The latest outing of Texas Crochet Heritage and Celebrate Doilies took me to Rockport, Texas. It was a long drive to deliver the quilts, and another long drive to pick them up when the exhibit was over.
For both trips, I had the great good fortune to stay at the Angel Rose Bed & Breakfast, within walking distance from the brand new Rockport Community Center, which hosted the exhibits. In the other direction, it was a short walk to S. Austin Street, Rockport’s main street and home of good restaurants.
Angel Rose has been through several remodels, repairs, and restorations since it was first built in 1881. However, from the beginning, it has been a house where crochet can feel at home.
This pretty Irish Crochet-style doily with a border of roses and leaves is in one of the sitting rooms.
The guest bed skirt was trimmed with crochet. It was such a lovely touch, but I couldn’t help but imagine how much work it used to be to wash that coverlet and press it to keep the crochet from curling.
The most impressive of all was this large doily, framed and hung at the head of the guest bed. How in the world did the crocheter create those precisely-shaped open spaces in the lacy pattern?
I quickly closed in for a better look. Ah—I see. I thought I was looking at the blue background peeking through those open spaces. It turned out that this was a two-color doily. The blue thread was almost exactly the same color as the mat board in the background. You can see it better from an angle:
The mystery was solved, but the story continued.
Months later, I was browsing through old crochet instruction books in the Antique Pattern Library, as one does for entertainment on a Friday night…or really anytime. And there it was, the “Pineapple” Centerpiece, in Doilies, Lily Design Book No. 79. Lily Mills manufactured all kinds of crochet threads.
Go have a look! Here’s the link: Pineapple Centerpiece, page 12 of Lily Design Book No. 79.