Tribute to Auntie Mary.....

Auntie Mary's sewing cupboard was a great delight to me as a child. Brown paper bags of embroidery cottons, ricrac, metal clip fasteners, fancywork and iron-on embroidery patterns, along with minute beads for the beautiful beading she worked on her best frocks. She lived in the old farmhouse across the paddock from where I lived as a child. Her beautiful handicrafts influenced me to a point where my collections reflect all the fine work she did. My Dad is ninety now, the youngest of eight children. Auntie Mary was one of his older sisters so any of her surviving work is a century old.

I have a fairly extensive collection of very old doilies, both handstitched or crocheted, or both. Most of them are used and rotated, but many are very fragile and a lot of care goes into their laundering!!!

I know the history of some of these pieces, but most of them attracted me because of their fine detail. The threads and hooks used were so fine, and the patterns so intricate that I'm not sure how these women could see the tiny stitches they were producing! I am truly in awe.

After all these years, the handstitched roses and leaves on this doiley still have an irridescent sheen to the thread. How did they work the underside of their work as neatly as the front? Even though these colours have not been favourites of mine in the past, I love them on old timber furniture.

The work on this duchess set is truly beautiful too.

See those two fellas sitting on these crocheted pieces? They are providing insight into a blog I'm planning further down the track.

Over the years I have kept old worn-out pieces to be cut up for other projects. Doilies with crocheted medalions are favourites but most pieces can be cut, dyed, re-worked and re-crocheted into useful recycled items. This is the stack I have left! I wonder what I will come up with?

I am sure Auntie Mary would approve.

Comments

[Susie Edwards]

What an amazing collection! Reading this makes me miss my bobbin lace making days. When I lived in the Cotswolds, I used to spend each Tuesday morning sat around a big oiak table with a small group of amazing women. They taight me how to turn strands of thread into beautiful lace. Oh... those were the days!

[Maria]

Found your blog when I googled 'ideas for using doilies'. You certainly have a beautiful collection and all with wonderful memories.

[Slawomira]

A formidable share, I just given this onto a colleague who was doing a bit of evaluation on this. And he the truth is purchased me breakfast because I found it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the treat! But yeah Thnkx for spending the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love studying more on this topic. If doable, as you turn out to be expertise, would you thoughts updating your weblog with more particulars? It's extremely helpful for me. Big thumb up for this weblog put up!