Doily Love

Hi lovely person!

Do you love doilies? I do. I have a varied collection - a mix of some I've stitched and others passed on to me.

I love embroidering the doily, crocheting around the edge and using them. Yesterday was wash day for the doilies which had been gathering in the bottom of the dirty linen bag for some time. Roughly 12 feet of clothesline was bedecked with these wonderful treasures! 

My doily collection has been gradually accumulating since the age of 10 - the age I sewed my very first one on a piece of lawn on which my mother had drawn a basket of flowers. That one was hemmed. 

My first doily set

Over the years, I've always had a doily in the making. Holidays were the main times when I sewed. It's a most delightfully relaxing pastime, especially when you've swum in the surf all morning and walked home in the summer heat. Too weary to do anything for a few hours, but chill out in a comfy deck chair and stitch.

Doily set

Not all my doilies have been stitched by me. Some were engagement / wedding gifts; others were my mothers, passed on when she moved from her home to aged care. 

Doily done by my Mum

I love the old world look of a doily - it speaks to me of happy times and a cosy home. Some doilies are crochet while others are tatted.

Mix of crocheted and tatted doilies

Strange as it may sound, the ceremony of dampening, starching (these days I use Fabulon!) and ironing the cleaned doilies is a pleasure. It gives me reminisce time as I iron each one.

I'm still enjoying stitching doilies. I finished a table runner just last week and yet to be washed and ironed. The crinoline lady is a favourite of mine.

Crinoline lady doily

If you have doilies in your home, treasure them. If only they could talk!

Happy creating!

Love Cara