Doilies – round and oblong and baklava shaped… many of them.

Everything was hand made,
this was my own made for me.



This design was original created by my mom
she was very protective of this one
At the time they did not have patent lawyers



This is a cushion cover



In Aleppo Syria, it was customary to offer guests
a tall glass of cold homemade Cherryade with your best doily.
this is prestarbucks.



This one is a pillow case border



I remember my mom making this one it is
part of a set.



This shape would be used on a coffee table
Composed of 12 small doilies attached to each other in baklava formation


This is meant to be a nightgown collar

I wonder if you have the same problem (May God forgive me for calling it aproblem). I have inherited so many of these doilies I need advice on what to do with them.

Some are hand crocheted by my mom or aunt or people who were near and dear to me. I cannot get rid of them. They represent the hands that took care of me. I cannot decorate with them on my tables or place them under tablelamps. It simply is not my style.

I even remember my aunt Manoushag teaching me how to make them. It was considered one of the virtues of a proper housewife – making them painstakingly, to have the very best ones. Ones that were more complicated and sophisticated looking were a source of pride.Then there are ones that only certain villagers knew how to do, like my husband’s folks (Marash people) or Adana people where my mom and dad came from.

When our mothers got married they would have a whole series of different types of needlework displayed a week before the wedding. There would be a special day dedicated for the relatives especially those on the groom’s side to visit the bride’s house to check out the bride’s display of all the dowry she was going to bring with her, all the hand made and hand sewn underwear and doilies and sofa cushions covered with black velvet that had been decorated with colorful lace needlework, pillow case borders. If it was too simply made the women would whisper to each other that the bride was not very good at it and that the dowry was not up to par.

Back to my doilies what does a good daughter do? My daughters would not want them – at least I don’t think they do. And, as time goes by, I am inventorying everything, making lists: “give away,” “Goodwill,” “find a new use,” or “dump.” But doilies are a whole new category and I need divine intervention! I cannot place things that have a great emotional value in the garbage. I collect them in a bag and ask my husband to take it to the garage with the following instruction: “get rid of them next year if I don’t ask for them in the mean time.” Believe me, he knows what to do.