Hand Sewn Doily

Beautiful Summers Day 

Today I am going to show how to make one of these easy round doilies. They are useful for protecting furniture from sun-stains or scrapes or just anything that occurs when you have a lamp or hard object on a table. They absorb water if you have a little vase of fresh flowers. 

Above is one made from muslin and gathered lace.

The Victorians insisted on using crochet and tatting, and various types of cloths to protect their furniture. Until recently, women used pieces on the sofa and chairs in the living room, to protect the head area and the arms, where it would become the most worn or soiled. It is partly due to this extreme care, that so much of the furniture of that era is still so beautiful and durable. I have a few small tables from that era, that have barely a mark on them, because they protected with women's lovingly hand made place mats and doilies.

You will notice in the previous post, that I still have one of those crocheted pieces from the 1940's, on the back of  sofa chair in the back ground. These little things you are making are a quicker way to provide protection and beauty to your furniture. Try them in different fabrics, such as tapestry, to give an old-world feeling, or even that sparkly butterfly fabric from the fabric store, for a country cottage appeal. 

As in previous projects, be sure to press the fabric with a hot, steam iron. You will need all cotton for this project.  You can use muslin or anything else from clothing, sheets, and even dishtowels, if they have no "nap."  A nap is anything that sticks out in a fuzzy way, such as terry cloth or velvet or corduroy. I am working with no-nap fabrics, meaning, they are smooth and flat. 

You can make this any size you want, depending upon the size plate or bowl you use to trace around. I used a glass plate so that I could make sure that one of the brightest roses was in the middle of the doily. In this case, you do not have to turn the fabric over and mark it on the "wrong" or more faded side. It works better to mark it on the right side.

Then, cut out around your pencil marks, and iron the edges in toward the wrong side, one- fourth inch. If your circle is really large, you can iron again one-fourth inch. Since mine is just small, I will only be able to crease it one time.

 Now thread your needle and make a knot. Put the first stitch under the hem, to hide the knot, and take a few stitches in the same place over and over to secure it. Then stitch around the hem, as you see here. Fasten off. If you are unsure of things like threading and knotting a needle, running stitch, over cast stitch, fastening off, etc. you can find instructions on the web. However, it is better to get someone to show up up-close and personal.

After you have stitched it, press your stitching. Then, turn it over and press again firmly on the other side.

Your project can be completed right now, if you like, and you can use it somewhere in your house...

...however, I am going to add some lace. To get the right length of lace, just leave it on the roll or hank, and stitch it around until you meet the beginning. Then, continue stitching and sew the two end pieces together so that you can't tell where the beginning or end is. I always like to match up the floral design and then cut it.

 In a future post, I will show you how to embroidery a piece like this, using matching embroidery threads. Since the colors will already be stamped on the fabric, all you have to do is use a satin stitch and co-ordinate the threads to the rose parts.

Here is what mine looks like so far. It is not necessary to do any of these things, but it helps you learn and it leaves some pretty evidence behind. Someday you will be able to show some little girl the things you did when you were young. In future posts, I will show you how to make a matching box to store these things in.

Remember, you can click on the pictures twice  to get larger details.

It is not all indoor activity around here. Sometimes I fly a kite,

..and yesterday I renovated an old metal tricycle that no one wanted. The basket came from a junk store and is tied on with pink wired ribbon...

...and found another treasure, which I traded for something I made.  It looks old, and it has a heavier base than the modern lamps, so it does not knock over as easily.

Future easy projects: handkerchiefs, stuffed pig, pillow, pillow case, wall hanging, garden flag, yo-yo quilting project, doll, apron, girl's skirt, scarf, place mat, purse, tea towel, fabric toys, and more.

Note: these projects are for beginners, and those who may feel a bit awkward with a needle at first. I used three threads in the needle, which has a large eye, to stitch the rose. I prefer the larger needles when showing someone who has never used one before, but if you want to advance, just reduce your needle size and use less thread. I am not trying to be perfect in these projects, because I want it to be easy for people who want to learn quickly and easily.  I do not intend for any of this to look professional.