I am Lily - stitcher and part time bookseller. Mother to my gorgeous girl, Abigail and wife to Julian. I make time each day to let my imagination potter and add quirky prettiness and handmade comfort to our home and lives. You can email me at lily(at)blockaday(dot)com
the kaleidoscope curtain
… at least that’s what it looks like when I stand back to admire the hot afternoon sun streaming through my FINALLY finished bathroom curtain. That and jelly fish - the ones in Finding Nemo - where they are so exquisitely beautiful and delicate.
I started this way back when - last October? On the back porch in Brisbane.
The white fabric is a piece of inexpensive but delightfully heavy and prettily textured duckcloth. The trim is from a largish piece of upholstery weight fabric I bought for half price at Material Obsession an age ago.
The doilies - they all came from one Friday morning at the St. John the Baptist Jumble Sale. Aside from the pink and white one, the rest have been made by the same person - they all match and the thread is the same in each. They were stuffed into the back of the bottom drawer of an old dresser in the “clothes” room of the weekly Jumble Sale and the dear old ladies who run it kindly sold them to me for a song.
I hand stitched each doily to the curtain (I started in the middle of each doily and worked my way out - most of the doilies have at least 3 rounds of stitching holding them to the backround), then added lots and lots of french dots in complentary colours. There are french knots around the outside of them as well as highlighting inner circles. I also used some lazy daisy stitches, beads and sequins that were left over from my Sue Spargo class last year.
As I stitched - and more perle cottons found their way into my tin - the colours grew brighter and brighter. Finally, today, I added the vibrant orange from our 2009 Halloween decorations.
Subtley? A feature I sometimes *think* I’m aiming for but rarely achieve :-) Julian will testity to this. More is always merrier in Lilyville - until I go that bit too far. The remedy? Just leave the offending item for a few months to stew in its “too-farness” and then when I pull it out, forgotten and lonely, it’s busyness and colour are always such a thrill :-)
Such is the case with this here kaleidoscope curtain. I was entirely unimpressed with the orange lazy daisy stitches around the lower, small yellow and white doily when I did them. Bummer, I said, to whoever would listen, I’ll have to pull them out. They’re horrible. But, voila!, when I pulled it out this morning and noticed those sweet little petals - I loved them! Yay for going too far I say.
Our bathroom is looking oh so lovely. Do you know, we’ve never had a nice bathroom - they’ve always been dingy or dark or both. This one is white, white, white and as sparkling as a new pin. I have bathroom love. So does Abby. We even treated the bath to a wooden rack - we’ve always wanted one - and Abby’s about to test out its little lantern.
Ooh-er! Am I looking forward to a cold, blustery night, when I shall close the bathroom door, light some candles, sink into a lovely warm bath with some beautiful salts (still to make them, but do have the book) and read, read, read. With my kaleidoscope curtain there to protect me from the cold and dark with its sunny yellows and blues and roses. Bliss!
3 February, 2010 at 12:59 pm
The doilies are lovely! Finds like those are serendipitous at tag sales - you’re already happy being there and thriftful, and then ta-da, you find a testament to some wonderful woman’s hours of time and talent. I’m wrestling with a baby blanket I’m trying to crochet, and have enjoyed the time I’ve already spent working on it, thinking of the new baby that will be wrapped up in it. However, the instructions are befuddling. I wish I knew someone locally I could take my project to and get some help!
3 February, 2010 at 1:35 pm
Hey, my friend, I’ve got a cold blustery night here Near Philadelphia that I’d gladly give you if that is what you want!!! Midway through winter here, spring and summer seem so far away . . . . .
Your curtain is gorgeous.
3 February, 2010 at 2:11 pm
How lovely the curtains are - and what a great way to display that beautiful handwork. I always feel sort of sad when I see those lovely crocheted doilies at a thrift shop or yard sale. Someone’s lovely gran sat patiently stitching away and now they’re discarded.
I love your blog, and visit frequently - I know your family will do wonderfully well in your new home - all you ever need is to be together!
3 February, 2010 at 2:18 pm
Hi Lily, Your curtain looks so lovely! I have also many doilies in my cuoboard. I still use some of them on little tables, but I want to save them all and use to buy more at fleamarkets and many times those are brand new!
3 February, 2010 at 2:30 pm
*sigh* Lily Boot, you are a wonderous creature!
3 February, 2010 at 2:54 pm
You have not gone too far in my eyes! I think the person who made the doilies would be thrilled that they are out of the drawer and being loved! The curtain is so pretty!!! Hee hee, we used that lantern in the middle of our dining room table over the holidays. I used a battery operated tea light though. The lantern had such a pretty glow!
3 February, 2010 at 4:25 pm
that’s the prettiest doily curtain i’ve seen so far. i’ve love the colour in it.
3 February, 2010 at 9:27 pm
Oh Lily, this is all so beautiful. That curtain looks amazing, and I love the bath tray that you are using. This post made me feel more peaceful just by reading it.
So glad to be paired up with you for the vintage swap. It should be a lot of fun
3 February, 2010 at 9:51 pm
i love this kaleidoscope curtain! it is so gorgeous. i’m moving in a few months and i think a doily curtain will be one of my very first projects to make my new place feel like home.
4 February, 2010 at 3:12 am
so beautiful–I love it!
4 February, 2010 at 3:24 am
Job well done! The curtains look beautiful. The bath very inviting! ~karen
4 February, 2010 at 3:52 am
I was glad to get caught up on the posts here. So good. The curtain is lovely. Now that I am crocheting, I appreciate all the work that went into making your doilies. And to think they were abandoned at the bottom of a drawer!
4 February, 2010 at 4:18 am
Wow, that is so pretty! Great idea!
4 February, 2010 at 2:18 pm
The kaleidoscope curtain is beautiful and your site is so lovely.
lisa
4 February, 2010 at 4:46 pm
that curtain is lovely! I’ve seen some with old hankies, but I like the doilies so much more. And it is 20 degrees Farenheit here, so maybe I’ll go run a bath.
5 February, 2010 at 9:40 am
What a clever idea, it takes a lot of skill (in my opinion!) to pull off an idea with such lovely results. I would be more than happy to sink into a deep scented bath at your house!
5 February, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Wow, I LOVE your curtains!! What a great idea, you are so clever!
5 February, 2010 at 9:03 pm
hello! fantastic blog! i love the curtain…so intricate! i am a new stitcher, so i am admiring your hard work!
i know how you feel regarding your bathroom blues. i, too, have never had a great bathroom. i cannot wait until the day comes when i can have a bath like you recently have. congrats!
7 February, 2010 at 3:51 am
Your curtain is to die for - what a creative way to dress up a curtain with the doilies.
7 February, 2010 at 4:38 pm
Your curtain is so pretty with the sun shining through it! What a great way to rescue someone’s handwork and let it be enjoyed. Just beautiful.
11 February, 2010 at 4:03 am
Hi,Lily,Your curtain is gorgeous!! the last time for me to see the embroidery was 10 years ago,and now it was made always by machine.so when I see your hand-made curtain,oh,it is amazing! I LOVE IT SO MUCH!
19 February, 2010 at 5:05 am
I adore your beautiful doily curtain! My friend visited our farm today, and I showed her my stash of pretty doilies that I’ve been saving up for a while, (with the intention of making curtains.) She told me I must come here to see your most beautiful doily curtain. You really did a fantastic job! All the beautiful little french knots are extraordinary! Your embroidery work is so wonderfully inspiring to me! Thanks for sharing!
love,
sara