Janet on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2313202 Sun, 12 Mar 2023 17:34:50 +0000 Janet 2313202@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Oh good lord, no. I’m trying to rehome two sets of old china I inherited — blue willow and another old blue pattern. They were well used and loved by previous generations but they’re not our style, and they are not practical. I just gave away the set we got when we got married — Mikasa “Pure Red.” They’re lovely but we’ve lost a bunch of pieces to breakage and some were chipped and looking sad. With a new kitchen on the horizon, it’s time for a new set of dishes, utensils, and glassware! Irina on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2313135 Sun, 12 Mar 2023 01:31:25 +0000 Irina 2313135@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ April, how lucky you are! All I found in our house was an old painted over wallpaper April on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2313084 Sat, 11 Mar 2023 18:40:08 +0000 April 2313084@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Inspired by you all, yesterday I decided to rethink where I have some of my pieces.  My kitchen has a row of tiny glass cupboards way up high (like, WAY up high) and they are empty.  Each small door has multiple small glass panes, making it quite difficult to see what's behind them. Figured I would move a teapot I love into one of them and see if it was visible.  Climbed a ladder and discovered that the previous owners of this house had left a gorgeous, heavy, Csens crystal bowl behind.  We've been here five years now.   Two or three years into our last house, I discovered a Hermes belt at the rear of a high shelf in the master closet.  It pays to check every nook and cranny. kkards on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2313062 Sat, 11 Mar 2023 16:40:41 +0000 kkards 2313062@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Very late to this!   I love china!  I have the set my mother and father got when they got married. As others mentioned it’s not microwave safe, but we have always thrown it in the dishwasher - it’s only dishes.   Vildy on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2313051 Sat, 11 Mar 2023 15:30:21 +0000 Vildy 2313051@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I was in love with this pattern of my mother's as a child. I have a small box full in the basement and probably, in my 70s, ought to get it out and use it, though I'm not less clumsy.  Homer Laughlin eggshell georgian Barbara Diane on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2313031 Sat, 11 Mar 2023 08:56:24 +0000 Barbara Diane 2313031@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have good china that is special occasion only but now I am considering using it more often after reading everyone’s posts. I would need to have it more accessible as right now it is in those china keepers with protectors between each layer, and in a very awkward place. OTOH we are now using our deceased friend’s china for our everyday dishes. We do put them in the dishwasher. It helps that there is no metal on them. They’re okay, not my favorite, but our old everyday plates were worn so I thought why not. In the future I may purchase something else more to my liking. Sloper on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2313023 Sat, 11 Mar 2023 04:45:18 +0000 Sloper 2313023@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ April - thanks for the Desert Rose shout out!  I think it goes quite well with the little 1920’s Spanish style house we live in.  Sometimes I’ll see an old movie where they are using it, or another of the Franciscan patterns. Yes - another fun thread!!! Indigoprint on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2313003 Sat, 11 Mar 2023 00:58:31 +0000 Indigoprint 2313003@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ It is Noritake YBRY . I do not know the significance of that title. April on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2313002 Sat, 11 Mar 2023 00:00:39 +0000 April 2313002@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ IP - I feel like I recognize that pattern!  What is it? Indigoprint on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2312985 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 23:03:11 +0000 Indigoprint 2312985@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Another fun thread started by April..thank you. I still have my china tea set from when I was young. My Grandpa made me a little display cabinet too that I use in my sewing room. This is my Grandmothers china that I have. I am using it in my sewing room too. Indigoprint on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2312974 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 21:52:32 +0000 Indigoprint 2312974@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Yes Bargain for Frances!! April on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2312933 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 18:13:11 +0000 April 2312933@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ RL, IKR? I felt exactly like Frances - all snobby about plastic tea sets. My woodworker grandpa built me a tiny china cupboard to house a porcelain tea set my grandmother bought at a yard sale. Most of it was a floral but there was one Blue Willow teapot and I felt I had arrived. Especially since Neighbor Girl only had plastic. Here are some of my decor china items. rachylou on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2312930 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 18:02:51 +0000 rachylou 2312930@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Omg. A Bargain for Frances! LOVED this book as a child. I need to find it. Helena on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2312924 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 17:26:57 +0000 Helena 2312924@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have Wedgewood Signet Platinum ... in typical 'me' fashion, it is the most minimalistic "pattern" of all time lol! Irina on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2312889 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 13:18:14 +0000 Irina 2312889@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Bijou, It is indeed a beautiful dinner set.  Bijou on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2312880 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 12:40:01 +0000 Bijou 2312880@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Yes - I inherited a formal dinner set from my Mum who adored her ornate Wedgewood set. My Mum specifically requested in her will that I get this dinner set, I think because when I was a child, I loved the sugar bowl, and she would let me gently play with it. I have the complete set - platters, vegetable tureens, coffee and tea pots, coffee and teacups and it all survived intact. You name it, I likely have it. DH was quite firm when I brought all of this into our house, that I was restricted about what else of my parents I could keep. I love having this special reminder of my parents which is visible in display cabinets in my kitchen. I like the pattern which is a floral combined with mythical griffins (Wedgewood Collumbia pattern). I mainly use the serving dishes and have a plain white Wedgewood dinner set that I mix and match with it. Mum's dinner set is beautiful, but so formal, softening it down with the plain white makes it more practical. I don't dare put Mum's dinner set in the dishwasher, I know how much she would disapprove of that! I love it because my Mum loved it. My niece loves good china, so I know if my son is not interested, I can give it to her as she would treasure it. April on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2312868 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 11:31:42 +0000 April 2312868@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Another awesome story featuring Blue Willow is A Bargain for Frances.   Sloper - Desert Rose is what my parents have in their kitchen (because the dining room is crammed with two full sets of china plus random pieces painted by spinster aunts in the late Victorian era.)  My mother - now 85 - asks me regularly how much of it I want her to leave to me and I feel badly that none of it is my taste.   RC - I LOVE lost arts such as napkin folding.   Bella - nice!  Would you consider letting go the everyday dishes and using the ones you love all the time?   bella on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2312867 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 11:00:36 +0000 bella 2312867@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Yes! I have a "contemporary" china set with matching sleek silverware and glassware. It is a huge set with many pieces, and they can all be machine-washed. They live in this piece of Ikea furniture, - what I think of as a "contemporary hutch." This all works well with our apartment. I use them whenever we are entertaining, even for a small group of guests. I also use them quite a bit when it's just the three of us. They are easily accessible (just behind the dining-room table), and make dinner time a bit more special. I think it sets a good example for my son to learn and appreciate the value of family time. Also, I am not happy with our everyday china, as it is mismatched and worn-looking, hoping to replace it soon. Sal on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2312863 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 07:09:37 +0000 Sal 2312863@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ April - I have a built in dresser for glassware and China. It’s in our dining area. Everyday pieces are in drawers in the kitchen. I don’t know that book- I will look it up. My blue willow is not expensive - the mason wear is worth more but some people don’t like patterned China so I think values are quite low. A few nighttime pics for you. Carla on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern/page/2#post-2312843 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 02:10:57 +0000 Carla 2312843@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I’m an expert on the lost art of napkin folding!  One summer I worked as the ‘hostess/cashier’ at a fancy hotel restaurant.  One of my jobs was to fold all the napkins.  The breakfast/lunch napkins were folded like a pocket and held the silverware.  The evening napkins a Tiered Lily.  Mid summer the restaurant underwent a whirlwind renovation, and the napkin styles got changed!  The morning napkin was a Cardinal’s Hat (I loved folding these) and the evening napkin was a Standing Fan.  I always have a cloth napkin at my place setting, but the men-folk are Neanderthals, and eschew napkins. <div> </div><div> </div><div>I also know how to fold old style diapers from squares that require only one pin to fasten! </div> phoebe on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern#post-2312842 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 02:09:14 +0000 phoebe 2312842@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ April, I store a reasonable amount on the very top shelves in my kitchen as it is extremely fragile and the rest is boxed in the basement Sloper on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern#post-2312840 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 01:15:59 +0000 Sloper 2312840@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ My everyday is Franciscan Desert Rose.  I fell in love with it seeing an advertisement in Gourmet Magazine waaaay back in the 1970's.  I don't collect it though (as in buying old or unusual pieces.)  I have about 8 or 10 place settings, which I bought in the early 1990's.  A few years later it switched from hand-painted to printed-on pattern, which made me sad.  Discontinued now, I think.  I still love it and enjoy using it every day!  I've mixed a few pieces of pink Fiesta and green milk glass with it. My mother had "good" Lenox china for company and holidays.  I registered for a simple pattern when I got married, but didn't get very much (if any!!!), which in the end is ok - DH and I are not entertainers.  I do still love the Lenox "Eclipse" pattern, just to admire from afar.   I don't have storage space for lots of dishes - a good thing probably. My mother and her sisters all got nice silver - Towle "King Richard" back in the 1950's I think.  I've inherited one set, but it have never used it.  My everyday stainless flatware is a simple pattern - I've had it since early 80's.  A "moving into first apartment" gift from dear Mom.   Indigoprint on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern#post-2312839 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 01:13:43 +0000 Indigoprint 2312839@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ So fun to see these patterns. Since I am a thrifter I have picked up several pieces.. Sal how lovely--Blue willow. ..Do you know the Doris Gates book? April on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern#post-2312838 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 01:11:56 +0000 April 2312838@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Sal, I have a lot of vintage china that I don't use for eating but for decor purposes.  I have a whole collection of blue and white transferware, a bunch of Paden City Pottery that my first MIL left behind, a lot of Taylor Smith Taylor custard cups in a gorgeous sky blue, a Belleek teapot and some beautiful Limoges plates from my father's mother, a large assortment of French creamware serving pieces, a set of Hall pottery "Orange Poppy" serving pieces from my mother's mother, the remains of a previous collection of plates that featured images of peaches.  And on it goes.   To all who have lots of beautiful dishes that you use, can I ask about storage?  Where and how do you store it so it's accessible enough to encourage use? Echo on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern#post-2312837 Fri, 10 Mar 2023 01:07:52 +0000 Echo 2312837@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ We never registered for fine china when we got married, although I love dishes. But I also love being able to switch out between different, less expensive sets! My mum has "The Friendly Village" dishes (again, not fine china at all) that she uses every holiday season, but no fine china. I rather like the idea of mismatched "sets" of dishes, but have never bothered to shop for them or seek them out. Sal on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern#post-2312829 Thu, 09 Mar 2023 23:56:27 +0000 Sal 2312829@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have a lot of china. Every day use - mostly a Blue Willow pattern set (not valuable) and some inexpensive duck egg blue plates and bowls <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.briscoes.co.nz/product/1008677/blue-willow-dinner-plate/?gclid=Cj0KCQiApKagBhC1ARIsAFc7Mc4UZ682RKO2BKaECut1ULby4Wq5T7b8RxyUJlFM_5BdOKEDxG3_Zs4aAkBbEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds">https://www.briscoes.co.nz/pro.....1ARIsAFc7M</a> In the dresser - my Grandma's Mason ware dinner set for about 16 including platters, soup bowls, cream jugs, tea cups, gravy boats, vege dishes. <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.colonialantiques.co.nz/dinnerware/large-french-map-of-south-pacific-krjte-a544t-yzn7t-85tw6-a38kr">https://www.colonialantiques.c.....t-yzn7t-85</a> Plus lots of cups and saucers - some inherited and some purchased! Not a minimalist in this area - it all gets used though... we entertain a fair bit. phoebe on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern#post-2312826 Thu, 09 Mar 2023 23:38:21 +0000 phoebe 2312826@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/  Haviland Limoges Cashmere, my mother's wedding china, for truly special occasions, which occur only a few times a year so the hand washing does not faze me. Carla on "Do you have a china pattern?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/do-you-have-a-china-pattern#post-2312825 Thu, 09 Mar 2023 23:37:22 +0000 Carla 2312825@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ In 1982 my MIL collected $ from DH’s paternal relatives (a long sibline) and we got 8 place settings of Royal Doultan ‘Sarabande’, as well as a collection of serving platters and a tea set.  I used it for special occasions for about 5-6 years, but by the time the kids were born (year 7 and 9) it was in regular rotation.  I think the fruit nappies were the most used dishes since I used them for baby food!   <div> </div><div>When MIL died 15 years ago, her daughters took the sentimental floral china sets and DH took the last one she bought which was Royal Doulton plain white with a silver band around the rim.  I would use MIL’s and ours rotating approximately once a year.</div><div> </div><div>Last year MIL’s was looking worn, so we donated it to an artist who uses smashed up china as a basis for her art, and bought a bunch of Crate and Barrel.  This summer, my SIL was thrifting in her community and discovered a stash of Sarabande.  She picked up 12 dinner plates, 12 salad/desert plates, and 12 cups and saucers for $25 and brought them up last summer when she and my brother came for a visit.  I can sit 20 for dinner!  I use them regularly enough, but not every day like I did in the years between 1989 and 2021 Did like Peri and got top quality stainless.  That didn’t stop my mom from eventually buying me silver plate x 2 sets that I never use.  Frankly, I’m not precious with it, and wash it in the dishwasher.   </div>