I have numerous old pillow cases, table runners, doilies, etc. that belonged to my mother and my grandmother. Does anyone have suggestions for how I might use them in quilts, wall hangings, table runners, etc? Also do you know of any books that I might purchase that would be helpful

Here is my idea....maybe...I too have numerous items from grandmother, great grandmother and numerous great aunts. Two of my great aunts did crocheting (yes, I know my spelling is bad but too lazy to look up the word!)so there is some old edging from table runners, pillows and even some tatting. Great Aunt Bo made arm rest sets for the chairs and couch and some have horses, deer or a design...so, I was thinking of using some in a crazy quilt pattern for a pillow or wall hanging to start? Would that fit into yours? The embrodiery on the pillowcases could be worked into the crazy pattern? What do you think?

I have a lot of these items also. It will be fun to see what others have to say.

You could PM LeeAnn she has the most fabulous pattern (for sale) that uses old hankies/doilies/and cigarette silks. Absolutely breathe takingly beautiful.

Jeanette I have also seen "girls" made from embrodiery and using the pieces of old lace or pillowcases. You do the outline and fill in with old lace or hankeys or whatever. Somewhere I had a book showing that. I think it went back to southern Ca with my daughter after the holidays. There is always stuff traveling to San Francisco from here! I will keep digging in here and who knows what I might find! Will be interesting to see what clever ideas people come up with.

I have a large collection of such items also. They almost need to be used in wallhangings or other items that are purely decorative as they won't hold up to a lot of laundering or dragging around like a quilt made from new fabrics. They do make lovely crazyquilted memory items. They would also be great for a ringbearer pillow, or bride's purse or apron. I used an old set of linen napkins embrodered with tea cups to make my kitchen curtins special. The napkins were white with a decorative rolled edge in delft blue.

You could use hankies as whole blocks (maybe with something underneath them if they are thin. Crochet or knit dolies can be centered on a backing fabric to make a block. Old pillowcases and table cloths can be cut up for piecing. It would be really cool to do a whole sampler-type quilt out of old family linens.

Cindy Needham is excellent with ideas for linens. Go check out her website:

http://www.cindyneedham.com/

The doilies would make nice embellishments of crazy quilt work.

I found in my stuff a crazy quilt book called Crazy Quilts by Machine. It is by J. Marsha Michler. In it are several patters of quilts that have used old lace and things. I think kinda like you were looking for. I had the book in hopes of making a crazy quilt someday....add to the list of to do that still isn't done.....

How about something like this? I have a different picture using the lace/doily cut in either halves or quarters depending on the size of the doily and sewing the raw edges into the seam allowance, one way it looks like butterflies. I have to see if I can find the pattern and/or picture though.

I went to a class exactly on this very topic. Here are a few photos from that class..... it was mainly about doing memory quilts using the vintage linens..the photos are from a quilt depicting each month of the year,, all had some form of old linen included.

oh, how beautiful. Such clever use of pins and thing. When I was little (58 now) on my grandparents side porch of the house we now are living ontop of a old table was a gallon jar full of old old buttons. I use to dig through those constantly. well, through the years it disappeared. Sure would like to have that jar now. My grandmother had alot of costume jewlery that I now have. Would some of the sparkly things work on it or the pretty flowered pins?

according to the instructor, you can use anything you like! why keep things hidden in a drawer when you should be enjoying them!

Wonderful ideas and ways to use some of granny's jewelery. Now, to get the income tax out of the way, brothers quilt finished quilting, mom's lap throw, tablecloth...oh, and think I will need some solids as I usually don't use those...so a trip to town to goodwill or fabric store...now see what you have started with your question jeanette?....laughing really

I have used round doilies by making a square pillow out of pastel linen fabric, and tacking the doily to the top, very pretty and feminine.

sounds very pretty indeed!! grandma would be proud

whinnytoo-That's beautiful!!

my son dated a girl from Brazil. On her bed was a beautiful quilt. It was large 8" or 10" colored squares. (I forget the size)Every square had a croched doily on it. The effect was stunning. Her grandmother had made the squares and treasured it.

Mim

Thank you all for your ideas. I will let you know what I finally decide to do with them. Although I have so many it will take a few projects.

Ho do I contact LeeAnn and thanks for your suggestion.

It would be great to see that if you can find it.

Thanks so much - this is the kind of thing I was looking for.

Go up to User List at the top of the page and type in Leeann, 3 or 4 will show up but you want the first name that shows up. (She has a rooster in her avatar) Click on PM and send her a message asking about her handkerchief pattern. She will get right back to you and her pattern is absolutely awesome.

Here I used a glove from my DH's grandmother and a vintage hankie and the ring is a button, pins, button cluster...
Have fun!
piney

That is lovely. Thank you.