I took photos of the doilies I "did up" after my little soiree last week. There are quite a few here. I made them for my own use, but decided to show them to you after at least one follower asked that I do so.
You may get bored with one picture after the other of items that are no longer in favor, but follow me to the end, as I think you'll be surprised with what a person of the male gender is capable of!
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| Leading off with this one because it's so colorful. Purchased it at an antique mall. |
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| Crochet, made by mother |
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| Crocheted dresser scarf, as they were called back when. |
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| I think these were popular in the 1950s; cotton or linen center with heavy crochet edging. I have tons of this kind. |
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| Crochet; pineapple pattern. |
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| A long cotton scarf with crochet edging. These were used on buffets or tables. |
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| Embroidered dresser scarf, part of a set that includes two smaller ones. |
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| Another set of dresser scarfs. I left these on the ironing board a few days and the ends curled; they will flatten out when stored away. |
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| Crocheted scarf. Due to its shape, I think they were used on the arms of chairs with a larger one for the back of the chair. |
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| Crocheted centerpiece. It's blue, but for some reason doesn't show up as that in the photo. |
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| These dresser scarfs made with the variegated crochet cotton were popular in the 1950s. Mother made tons of these and I have more than a few! |
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| One of my favorites; crocheted centerpiece made by my grandmother. |
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| Pillowcase with elaborate crochet edging, made by one of my aunts. |
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| Same pattern as the red one above, but done in all white. The bottom portion of the photo is in shadow; it is all the same in color/tone. |
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| More of the dresser scarfs with a combination of cotton/crochet. |
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The following is not part of the doily series but wanted to show you what my father-in-law does. He pieces quilts and quilts them by hand. He entered this one in a quilt show and won third place. He sent it to my husband as a thank you for fixing his computer. Log cabin pattern, two pillow shams to match. (Note the crochet edging on the bed sheets; done by my mother, of course!)
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| My husband does not "take after" his father, My father-in-law is an expert quilt maker and cake/bread baker He apprenticed as a tailor in his homeland of Germany, and had a career in that field after he came to the U.S. in the early 1950s. The wall hanging above the bed? I made that. |
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| And here's an example of my mother-in-law's handwork. Applique embroidery. |
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| Another applique embroidery tea table scarf with a Christmas theme made by my mother-in-law. The back of her handwork is as pretty as the front side. Once she looked at the backside of a needlepoint piece I was working on and said, "messy." True, but I'm not the perfectionist in my handwork as was she. |
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| Close up of the above scarf. It's beautiful and I treasure it. |
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And finally, one of my favorites - a crochet centerpiece by my grandmother.
Thank you for visiting my blog, and for your comments.
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Hello Sanda,
ReplyDeleteThese are all truly beautiful, each and every one. They all have the most amazing detail contained within them and have obviously been made with great care. It is lovely that you still use them, so would we, as they are far too pretty to ditsy hidden away in drawers out of sight.
And yes, the quilt work is outstanding, although we were not entirely surprised that this was a man's handiwork. Indeed, one of our fathers regularly used to create tapestry work which would either be framed or used as coverings for footstools etc.
Whatever, male or female, it is so nice to have handmade pieces around the house which serve to remind one of their makers. It all contributes to the feeling that a house is a home.
Thank you, Jane and Lance. I treasure each and every one of my handmade pieces. It seems in years past one was more likely to find a male doing tapestry work or knitting; not so much these days.
DeleteThe pieces are a constant reminder of the one who made them.
It is lovely to have so many pieces made by members of the family, special little reminders to remember them by.
ReplyDeleteThe quilt made by your father in law is beautiful, what a special way to say thank you.
I am using the quilt made by my father-in-law in a guest bedroom It WAS a special way for him to say thank you!
DeleteHello Sanda
ReplyDeleteYou have a superb collection. I am particularly fond of the pillowcases. Your father in law in very talented. Men were the original knitters. It is so rewarding to create.
helen xx
It seems pillowcases were a favorite item for embellishment in the past. Remember the "Mr. and Mrs." embroidery? There's another set I have made by the same aunt which is also elaborate and beautiful. I use these pillowcases to line the shelves where I keep bed lines and allow the fancy part to hang off the shelf. I've heard about the male knitters; was it in the Aryan Islands?
DeleteMy friend Joanne, about whom I wrote a few days ago, gave me all the pillowcases she'd embroidered when she'd married her first husband. She didn't think it appropriate to keep them when she remarried. One of hers was a 'Mr & Mrs' - I hadn't realised that was a wide-spread practice. Some of her pillowcases had crochet edging as well. I still have them (of course!).
DeleteOh wow! Such beautiful pieces. My boyfriend has it in his head that I need to learn how to quilt. He said it would be perfect for me since I'm so patient and always cold. Hahaha. Maybe I should tell him HE can learn how to quilt so he'll be more patient. :)
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have the right idea! Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.
DeleteExquisite pieces of your family history worked by hand so beautifully.Like the crochet edging on your sheets/pillow cases.
ReplyDeleteI have so many sheet sets with crochet edging attached. It does give a special feeling to ordinary sheets and pillowcases. Little touches mean a lot!
DeleteOh Sanda, I loved every bit of this post. It seems your whole family are very good at creating fine linens. The log cabin quilt is just beautiful, and wonderful it was made by your father-in-law who is clearly very skilled with a needle. As you the Christmas themed work by your mother-in-law, it is absolutely superb. Many of the crotchet patterns I recognise as I made them myself when young, especially the pineapple design. How times change! You have some real treasures in your collection.
ReplyDeletePineapple, the symbol of hospitality, was certainly a popular motif for crochet. Times do change. I hope all the needle arts don't fall out of favor. I just love the look!
DeleteAll so beautiful and brings back sweet memories of days gone by. We are lucky that Mother made and took such wonderful care of all her "things". It is nice to have things from husband's side of family.....her work was beautiful as is Mr Martel ' s and so unusual and special coming from a man. All beautiful. .great story!
ReplyDeleteWe did grow up with doilies, didn't we? Doing them up is such a pain, but worth it, I think. It's sad that mother can no longer see well enough to do handwork. She did love the crochet so much!
DeleteEnjoyed looking at each and every piece. How nice that you have so many things made by family including your father-In-law. The pineapple motif is very familiar and embroidered dresser scarves are so lovely to see. I can't imagine people putting in the time for that sort of work these days.
ReplyDeleteDarla
Me either! But I suppose we find the time to do the things we are most interested in. You are quite a creator yourself. Love your knitting projects.
DeleteOh! How beautiful! And such a treasure to have pieces made by family members. :) My mother and the generation before her used a lot of dresser scarfs and the sets that went on the backs and arms of upholstered furniture, but I never see them now.
ReplyDeleteWeren't the couch/chair pieces called antimacassars? Every back and arm of every chair sported them You're right; never see them used anymore.
DeleteI love all things handmade, so this was quite a treat! I have a number of things that belonged to Bill's mother but I don't know if she made any of them. You see doilies a lot at fleamarkets and such but I've not met dressing table scarves here in Britain - but a lot of tea tray cloths!
ReplyDelete