Friday 18 January 2013

Doillies and Tray Cloths

On Wednesday at Kate's Pat arrived with a bag full of tray cloths and doillies. All were beautifully embroidered and in good condition. Pat said that she had once stayed with a friend who had made a quilt with such beauties and the thought had stuck with her and she thought that she would do something similar.


This one was my favourite and Rosemary and I were doing our usual trick of trying to sneak it into our bags in the hope that Pat wouldn't notice.

 
 
One of the tray cloths had an unusual edging. Ric rac and crochet combined.
 
 
 
The larger table cloth was pinned onto the design wall and then the very pretty crocheted napkin was pinned  to the centre.
 
 
 
Pretty spring flowers, tulips and daffodils.
 
 
 
This was the first layout and then there was much imput from everyone moving them about and repositioning. It is such a lovely idea for a quilt and even if you don't have any such treasures then they can be found at car boot sales and charity shops for reasonable prices and is a great way of recycling and giving them new purpose. Lots of white space for some quilting.
 










 

 
 
Going around blogland at the moment are photo's of the blog owner aged 21. I am not sure how or why this started but I think it may have been a Dutch blog. Maybe someone will tell me. I had to do a bit of searching and thought that I must surely have a photo of myself somewhere and this is the only one I could come up with. It was taken the day before my 21st birthday and I went to Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire for a Viennese Evening with Mick and some of our friends. We took a picnic and sat on rugs and it was cool for July. This was 1980. The concert consisted of the Vienna Boys Choir singing on the steps of the House and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra playing Viennese Waltzes finishing with the Thunder and Lightening Polka. As the last notes sounded and the cymbals crashed the firework display started. It was a fantastic evening and the memory has stayed with me. I apologise for the very grainy shot but please take note of that dark hair.
 
 
 
Still not much to show in the way of stitching but I have done a little bit this week and some knitting but not enough progress to be of interest.
 
 
Winter has arrived in the UK, we have snow and temperatures are on the chilly side. Wherever you are stay warm, spare a thought for our fellow Aussies who  are baking and suffering in their heatwave. Stay safe.
 
Happy stitching.
 
Shirley.

18 comments:

  1. That is going to be one gorgeous quilt. I'm going to be on the look out for old embroidered linens now! Great photo of you at 21. Tell me... do you have a portrait in the attic? ;o)

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  2. I love the idea of using all the lovely old linen. I have quite a few pieces which my mother-in-law gave me, but can't quite bring myself to do anything with them. My friend Rosalind has done some amazing things including cutting them up into quite small pieces, but I think she found them rather than them being family pieces. Love the hair!

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  3. Your favourite is mine also. It has poppies on it I LOVE poppies. What a nice idea I often buy doilies from the op shop some are so lovely I can not imagine why someone would get rid of them. Great 21 photo yes the hair colour has changed but it still looks like you.

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  4. It will be a beautiful quilt Shirley, one of my P/work friends is working on a vintage doily quilt, I see if I can get a photo of it next week.
    You haven't changed, still beautiful..
    Julia ♥

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  5. Love the idea for that pretty quilt...combines several loves. Love the arrangement too.
    Your young self is gorgeous and I have to say...you've still got it.
    Love a teensy bit of your cold over here right now. Stay cosy.

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  6. What a lovely idea for a quilt--I'll be looking at linens in a new way, and saving the salvageable bits and pieces. You were definitely a very pretty 21 year old!

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  7. I am a closet doily/tray cloth collector - the embroidered ones - just love them and have a large pile of treasured beauties. So I was thrilled to see your quilt top medallion layout there - looks wonderful! Your choice of the poppies, cornflowers and wheat tray cloth is gorgeous indeed!
    Enjoy your cool weather and stay warm thinking of us - was 45.9 degrees C in Sydney yesterday I hear, and not a lot cooler where I live!

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  8. looks like it is going to be a gorgeous quilt with those doilies.
    love your 21 photo. Bet it doesn't seem that long ago.

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  9. What a cutie you were (and still are)!!! Love the doily quilt idea. That way all that gorgeous embroidery will be preserved and and can be enjoyed again.

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  10. This is going to be a beautiful quilt and the embroideries seem to be in such good condition. I have inherited quite a few but they are all marked. Such wonderful memories to go with a lovely photo. Take care.

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  11. This will be a beautiful quilt. I know of someone who machine quilts her grandmother's embroidered linens and they are awesome. It looks like we will also have cold weather for while. Wish we also had some snow - there's still time. Enjoyed the 21 photo. I impressed that you remember so much about when it was taken.

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  12. oh the doiley quilt is going to be gorgeous!!!We have a vintage shop that has just opened up in town and I remember seeing a pile of old doilies...must go back again for another look. I was too engrossed in the vintage lace and postcards!lol!
    Lisa

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  13. I have seen some lovely quilts made out of old tray cloths and doilies. Looks like Pat has a great selection to choose from. Great photo Shirley, would you go back to 21 if you had the choice?

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  14. Pretty pretty girl!!!
    Wow...was it taken yesterday.;0) wonder if I can find one of me....:0) have to take a look tomorrow....:0))
    Pat will have a wonderful quilt when that one is finished...so love the idea !!! Keep on posting progress!!
    kviltstina at gmail dot com

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  15. The vintage embroidery looks fantastic put together like that. I have a drawer full of it and have been using it to make fabric postcards.
    It's nice to look back and you still have that lovely smile.

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  16. The doilies will make a very pretty and interesting quilt. Too bad you didn't get to sneak your favourite home. Crazy weather hey! You are having massive snows storms and we are all still suffering from the heat and smoke from the bushfires, we need to shake the jar and even the temps up a bit.

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  17. Shirley you were just as beautiful then as you are now.(And what lovely memories are associated with that photo). I'm looking forward to seeing more of the doiley-quilt.

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  18. Yes, it's a dutch quilter who started the hype: how cute we were at that young age...
    I like your blog and follow you carefully, Will V in Paris

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