Thursday, April 2, 2009

A Lost Art

Here are some of the pretty doilies and embroidered pieces I was mentioning the other day. I know they are probably a little cutesy for some, but I like them and I always think of all the hours of work that was put into them. It kills me to see pieces like these at garage sales or flea markets for a couple of dollars. These were made by my grandmothers and great aunts, now deceased. I know they would be happy that I am enjoying them all these years after they were made. I hope someone will still be enjoying and using the quilts I've made 50 or 100 years from now!
























By the way, I realize this is not a totally lost art. There are some people out there still embroidering and crocheting. But, not many would create a piece like this lady below. Lots of fine detail embroidery, crocheted lace around the outside, some kind of open work on the dress that I have no idea how they did. All on something that measures 7 x 10 inches, and there's another mirror image one that you can see in my previous post, Wow!

3 comments:

Jeannelle said...

Oh, these are gorgeous, Nancy. The doily is amazing!

I have bought a few similar items over the years at garage sales, too. And, in a shed attic here on our farm a few years ago we found a box full of lovely doilies made by my husband's great-grandmother, we think.

Oh, my....these lovely doilies and dresser scarves and old books make a wonderful combination, and nice things to collect.

Nancy said...

The doily is actually the one thing that is newer. One of my husbands cousins made it. Unfortunately, she is older now and can no longer crochet, but yes, she really did some beautiful work.

Nancy said...

Thanks for stopping by Ann, its always exciting to have another reader!