3 ways with vintage doilies

Once reserved for grandma’s side table, doilies, especially of the vintage variety, are a funky way to add a unique talking point to your home. Whether you find them at op shops or in raiding great aunt Gertrude’s linen closet, there are so many ways you can use doilies to decorate your home. Here are just three…

1. Doily bunting

This is a fantastic idea for kids’ bedrooms or as a party decoration. The first step is to work out how long you want the bunting to be and this will tell you how many doilies you will need. Cut each of your doilies in half and lay them in a line to work out placement before sewing them. A particularly effective pattern is to start with smaller doilies on each end with larger doilies in the middle. Alternatively you could mix and match along the bunting. Next, pin the doilies to a length of bias binding or ribbon and stitch along the length with your sewing machine. Make sure to leave a tail at each end to tie the bunting.

2. Doily bowls

These delicate, lightweight bowls can be used to hold fruit, keys or just as a unique table centrepiece. The kids can also easily get involved in making these. You just need a balloon, some mod podge and a doily. Blow up the balloon to the desired size and place the doily around the end. Using a paintbrush, paint the mod podge all over the doily, shaping the doily to the balloon as you go. Leave to dry either by popping a piece of blu-tak on the other end of the balloon and sticking to a hard surface or place the balloon in another bowl or jug being careful that it fits firmly inside so won’t interfere with the drying doily. When dry, remove the doily from the balloon and you have your very own bowl.

3. Doily table runner

This activity requires a bit more patience and time but is really effective when finished. Depending on the size of your table you will need quite a few doilies. Lay all the doilies on the table to work out the placement. If you do this on the table the runner is intended for you will get the best idea of how it will look and the size needed. When you have the perfect placement, gradually work along the runner and stitch the doilies together. Just a few small stitches on each doily should hold. You can also use the same method to make placemats if you have the patience!

Bonus Tip – crochet doilies look really great when they are dyed. Pick up some inexpensive fabric dye at Spotlight or Lincraft, follow the instructions and you can tailor the look of your doily creations to match your home decor. A word of warning though – the colour will likely not take to all the doilies exactly the same so be prepared for some variation.

Have you used doilies around your home? What did you create?