I think I’ve mentioned our family’s favorite librarian here before. Her name is Joanie, and she’s the childrens’ librarian at our local library. She is a sweet lady, great with the kids. Over the last few years, we’ve gotten to know each other a bit during our conversations here and there as the girls and I visit the library each week. They always run to her right away when they see her at the desk, and she chats them up and gives them a sticker.
It doesn’t take long for anyone who meets me to learn about my crazy knitting fanaticism, and of course Joanie knows all about that by now too. Well, Joanie was cleaning out her attic over the last few weeks, and found something she thought I’d like. Her mother and aunts were all crafty people, and one of them was apparently into crocheting doilies.
Joanie doesn’t crochet or knit, but she thought maybe I’d find a use for this antique doily stretcher. Hella yeah!
It’s made out of an old fashioned particle board material, and the words say Hearthside our own trademark Doily Stretcher Sears Roebuck and Co. Who knows how old it is – I’m guessing at least 50 years? I think it’s meant to be laid over a soft surface like a rug or a bed, and then one could stick straight pins through to hold the doily in place.
From the side, you can see the extra worn area in the middle where the original owner laid wet doilies out to block. I am so excited about having this awesome tool come my way! I want to figure out a way to hang it up on my office room wall without damaging it, and still be able to easily take it down to use it. I told Joanie that I would be thrilled to wash and block any doilies she has from her family that she’d like to pull out and use. But also I’m going to have to plan a new doily project of my own – it’s a good thing they’re so popular right now!
That looks like a really handy tool. It was so sweet of her to think of you when she found it.
That is really cool!
It is so neat that she shared the doily stretcher with you. I bet you could hang it with a plate hanger. That way, you wouldn’t have to put any hardware on the back and it would be easy to take down when you wanted to use it.
Lynn
Do you think there has been any waterproofing of the doily stretcher? I was thinking about using pegboard for blocking some things but worried about the particle board expanding and/or color from the particle board staining the things I was wanting to block.
Very cool! You could get a picture frame shelf and prop it up on that. Easy on, easy off!
A regular lurker, coming out to say how nice it was of your librarian to think of you like that. I always find it so touching when someone sees something and thinks of me. And also, I don’t know anything about this kind of thing, but it seems to me that this might be a rare sort of tool?? Think about getting it appraised? I love your idea of hanging it!
Just purchased one at an auction. In original box, mailed in 1968. No instructions and no “200 rust resistant metal pins” were included. Have you used it yet? Any tips to share? So many doilies – so little time!
My sister just sent me one for Christmas. It was mailed in the original box AND has the instruction sheet. Would be glad to scan it in, and share–not sure if I can post an attachment or pdf file on your page. However, it does not have pins. Does anyone know exactly what they are like. The directions are very unusual, so thought it might be a special pin.
Just thought I would add my knowledge of this board for you.
They were in almost every home from the late 1800-s to the 1960s. A lot of them were permanently placed behind the stove vent to help dry the laces.They originally came with little wooden pegs, wood as not to rust the fibers. I have replaced mine with bamboo shish kabob skewers.
The doilies were soaked in starch, or heavy sugar water then stretched out to dry. I use fabric stiffener from a craft store now as the sugar water can cause a problem in storage.
I really like the longer pegs I made by cutting the skewers about an inch and a half (above the surface) so that multiples of like placemats etc can be stretched exactly alike. Sometimes on older pieces I take the mats and duplicate the pattern while they are still dry, so when they are wet and stretchy they will go back like they were to start with. I wash and bleach the old food stains out and they do just fine. I also examine the connections and use sewing thread to strengthen or replace the stitches. This has to be done after the old stiffeners are removed so the breaks will show up. I stretch mine a little hard as to make them as large as possible. Be careful with older doilies as the fibers might be tender with age.
As to the underside I am using a piece of the blue Styrofoam insulation cut to size.
It just gives me such great pleasure to recapture all the hard work that was put into these popular table mainstays of old. I love a table set with them because it just reminds me of Summer in the old South!
Regards, Annamarie in Tennessee.
Lucky lady, you have one of the older model doily stretchers! You can’t
buy one today when more people are making doilies espcially. I bought one from Sears back in the 1950’s–lasted very well. It was masonite
material but untreated, the color faded onto the doily, the peg was a finishing nail and it soon rusted! My cure all came from a painter who told me to shellac the surface and allow it to dry very well, then take a
good paste wax and go over the surface–worked just had to renew the wax along.( Do NOT use a sugar water starch) Any hardware store
carries a small aluminum nail that replaced the finishing nail and no more rusting. This great little designer item made the most of the hard work one puts into a doily, the circles and squares were perfect. How I wish it were possible to buy a brand new one! Your board did warp from the doily being excessively wet and the drying time too long–once the hand held hair blow dryer came into being it was a tremendous aid in
making the drying time less–neccesity is the mother of invention!
Bought one at a flea market for $15 a couple of years ago in the original box and looks like it has never been used. I remember my grandma had one that was twice the size.
Unfortunately they didn’t have the pins to go with it, darn. Haven’t had any luck finding replacements. Will keep looking as there is a pile of doilies I need to stretch.