I love a vintage vibe and doilies fit that ambiance admirably. In Victorian times, doilies were draped on the back and arms of fabric chairs and couches to protect the furniture from oils and dirt. They were also used to protect wood furniture from being scratched by vases and knick knacks. The Victorians loved their knick knacks!

While using doilies for these purposes has since gone out of style, people are finding new ways to make use of these decorative pieces of fabric. I inherited my mother’s collection of doilies. She used them as decor pieces under table lamps and had some longer ones that she used as dresser scarves. Some were hand-crocheted and others were store-bought and more solid. I inherited those doilies and, in years past, I also bought a few from the dollar store. They’ve been stored away for some time, but lately, I’ve been inspired by other creators to use them in various ways to decorate my home.

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Decorating Ideas Using Vintage Doilies

Supplies Used and Recommendations:

Idea 1: Frame a Doily in an Embroidery Hoop

 

This is the easiest idea ever. I had this old 7-inch plastic embroidery hoop in my stash. The blue doesn’t really suit my personal decor, but I can spray paint it a different colour when the weather permits. You can trim the excess fabric, but I like the way it looks this way. The flower design on this doily works well for this. You could use multiple sizes of embroidery hoops, along with different doily designs, and make several of these for a pretty wall display.

Idea 2: Use a Frame to Display a Doily

 

This is a similar doily to the one I put in the embroidery hoop. I used the backing in a 5×7 frame to trace out at piece of dark coloured scrapbook paper.

 

Nothing is glued down. I placed the background paper on the backing and wrapped the doily around it. Before inserting it into the frame, I made sure that the main image was centred where I want it.

I didn’t cut the excess doily, opting instead to just fold the clips over top of the overhanging pieces. That way, if I want to reuse the doily for something else, I can.

I love the way this looks! The plain coloured scrapbook paper lets the design pop. I’m thinking this would be a lovely piece of artwork for the bedroom.

Idea 3: Decorate a Cushion With a Doily

I had a plain 12-inch cushion and this larger handmade doily, which I centred on top of the cushion.

Using a needle and matching thread, I attached the doily to the cushion with 2-3 stitches near the cushion seam. Then I repeated the process at the bottom of the cushion and on both sides in the middle.

This idea gives my plain sofa cushion a great new look and the doily could be easily removed if I decided to use it for a different project.

Here’s what the matching cushion would look like using the larger rose patterned doily. I love both looks. What do you think? How would you use doilies to decorate?

 

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