What Can You Do With Old Lace?

My sister is cleansing her treasure collections and wanted to know what to do with old lace. Lace is hard! It looks so pretty, and you know some ancient relative made it, so it's hard to donate it or throw it away without feeling guilty. So, I still don't know what to do with doilies, as they are an unusual shape, but I had vintage crocheted lace border material, and I think I've found the perfect use for it.

So, I started with a Flax linen tank top. Flax is a company out of Syracuse, New York, I think. They're very popular around here. All the ladies who like linen like to wear Flax linen. You can find their lovely clothing at shopflax.com. Note that I shop for my Flax at garage sales. I bought this one for $3. 

So anyway, I had some crocheted border lace, and I carefully sewed it onto the front of my Flax shirt. I turned over the edges and sewed those in place on the edges of the inside of the shirt front. I suppose I could have sewn a piece to the back as well, but this is kind of thick lace, so it added weight to my blouse and I figured doing the front was sufficient. Also, it seems to me that if you go overboard with too much lace, you just look like you're wearing your Aunt Mariann's curtains.

Of course, I was very proud of myself and sent a picture to my sister, who responded with pictures of doilies. I suggested that they might make wondrous bikini tops, but neither of us are, unfortunately, in a position to model such garments. So if you are so inspired, keep those matching doilies in mind...