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Saving a Family Heirloom

RoseRed

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RoseRed Mentor

RoseRed

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I apologize up front for not having pics in this post . I love the eye candy and generally don't get too excited about 'go check out my blog' posts, but sometimes .....

 

Anyways - My Grandmother made tons of doily and runner sets, dresser sets, she loved #10 thread and pineapples most of all.

 

She made one bedroom set in size #20 thread with roses and a flower basket. I found it in a ball in the corner of my Mother's basement. They were brown. I was so upset that something so precious could be disgarded and forgotten about like that.

 

My mom never crocheted and always had these things around and just takes for granted that they've always been there. Of course, I cannot and will not post these thoughts on my blog which my Mom reads.

 

I did post before and after pics of these stunningly beautiful peices!

 

I still have repair work to do to the fabric itself. The thread has broken in some places and one corner is almost torn right off. For now I am so happy with how they came out!

 

I would love to share my new piano and coffee table runners with you guys!

 

You can click the link right here to get to the post or just click the link in my siggee.

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jmccrochet Contributor

jmccrochet

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Your grandmother did beautiful work. You did a fantastic job of rescuing them to turn them into display pieces. I would've been very intimidated. Nice job!

 

Joyce

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grannyannie Collaborator

grannyannie

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Amazing! What beautiful work! I'm so happy that you were able to "save" it! I have tears in my eyes at the moment because I'm so happy. I had a similar incident happen to me, only I wasn't so lucky with the results! Good for you! :cheer

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beth eathorne Enthusiast

beth eathorne

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i am so glad that people are begining to realize the value of "old dollies". it took a lot of time and hard work to produce something that beautiful. so glad you found it before it was beyond repair. your grandmother would be proud.

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crochetrenee Enthusiast

crochetrenee

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WOW!!!! What a wonderful job you did! I am truly amazed...and as one who has NOTHING that once belonged to my grandmother, I commend you on caring enough to go to the effort to preserve it. You should write down a little story about how you preserved it and so forth so one day when it is handed down, future generations will (hopefully) appreciate what you went through to restore it! :clap:clap:clap

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RoseRed Mentor

RoseRed

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Thank you guys!

 

Believe me - I was scared to use the bleach because I didn't want the fabric to disintigrate. Thankfully, my Grandmother was a firm believer in 'use the best materials you can afford' and once they started making mercerized thread - she wouldn't use anything else.

 

I am so happy to have these out.

 

It amazes me how the fabric holds it's shape. All I had to do was lay it out.

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emeraldmoon Community Regular

emeraldmoon

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I could of sent you some of the stuf that we use to soak wedding gowns and delicate stuff in from the cleaners.. We have done some wedding dresses that were over 60-80 yrs that turned yellow and brown spots on them.. I can tell you that the brown stuff on the one doily is bugjuice.. That is what we call it at work.. Its from bugs peeing etc..

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threadlover Collaborator

threadlover

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What a beautiful find. I'm so glad you could rescue them. They look wonderful in your room.

About 3 yrs. ago now when my FIL passed away we were cleaning out his place to sell. Out in the barn was a trunk with several crocheted things and 1940's tablecloths. Needless to say I rescued them and did what I could to save them. We have no idea where they came from or whose they were. It was like finding a treasure for me.

Marcia

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Timeflies Rookie

Timeflies

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They are beautiful works of art! I am so glad you were able to restore them. I have some of my Grandmothers/mothers doilies also. They are precious.

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Elle Collaborator

Elle

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Oh, RoseRed, your grandmother did GORGEOUS work!! How wonderful that you were able to save it! The photo of it with all the stains was just heartbreaking! I would have done the same thing you did. I would have figured that the piece was lost anyway, so why not try bleaching it. I'm so glad for you that you still have these pieces!

 

My great aunt Betsy had done a lot of pieces in thread, both crochet and tatting, and they got wet in a flood, and by the time anyone realized that they had gotten wet, they had molded badly. We did the same thing that you did, we used a bit of bleach in the water we soaked and washed them in, but apparently the mold had eaten away at the thread because they all but disintegrated. I have images of them burned into my brain, but sadly I have no real photos of them to remember them by.

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