Doilies - Not Just 4 Grandmas!

Happy Monday everyone.  Boy do I have a treat for you.  I can imagine the title of this post already brought a question mark to your thoughts.  Is the pic below what came to your mind when you thought of doilies; don't think so.    Isn't this lovely?  Well get ready to be blown away (in a pleasant way) as you go on a tour in the world of  Doily Dea's, Handmade Doilies and Crochet Jewelry!

Doily Art

  Dea and I go back more than 10 years ago when we met on a wonderful online support group for Fibromyalgia.  What this lady does with thread is amazing - jewelry, decor, lighting and more.  I can assure you, you'll never look at doilies the same again.  So without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to the lady herself, Dea Cheek!

Hello Everyone!  I'm happy to be here visiting at Beez Rental Designs!  I hope I'll tickle your creative bone when it comes to doilies.  It seems that whenever I post a photo of one of my crochet doilies, I get replies like, “Oh, that is a lost art,” and, “I still have some of my grandmother’s doilies.”  Doilies are so beautiful, and the sight of them often brings back fond memories.  Our grandmothers had a doily under every single lamp, knick knack, or anything else that could sit on a table.   In our grandmother’s day,  she had the wide choice of either ecru or white cotton threads to create her doilies with.  But they sure made up for the lack of color with an amazing array of patterns, though.  I still love to work with vintage patterns!

Vintage Delsie Rhoades Pattern

Today, not only do we have an incredible selection of crochet thread colors,  we've also developed our own style.  If you haven’t seen a doily lately, just check out this pattern by Patricia Kristoffersen’s Doilies with a Twist or her book of  99 Little Doilies.

Patricia Kristoffersen Pattern

 I’m mesmerized by the effects of raised stitches.  You almost don’t want to sit anything on your doily at all because you want to show off the stitching!  And the fibers available!  There are hand dyed wools, baby alpaca, amazing blends, and even bamboo!  Yes, bamboo . . . great isn't it!  I find a new thread I want to work with every day! lol

5 1/4 Inches in Egyptian Cotton

There are many uses for doilies in our home décor.  Even a 5” doily can add a beautiful splash of color to a room, and using several together can tie in a color scheme.  A lovely vintage doily not only protects your precious antique tabletops, but it complements the feel of the era as well.  I love really large doilies used as centerpieces on big tables, and round end tables with table toppers hanging down over the sides,  filet crochet placemats, and coasters… oh, did I say I love doilies, all shapes, sizes, all colors, all patterns? -_^


However, doilies can be used for so much more than table décor.  They are gorgeous in a frame, as seen above, and they can also be locked into an embroidery hoop to use as a wall hanging.  One of my favorite items I've seen lately was @ Crafts by Amanda.  She took mason jars with a doily glued to the front and a little battery tea lite candle inside - absolutely beautiful!  The light threw the doily pattern all over the room!

If you think about it, you can use doilies in all sorts of decor.  Notice below I created a beautiful Crochet Baby Bunting Pennant with different size doilies and a crocheted rope.


  Check this out from Glamour and Grace, little doilies lanterns.  Small doilies made into balls and stiffened with fabric stiffener, and these had a little tea lite under them and were placed in clusters with silk flowers woven between them.  How's that for a centerpiece!


Below is a much larger hanging lamp found @ Shannon South.  The shadows on the ceiling are unbelievable.


I recently saw a shop with handmade pottery plates that had a doily pattern pressed into them before they were fired.  Folks are stiffening them and hanging them from ribbon as sun catchers in a window.   I even stiffen doilies and make earrings and necklaces from them!

Lovely choker!

Starburst earrings.

Multi-colored earrings.

Soft Sparkling Ice Bamboo

Necklace with beads and rosebud.

Doilies are also lovely sewn onto pillows, shirts, purses.  Isn’t it amazing how versatile one little piece of crocheted lace is?


So if you haven’t seen a doily since you were at your grandmother’s house in 1901, check out the wonderful new styles, colors, , fibers, and creative works of art using crochet doilies, and I’ll bet you have a few doilies in your you know it!

From 99 Little Doilies By Patricia Kristoffersen

Dea Cheek, aka Doily Dea on FB and Doily Dea her blog.
All photos are doilies created by Dea and can be found in my Etsy Shop.

My friend is a bit shy when it comes to talking about herself, so I'll tell you a little more of the lady behind the doily. lol  Dea is a true thread artist but she also has other passions.  For one, she's an avid gardener and with a hubby who's a landscaper you can imagine the goodies he brings home to her like these beautiful stones.

Isn't this hanging basket cute?

She also has a love for her fur babies.  What a loving odd couple. lol

And did I mention she's a Tennessee girl with some serious skills in the kitchen too!

 German Chocolate Cheesecake, yummy!

Thanks so much Dea, for coming by and sharing your art and waking us up to the new world of Doilies!

Before we said goodbye I just had to show you this choker Dea created and honored me with it's name. : -)

The 'Barbe' Choker!  

Hope you all enjoyed this creative 'thread', pun intended! lol  Look forward to seeing you at Frugal Treasures Tuesday party starting this evening at 7pm.