Upcycled Doily Blanket

In the hectic weeks before Christmas, I spent my precious alone time curled up on the couch with a cat, eating cookies and looking through the bottomless pile of catalogs from my mail box.  I was flipping through an Anthropologie catalog when I came across this beautiful heirloom throw. -------------------->

The fragile, antique feel of it immediately caught my eye.  It was gorgeous, but wouldn't it be even prettier if it was made from up-cycled lace and doilies?  Because it was unique (and because I can never have too many blankets) I decided to make my own version.  This project took weeks to create, but I am absolutely in love with the finished product.

I’m always cold, so I prefer my blankets to be functional.  After a few weeks of hunting, I found a very warm woven throw for the base.  The stack of doilies and lace took weeks to collect from thrift stores, and some had to be bleached to remove color or stains.  When I felt good about the amount of ancient looking doilies and lace stockpiled on my desk, it was time to set them on the blanket and start sewing.  They were arranged and rearranged numerous times before I was happy.  One solid piece of lace with a tear drop pattern became the focal point.  I cut it into four different shapes and used them to bring the smaller doilies together.

Anthropologie's version features heavy crocheted roses, but I wanted mine to feel light and contrast with the thick fuzzy blanket.  By sewing different styles and colors of lace into little roses, depth and texture were created.  Sewing the details by had took a lot of patience.  I was constantly finding excuses to take a break or put the whole thing away for a while.  I worked on it often and finished it today.  The result is a sweet, delicate blanket featuring a variety of upcycled pieces of lace and fabric.  I was concerned that I would be afraid to use it, but that is not the case.  I'm sitting on the floor wrapped up in it right now and I couldn't be happier.

My first sewing expedition was clothing for my Ken doll.  I was five years old and very proud.  The material of choice was a sock that lost its mate in the dryer, and the outfit looked a lot like a sleeveless one-sie for grown men. It was hideous, but I was hooked.  I would love to tell you that my skills and style have matured, but I guess miss matched socks and recycled doilies aren't too different…