myMountainStudio
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Blog - Out Here
  • Contact
  • Other
    • About
    • FAQ
    • Reviews

How to care for your handmade doilies...

3/25/2014

6 Comments

 
Picture


Doilies really aren't that hard to care for, especially if you know what not to do with them.


I have made, sold, and decorated with a lot of doilies over the years. I've always recommended to my customers the same care plan that I have used myself with much success at keeping my doilies looking beautiful for many years.


Dusting: When you dust a room, simply shake the doilies to get the dust out of them. The more often you do this, the less often you need to wash them. Wash when they look like they could use a good freshening up. Colored doilies will not need to be washed as often as white doilies.

Washing: To keep my doilies looking their best, I prefer to hand wash them. Suds up a little bit of dish soap or mild detergent in a sink of lukewarm water. Don't overdo the soap, it doesn't take much. You just need a bit of suds, not a lot. Soak the doily for a bit, swishing a few times, then drain and fill the sink with plain water for rinsing. Swish the doily in the rinse water; drain and repeat until no suds are left. Gently squeeze the doily to remove most of the water, being careful not to wring it. Press the doily between two layers of a thick towel to absorb the remaining water. Smooth the doily into shape on the top layer of the towel and leave to dry. Important: Most doilies are 100% cotton. Do not wash your doily in hot water, and do not dry your doily in the dryer, as your doily will shrink and be ruined. (I have heard too many horror stories.)
Ironing: To iron a doily, heat your iron on the cotton setting. Smooth your doily out on a towel or ironing board, face down. Lightly spritz the backside with a spray bottle of water. Iron your doily, starting each stroke from the center and working your way outward to the edge. (Never iron your doily from the edges in or from side to side.) To keep your doily symmetrical, iron in the following fashion: north, south, east, west, northeast, southwest, southeast, northwest. Basically you don't want to work all of one side and then the other. Continue alternating sides in this manner as you iron, because the iron will stretch out your doily in the direction it goes, and you want to keep it all balanced. (Just remember, always iron from the center outward.) And keep the iron moving, as you don't want to shrink or scorch your doily with too much heat in one spot. If you have misted your doily lightly and preheated your iron, it won't take much to iron it. Also be careful to not go too fast or you may catch the point of your iron in the openwork of the stitches. Do take care not to catch the lace as you iron.

Repairs: I have never needed to repair any of my own handmade doilies, but I have repaired quite a few vintage and antique doilies for others. For those of you that do have doilies in need of repair work, I will try to write a how-to repair article for another post in the future. Or you might want to look for someone who does quality crochet work and see if they can do the repair work for you.
-- Nikki Weiss / myMountainStudio
--Nikki | mymountainstudio.com
6 Comments
Ewenique link
3/26/2014 03:06:00 am

Those are some pretty doilies, Nikki! I made a few many, many years ago. Even a small doily takes many hours to make, and it should be cared for properly. Thanks for posting these cleaning techniques

Reply
Nikki - myMountainStudio link
4/2/2014 04:25:05 am

Yes, doilies do take a lot of time to make, and they will last a long time if cared for properly. Thank you for the compliment on my doilies ... and you're quite welcome for the cleaning tips. :)

Reply
Christie link
4/3/2014 10:17:10 pm

This is so pretty. I love the color. Beautiful stitch work!

Reply
Nikki - myMountainStudio link
4/4/2014 03:48:07 am

Thank you for the lovely compliment, Christie... I truly appreciate it! :)

Reply
Catherine link
4/12/2014 10:07:07 am

Thank you for such an informative post, Nikki. I have a few of my grandmother's hand crochet doilies and was just wondering the other day how to wash them - they're looking a bit dirty with all the dust we get here in far West Texas. The timing is perfect to read this (:

Reply
Nikki - myMountainStudio link
4/12/2014 11:39:58 am

You're welcome, Catherine... glad my post was able to help someone. Thanks for letting me know you found it useful and timely. If you have any questions about your doilies, feel free to ask. I have some of my grandmother's doilies, too. She is the one who taught me to crochet. :) Although I don't have room to display doilies right now (large family in a small space at this particular time in my life), I am planning to make more doilies and add them to my shop again in the near future. :)

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    Nikki - handmade connoisseur and artisan/entrepreneur
    @myMountainStudio


    Welcome to Handmade Spotlight ... my blog for and about handmade.
    I would love your comments, likes, and tweets, if you feel so inclined and have an extra moment or two to spare. Thanks! :)

    Email Follow

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    RSS Feed


    Archives

    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014


    Visit my Shop

    myMountainStudio

    Read my Blogs

    my Creative Life
    my Mountain Life
    Handmade Spotlight

Montana Handmade by Nikki Weiss in the Northern Rockies.
home | shop | about | faq | reviews | blog | contact

Unless otherwise credited and linked, all photos on this site are copyright protected by Nikki Weiss, all rights reserved.
If sharing on a blog or social media, please give credit and link to my website, shop, or blog. For any other use, please ask for permission.
Thank you.
mymountainstudio.com