6/02/04
The Magic Doily
By: Kristi Bench
Well,
Mother and I have done numerous lectures at various types of
meetings
when
people want us to come and give tips on gardening
and decorating. One of the décor tips I get asked most about
are my ideas for using doilies.
Now
I know in my Granny Jones’ Day a hand crocheted doily,
could only be used on top of a dresser or side table, and it must
be starched so that it is able to stand on its own. I still have
all of Granny’s doilies, and I use them all over the house,
many of which, I have been able to preserve even her starch jobs
on them.
I
do also have other doilies through out the house used in different
ways
than the
traditional table topper. I hate of course to throw
anything away, and any time I have run across an old doily with
a stain or a hole in it, I try to find another use for it. One
of my favorites is to cut them, piece them and actually appliqué them
to a lamp shade. Now I have gone over my lamp shades before, and
this is one of those fun changes.
You can even turn some stains into a new look, by purposely staining
the doilies yourself. Staining can be accomplished many ways, but
my favorite is tea staining. To tea stain, simply boil tea bags
in a large dutch oven, then saturate your item well. You then place
it on a cookie sheet in a warm oven (about 200) for about 30-40
minutes to help set in the stain. You can add more tea bags or
less, depending on the amount of fabric you are staining. Then
you can use that doily that was otherwise useless.
One
other fun change to make is to use an old doily and cover an
old chair
cushion
with it. This looks great with an old wicker
chair or even in an old slat back shaker style chair. If your chair
doesn’t have a cushion, use your doily, sew a back onto it
in a nice print or favorite solid color fabric, stuff it and make
it a nice little throw pillow. You can even use your damaged doilies
in this way as well, just cut and piece them similar to a quilt
and make a pillow out of several of them together.
If you have a doily that is a prized possession from a grandmother
or family member that you would like to preserve. Try lining a
small shadow box with it, add in some small flowers or a brooch,
and maybe even a pair of her gloves, whatever you may have that
is special to you. Then hang it on your wall. You can enjoy it
and the memories every day.
There
are so many things to use your old doilies for, and these are
just a
few. So don’t throw them out, use your imagination
and get to work. Remember though, if you choose not to reuse your
doilies, put them in a garage sale or give them to the Senior Center.
You may not want them, but I bet someone will. Well that’s
it for now, I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day, and you
all remembered the true meaning of that day to our country and
servicemen and women. Without their sacrifices, where would be?
I am truly grateful to all of them. Until next time…Happy
Decorating.
