I thought I would just share with you my stash of gorgeous antique lace and crocheted doilies. Over the next lifetime few months I will be transforming these fabulous fabrics with embroidered art.
Why yes, I am keeping it real with my excellent brand of camera-phone photography. You can see in most of these my foot-long ruler which gives you an idea of all the different shapes and sizes I have to work with.
It’s true that some of these aren’t really doilies. We also have some antimacassars, place mats, handkerchiefs I suppose. I’m not fussy. They are all however pretty old (1940s-1960s), all very fine linen or cotton, and all hand made/embellished with a variety of traditional techniques – Mountmellick work, crochet, hand lace…
This one in particular I’m really inspired by – 9 teeny panels to do embroideries on, all linked by beautiful crochet. What do you think I should do? I’m thinking either a series of tiny poisonous mushrooms and plants, or a series of anatomical studies? Framing this one up is going to be an absolute bum hole though. Any ideas any of you embroiderers? I thought maybe I’ll need to tack the whole thing to another piece of fabric and put the whole thing in a slat frame, so I will be stitching through two layers of material?
Nice cross stitch on this one. I remember reading a blog of someone I admire a lot who was berated quite rudely by some commenters who felt it was absolute arrogant sacriledge to ‘defile’ her collection of vintage embroidered tablecloths, by cutting them up and making them into patchwork quilts. She quite rightly in my humble opinion said firstly they are are rotting in a drawer and this way they have a new life (I hate the word upcycling), and second – really? there are far worse things in the world to get upset about.
Not sure if I can or will do anything with this little one as the panel is kind of embellished itself.
First up this weekend I think I am going to do a full skeleton on one of the long thin ones.
*17 really as I have doubles of 2 of them. I may do a pair!
love these pieces, bet your creative bone is really twitching. Love the one with 9 panes, love the idea of toadstools or maybe insects in each pane. As to framing up guunghh!!!
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I think the one with the 9 panes should be anatomical. Start with the head and progress down the panels with the body parts in order.
Beautiful collection! Thanks for sharing. :-)
love these pieces, bet your creative bone is really twitching. Love the one with 9 panes, love the idea of toadstools or maybe insects in each pane. As to framing up guunghh!!!