~Old Crocheted Lace and Doilies~

I had planned on doing this post yesterday but it was one of those days...not enough sleep, too tired, too much pain, no energy....blah, blah blah.

So here I am today ready to share with you another one of my loves....old crocheted lace and doilies.  I am always amazed and in awe of the time and devotion that went into creating such beautiful handiwork.

A few months ago, I was fortunate enough to have the winning bid on a collection of doilies and yards and yards of crocheted lace.  Talk about doing the hallelujah dance....I was elated!!  I bought this lot for new craft projects to sell in my Etsy store.  But, as I pulled out each one and oohed and aahed, I knew it was going to be hard to decide which pieces to keep for myself and which pieces to use for others.  Wanna see what I mean?  There are lots of pictures, so you might want to grab yourself a cuppa.  Ready?  Okay, let's go through my treasures...

A long rectangular runner made with very fine thread.  This piece is laying on my cutting mat and you can see that each 'square' is about 1-1/2 inches.  Mercy!  One would have to have extremely good eyesight or a magnifying glass.

 I think this doily, along with many of the other pieces, might have been tatted.  Look at these tiny stitches!  You can use the cutting mat as a reference as to how big or small a piece is.

 I love the spidery, delicate look of this doily.  I can crochet but I think I would get lost on putting this one together.  I wonder if the little medallions were done first and then put together or was it done as one big piece?

 Two more delicate looking doilies.  I recognize the pineapple motif in the lower left one.

 I love these.  The pineapple motif can be used in so many different ways.  I consider myself an intermediate or average "crocheter" even though I've been crocheting for many years.  I am self taught and I think this design is rather daunting so I have never attempted it.  Is it easier than it looks or no?

 I'm no expert by any means about this kind of stuff and am not sure about the bottom one.  Is it tatting or is it machine made?  It looks like it might have been cut out of a piece from something.

 Now the doily in the bottom is more along my line.  I've done several different pieces...doilies and afghans...with this stitch.  I'm having a senior moment and can't remember what it's called!!

Big ones...little ones.  All different in design just by changing how stitches are created here and there.  If I had to choose my favorite out of this set, I would have to say the one on the far right in the picture above.  And it's because it looks different than most of what I have seen.

 Look how tight these stitches are!

A doily with a cloth medallion.  Yesterday, I learned about doilies that were made to cover pitchers of lemonade and such.  I imagine that these smaller ones were made to cover beverage glasses or maybe jelly jars.  Am I right?

 I love the ruffled effect of this one.

 These were made with a thicker thread and give a bulkier, sturdier look to the finished designs.

 I saved the best for last.  I not only love these designs but I have a weakness for ecru-colored thread.

 I know for sure that this one is staying with me to display somewhere in my house!  Okay, now to the laces and trims...

 This was the odd one in the bunch.  Pleated lace.  Would this be used for lingerie or pretty slips?  Hmmm... not sure exactly how I would use this.  Any ideas?

 The seller was kind enough to roll each one on a piece of cardboard and make a notation of how long the piece was.

With all the delicate and tiny stitches, I would say this one was tatted.  I have seen tatting tools but have never seen it actually being done.  One of these days, I hope to see.

 The top one obviously was taken from old pillowcases.  More tatting with the right one?

 The top one was an inset for a piece of some type and, of course, the bottom ones were, again, from pillowcases.

 So many different ways to use these beautiful trims.

So, there you have it.  My treasure trove of beautiful handiwork....27 doilies and 34 yards of crocheted lace.   Each piece cost me about 75 cents each!!  As the buyer, it's a steal!!  I'm sure that these were originally  bought at an estate sale, garage sale or even thrift stores.  Beautiful handiwork that no one wanted, no one to give them to or considered too 'old-fashioned' for today's modern society.  How very, very sad that they sold for mere pennies.

Whether made years ago or weeks ago, those of us who create handmade items to give to loved ones or sell in the marketplace have come to learn that the value is not in how much we think a piece is worth but how much a piece is appreciated and loved.

That's what makes it so hard to decide which pieces to keep and which pieces to use in my craft projects.   Each piece is worthy of being appreciated and loved.  Once I decide what to do with them, my hope is that others will appreciate and love my handiwork in return.  Isn't that what it's all about?

Now, I'm off to start creating!

Have a lovely weekend~