Friday, February 25, 2011

Vintage Crochet

I love old doilies. If they have pink roses, I love them even more.
Today, I would like to share a few favorite pieces from my collection of vintage crochet with you. These are all items that I purchased at antique stores, so I do not have patterns for any of them.
This doily is worked with tiny,  tiny thread. It looks smaller than some size 30 that I compared it to, but it is a little thicker than sewing thread.

And I love this sweet little doll, too. She is wearing such a pretty  little dress with a petticoat underneath, and a dainty pearl necklace. I wonder if she was made for a little girl to play with,  or maybe she was intended to be displayed on a lady's dresser. 

This doily is one of my all time favorites. The roses are made of individually crocheted petals that have been sewn together to form each rose. I am going to try making some like this soon.

So beautiful.
I always wonder about the person who made these beautiful old items. How long did it take them to make it? Was it a gift for someone special?  How did it wind up in a bin full of old linens in an antique shop in Gladewater, Texas?

Do you have any special old crochet pieces you would like to share photos of? Maybe something your mother or grandmother made? A piece with a special story? I would love to hear about it! You can contact me at:
Have a lovely weekend!

10 comments:

paula said...

YOu may just be the person to ask this question.

Growing up, we lived with Grandma, she made doilies for underneath the lamps on the end tables, The part where the lamp sat was perfectly flat but the edge was a large, undulating wave of thread. . . I so loved them and Mom didn't keep any.. . and I can not find patterns similar to them at any vintage shop :0{

Ann said...

Oh yes, Paula, the ruffled doilies are gorgeous! You can find old books of these patterns on Ebay, just search for 'ruffled doily' and you should find several books. Here are a couple that are listed right now:
http://cgi.ebay.com/1949-Vintage-Crochet-patterns-Ruffled-ruffle-doilies-/360228409429?pt=US_Crocheting_Knitting_Patterns&hash=item53df495055
and:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-RUFFLED-DOILIES-Crochet-Pattern-/250569620924?pt=US_Crocheting_Knitting_Patterns&hash=item3a571cfdbc
I can remember my mother in law using coke bottles to shape the ruffles of her doilies, after dipping them in liquid starch. I am not sure if you can even buy the liquid starch anymore.

CrochetBlogger said...

Great finds! It's actually really rare for me to see doilies around here but I come across them now and then in random stores.

Gramma Rita said...

Love all of these! My fave is the doily with the stemmed roses. Gorgeous! :)

Unique2wh0 said...

Ohhh those are pretty. I too like the stemmed rose best.

paula said...

I looked for liquid starch this past year . . making crochet snowflakes . . and tere was none to be had.

So, I settle on Fabric Stiffener and it worked pretty well.

Thankd sor the ebay info I am off to search now.

eliza said...

OLÁ MIGUXA, QUE LINDOS TRABALHOS. TALVEZ TENHA SIDO UMA AVÓ QUEM FEZ PARA UMA NETINHA QUERIDA.UMA PENA FICAREM ESQUECIDOS EM UM BRECHÓ.BJUS

Charlotte said...

OMG! The rose doily is to die for! If you ever find a pattern, please let us know!

Sherri said...

I too love the stemmed rose doily. I am thinking of doing one of your rose doilies to put under my vase I just bought at the local thrift store. Im really into filet crochet and doily making right now. Have a blessed day!

crochethuahua said...

I love the doily made with the tiny thread. I have a pineapple doily my grandmother made about 70 years ago. Some of the threads are coming loose but I can't bear to part with it. I just bought liquid starch last year when I was making your Harvest Moon doily.