my grandmother crocheted doilies that she laid on various surfaces: armrests, table tops, dressers, vanities… there were lots of doilies! recently, my mother was cleaning out her linen closet and passed along several large needlework pieces, some cloth napkins with crocheted edging, and a couple of dolly dresses. we are not sure who created what, but these handwork selections certainly remind me of my grandmother and her doilied house.  i decided to take one of the circular doilies and sew it onto a big, inexpensive canvas from michaels with some hot pink ribbon i had leftover from my daughter’s birth announcements. it only took a couple of hours (i know this because i was watching elizabeth taylor in cleopatra as i did it. wow - was she gorgeous, while marc antony was such a disappointing whiner.) the doily creates lovely shadows and is more interesting to me as a wall piece, than on a table top. i think the handmade crochet work adds warmth and coziness to my modern house.  i framed the dolly dresses in simple IKEA shadow box frames and put them on the shelves in the kids’ playroom.  i love having small pieces of my grandmother (or auntie or someone) scattered around my house, adding depth and history.

to read about other family hand work click here and here