How to Frame Doilies
Article by KarensVariety.com

A doily can be a beautiful addition to any home decor. If you have a very special doily that is interesting to look at or perhaps you have a doily made long ago by a relative, it can be framed and hung on your wall both to preserve it and to let others enjoy looking at it.

Choosing a frame is a personal choice made to complement or contrast with your decor. Doilies are no longer just white or ecru; they can be crocheted in many different colours. Choose a mat that will contrast with the colour of your doily. You do not want your doily to blend into the mat; think of a white doily on a black mat; each detail of the doily will be easily seen. Different frames and mat colours will give a different appearance. I have pictured some examples of the same doily in different mats and frames.

Before mounting your doily in the frame, it must be blocked. Please the doily on your ironing board and very lightly, spray it with water. Then arrange it to the correct shape. You can use pins if they are steel (so they do not mark the doily) and do not have large heads. Place the pins in angled sideways in the four corners and in any other spots that are skewed out of shape. Lay a clean dishcloth over the doily and press lightly with a steam iron. Be careful not to let the iron sit on the doily too long as some synthetics can melt from the heat. Remove the cloth and rearrange any parts if you need to and repeat the iron. When you are satisfied with the final look, remove the cloth and let it sit to be sure it is completely dry (to prevent mold).

Remove the glass from the frame and clean both sides thoroughly and set it back in the frame. Lay the right side of the doily down on the glass and centre it. Place the mat back of the frame on and press down the metal pieces to hold it in place.

If your doily has a raised pattern, you will want to use a slightly different method as you will not want to press the doily between the mat and the glass. Doilies with puff stitches, ruffles, flowers, etc. should be framed in the following manner.

Centre your doily on the frame mat and make a slight pin prick on the mat on strategic points around; the four corners and centre on a square doily or a few points around the outer edge and the centre of a round doily. Remove the doily and you can see the pin prick marks on the mat. You will need to make very small holes in the mat so that you can attach the doily. Since the mat will bend easily, I have used a hammer and very tiny finishing nails to make the holes. Then set the doily back on the mat and with a needle and long piece of thread, bring the thread up through the hole, around one stitch of the doily and back through. Keep doing this around and then tie the two ends of the thread together. Use tape on the back of the mat to hold the thread in place.

Now layer one or two mats on the right side of the doily to raise the glass and reassemble the picture frame.