is for doily. I’m a sucker for a sweet doily. I have inherited lovely crocheted and tatted doilies from my grandmother and from my husband’s grandmothers. I have purchased doilies at antique shops and estate sales. Frankly I no longer know which is which.
Except for this one:
This very large doily was crocheted by my maternal
grandmother’s mother, Mary Sudie Rucker. My grandmother sometimes used the
doily on this very same table.
At one time doilies were a sign of upward social
mobility. (Remember the scene in Anne of Avonlea when Diana Barry boasts about
the number of doilies she received as wedding gifts!) The lady of the manor
used doilies to protect her tables from being scratched by lamps, crocks,
picture frames and other decorative objects. She used doilies on her tea tray
to catch spills.
You
won’t see Joanna Gaines or the Property Brothers staging their homes with
doilies. As warm and fuzzy as "Home Town"’s Ben and Erin are, they haven’t featured any
doilies either. Alas, doilies are considered old fashioned today, but I
still like them and use them as they were always intended: to protect my
furniture.
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| Two doilies The large one covers the table which is not in good shape. |
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| I love this doily edged with crocheted pansies. |
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| Taupe colored doily - its twin is on the other nightstand |
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| I could not resist a purple and yellow doily. |
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| Those blue points! Had to grab this one at an estate sale. |
Even if my own daughters are not enamored of my doilies, I know of one person who appreciates them. My nephew’s fiancé, who loves all things vintage, will be using my doilies at their wedding reception this coming June. It is doubtful any of the guests will appreciate the significance of the doilies, but OUR family will know that some of these doilies are nearly 100 years old, still beautiful, delicate yet strong. The connection to family will not be missed.
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| Mary Sudie Rucker's handiwork |
Wendy
© 2018, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.
You sure have some pretty intricate doilies. I love that first one made by your ancestor. I like the pointy one too.
ReplyDeleteOne place I lived, my landlord was Greek and they lived downstairs from us. The grandma was always making doilies (because "idle hands are the devils work") and she started to give them to me. When I moved away from there she was starting a table cloth made like a giant doily, with very thin thread and a fine hook. I'm sorry I never got to see the finished project. And... I have no idea what happened to my doilies!
My Genealogy Challenges
Oh now, that is a story with a sad ending!
DeleteToo funny, I was working on a blog post today in which I reference Anne's House of Dreams. Anyway, I still use doilies to protect my furniture, they are vintage but they're all collected rather than inherited. Your collection is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteSince my doilies have intermingled, I just think of all of them as heirlooms.
DeleteWhen I saw 'dolly' I wasn't expecting doilies. Any we have must be tucked away,unused, at the bottom of a drawer in our Welsh dresser.
ReplyDeleteWhew - I thought I mis-typed. What is a Welsh dresser? Did it simply come from Wales or is there a special design feature?
DeleteMy mother had one of those pansy doilies - in the exact same colours too.
ReplyDeleteDon't you love it?
DeleteMy maternal grandmother used doilies on the arms of the overstuffed furniture. And on tables. I don't know what happened to them. None were so fancy as yours.
ReplyDeletehttp://findingeliza.com/
I remember visiting folks who used doilies that way. I read that Victorian women started that when men started greasing their hair. Sounds just lovely, right?
DeleteI love doilies, too! I'm sad to say I don't know who made what but I still love them!
ReplyDeleteAs your mother used to say, you can make something up and no one will know the difference. HA HA
DeleteIsn't that the truth?
DeleteI certainly SWOONED over everyone of your lovely doilies. So special to have ones made by family members. I have a pansy doily exactly like yours made by my Grandmother Minnie. Treasures!
ReplyDeleteSue at CollectInTexas Gal
That makes 3 of us - another reader has that pansy doily too.
DeleteI've got some doilies - kept in a drawer at the moment. You've given me inspiration to put them out and on show.
ReplyDeleteYes, bring them out. Maybe they'll make it into a Black and White challenge one day.
DeleteD + Doily.Perfect. My mother liked to crochet. I have several. She did one with pansies like in your photo. I have doilies in my china cabinet under the family china. I have doilies in my glass front secretary under family photographs. I love doilies. They are both pretty and have a link to the past.
ReplyDeleteThat gives me an idea - I could use some in the china cabinet to help some of the crystal show up against all the brown wood. Thanks for the idea!
DeleteI love doilies too! I have a hard time resisting them at estate sales. You have some nice ones! My paternal grandmother made quite a few, but like you, I've mixed the inherited with the purchase. :(
ReplyDeleteI guess that is what comes from actually using things instead of stuffing them away as being too precious. Better to love them to death, I think.
Delete