Anyone ever use "Lustro Ware Doily Clasps"?

[2manythreads]

I picked this gem up from one of my thriftings- https://www.pinterest.com/pin/66287425739840614/

(just for reference, I don't have a "Pinterest") on eBay they always scream "VERY RARE" but I see them ALL the time listed. I purchased two pkgs for maybe, err 50c 2 yrs ago, when I was collecting crafting items wondering what craft I will choose to follow, before I found crocheting to be the best so far

I discovered the packages just today while I was going through my "stashes" of goodies, I am going through my pre-Christmas panic as to what is getting made for whom (still in a quandary- family if you see this, you may all get kitchen mitts and hot pads lol)

 

I had no idea what purpose these were for, but saw them as "interesting" and as I've said before, I just adore old things.

 

SO- my question is, are these for holding ruffles on a doily edge in place as you spray them with the starch or whatever? I assume that is what they are for? or are they for some other product? 

 

I just think the oldies 50's style packaging is so neat. I don't even want to open it!! I cannot believe they are being listed for 12 dollars on auction sites! The price on pkg says 19 cents. I think people WAY over-estimate the value of some items...

 

anyway- so are these for doilies that we crochet and need to hold the ruffles in place til they are starched enough? Or ..? I haven't googled enough about them, just wondering if anybody here has used them before? if so, I would love to hear about your experience with them!

 

[magiccrochetfan]

what do the instructions say?

[sarisue]

Never saw them before but this one on ebay has instructions.

 

link

[magiccrochetfan]

Oh, they are to fasten together plastic doilies! I thought the illustration on the front looked like those plastic doilies. Wonder if anybody is selling the doily parts.

[Granny Square]

I thought the same thing - "that's a plastic doily!!"  Don't want to admit how long it's been since I saw one of those.  Did a bit of googling, it looks like plastic doilies were used as a crafty item to be cut and folded into doll's skirts (long antebellum dresses, wedding dresses, ballet tutus) half a century ago; maybe these clips were used for that.

 

I can't see them very well (if you don't have a Pinterest account, it greys out most of the page) but I don't think they have a use in real thread crochet.  The ruffles on a (real, thread) ruffled thread doily are blocked over an improvised stuffed roll, something like wadded tissue paper, maybe wax paper.

[2manythreads]

yeah I dont have a pinterest acct either, it greyed out most of it but that on the pic was my exact package. So they attach TO plastic doilies? or they ARE plastic doilies...? or parts to them? Guys I WILL post pics or the text or both from front and back of the package- Tomorrow- as I was super busy today and its so late. When I find it (was busy re-arranging my craft room- LOL) ahem- when I find the package again tomorrow I will post pics so you all can know what I am talking about- and maybe figure out what the instructions are for, because I recall it says something about folding "the doily" in half, and half again (into quarters) and using the clips to hold the quarters in place? Well, what for? why would anyone fold a plastic doily in quarters- for what purpose? Apparently there was a purpose for this.

 

Plastic..... doilies?? Wow- learn something new every day. I like old stuff- but I don't know if I would like plastic doilies. Blasphemy!

[Granny Square]

The picture in the background of the package was clearly a plastic doily.  My mom didn't crochet, we had a plastic doilies around the house back in the day.  The clips themselves I've never seen before, but appear to (possibly) have been used to convert the plastic doilies into 3-D crafty items. Here is one craft booklet (why would you want a plastic collar???).  Now I can't find the doll link I found yesterday, but one of the doll dresses (tutu) sort of looked like the vase in the above link.  Back then 'bed dolls' were popular, I think this was the idea, more for decor than a toy.

 

So...hate to say this but without further investment, on unless you can think of something else to use these for, I think you're out 50 cents...I did see vintage plastic doilies for sale but I think they'd be pretty brittle for crafty use by now.

[magiccrochetfan]

I found this ebay listing too, if you zoom in on the photos you can see some more project ideas http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vtg-1950s-Lustro-Ware-Plastic-Lace-Doilies-Crafts-Booklet-/191696745354?nma=true&si=0FXRZoQAWqartoLlZv1d2b4%252FGlc%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

I guess making things out of these was part of the Kwik-N-EZ trend in crafting.  the doilies had a very specific look to them as you can see and really didn't look much like crochet.  googling "lustra ware plastic crochet doily" i saw some for sale too but agree it seems like they'd be deteriorated over time.  (unlike me...I'm still the same snappy kid I was when I saw this stuff for sale at the dimestore hahahahahahaha)  

[Granny Square]

Um...what's a dimestore (kidding!!!!)   I thought the same thing when looking at this stuff, and then got nostalgic about Woolworth's...

[2manythreads]

Here's the back side of it with the instructions- I just re-arranged my crafts items and this was hidden under something  (why is it whenever you "put something away" you can't find it again)

 

anyone able to decipher this and what it is for? What is a "lustro ware centerpiece"? and what do these clasps do- I understand their basic function, but why would anyone need to clasp together a plastic doily? and WHAT is a plastic doily anyway? lol- did people actually use plastic doilies as we use them now, for decor? or did they serve some sort of crafts making purpose? I feel like this is an item from another planet. So odd. An oddity.

[2manythreads]

Um...what's a dimestore (kidding!!!!)   I thought the same thing when looking at this stuff, and then got nostalgic about Woolworth's...

Yeah that's what I figured- a dime store type of item, and people selling it for 12 dollars? hahhaha! Do they think it is an "antique"? Ridiculous. I would not have paid more than the 50 cents I purchased it for when I got it a year ago. It's funny what some people think is "worth something".

[Granny Square]

Re: post 10, it looks like these instructions are to use the clips to concoct a REALLY ruffled centerpiece doily - I imagine something like the frilly yellow thing the vase was sitting in, in my post #7 link--your pic is showing you folding 16 (!!) smaller doilies and clipping them around the edge of a bigger doily.

 

When I was a kid we just used single flat plastic doilies 'as is', to keep your table from getting scratched etc.  No imagination!  My mom wasn't crafty or a 'frilly' person, though.

[2manythreads]

Granny square that makes sense- using htem to keep table from getting scratched, etc. That's cool! I kind of wish I had some plastic ones, just for the kitsch of them. I am fascinated by the whole thing- crafts, using plastic doilies. Sounds so out there, you know?

 

anyway- one thing I thought I would never make crocheting is doilies. Now all I do is collect free vintage doily patterns so I will have a goodly supply for later (ps yes I do have "Free vintage crochet" and the antique patterns pages all bookmarked)  doilies, they are such a fun hobby to do, challenging for me as I am a beginner.

 

Anyway- yeah so there was a purpose for plastic doilies, and they used these clasps to make craft projects out of the plastic doilies as well! Cool. I can see archaeologists eons from now, trying to make sense of these clasps- and the doilies, they will probably think they were used in some "religious ceremony" lol. Every item or icon they find, MUST have been in some "religious ceremony" right? Nobody can have just a painting of a bull or a flower, it must "mean" something if its ancient haha. Anyway, interesting. Now I know - people made crafts from plastic doilies.

[2manythreads]

haha, that's ok, I think I can spare the 50 cents. I like the packaging. Oh! I wanted to say that I just now found there are other forums, one even for thread crochet, that I just barely discovered and wouldn't ever have seen until I got curious and kept scrolling down and down more. Not sure if that is a help to the admins, but Ive been looking around this site a while and just barely found out about those other forums. Maybe they could make them stick out more? I don't know.

The picture in the background of the package was clearly a plastic doily.  My mom didn't crochet, we had a plastic doilies around the house back in the day.  The clips themselves I've never seen before, but appear to (possibly) have been used to convert the plastic doilies into 3-D crafty items. Here is one craft booklet (why would you want a plastic collar???).  Now I can't find the doll link I found yesterday, but one of the doll dresses (tutu) sort of looked like the vase in the above link.  Back then 'bed dolls' were popular, I think this was the idea, more for decor than a toy.

 

So...hate to say this but without further investment, on unless you can think of something else to use these for, I think you're out 50 cents...I did see vintage plastic doilies for sale but I think they'd be pretty brittle for crafty use by now.