Sometimes you can find the most amazing pieces of needlework in thrift shops, antique stores and flea markets. I always wonder about the person who created the piece. It is evident they loved beautiful things and had a desire to be creative.
I am always on the lookout for exceptional handmade pieces. For the most part, crocheted items are what you will see. I recently found a beautiful little flower doily! I gave it a good hand-washing, gently rolled it in a hand towel to remove excess water and pinned it onto a blocking mat. By blocking, you can really enhance its design! Never, never, never put any crocheted or knitted lace in the washer or dryer. They will be ruined forever.
On the blocking mat
Close up of pinning - I placed a pin under each petal to lift it up. I did not starch this doily as cotton dries fairly stiff on its own.
Both my Grandmothers were exceptional crocheters. I have wonderful memories of quiet afternoons spent crocheting to the hum of the air conditioning. My Grandmother, Mae, always had doilies about and would use mason jars to shape the ruffles on her larger doilies after laundering them. There would be a pot of warm, thick, goopy bluish starch on the top of the stove to dip the lace into before blocking. The doilies were then placed on the kitchen counter or table and stretched out to dry. In the hot, dry Texas summertime, it didn't take long!
My Meme, Luella, crocheted tablecloths and bedspreads. When my daughter, Kim, was a baby, I would go to Meme's house one day a week and we spent that day crocheting. She taught me to not only crochet but read patterns! Her simple tuna salad was my favorite lunch! Today, I credit my love of crocheted lace to them.
You will be richly rewarded for a little bit of time and effort
Close up of flowers
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