Doilies

Pictured above is a doily my sister made for my 50th birthday.  It is beautiful and it took her quite awhile to make it.  It sits on the  nightstand in my bedroom under a lamp.

The purpose of doilies is to protect your furniture from scratches and scrapes.  Often they sit under lamps or vases.  Sometimes they may be put on a mantle or the top of a piano.  They also look nice laying on a shelf with part of the edge hanging off the shelf.

These also look pretty placed on the arm rests of couches and chairs.  They can easily be removed for laundering and when present they protect the arm rests which often get worn more quickly than other parts of the furniture.

Another way to display these is to place them on top of a solid piece of fabric and frame the whole thing.   I have a large  doily with our last night crocheted into the design my sister made me several years ago that I display in this manner.  I gave one that I framed as a gift to my mother-in-law many years ago. 

I have several of these done in colored thread that were made by my grandmama many years ago.  I sometimes use them under a candle or small bowl as a centerpiece on the my dining room table.

These are crocheted with smaller thread, rather than yarn.  There are many books and patterns available at craft stores and online.