Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The Kindness of a Stranger

Recently I received an email from Mary telling me she had a stash of vintage doilies that she wanted to give me.  Eke!  You all know how much I love vintage doilies!

At first I thought I'd seen Mary at one of my shows, but it turns out we'd never met.  An elderly woman, she lost her husband last year and she's been cleaning up her home and trying to simplify her life.  She has no children and wanted to give her doilies to someone who really appreciates the handmade creativity and quality of these lovlies.  So she started Googling and up popped my blog with some prior posts I'd written about my obsession.

Look at all of these pretties she gave me!


Seriously, these pictures do not do these beauties justice!  Simply gorgeous!


They were all made by Mary's grandmother so the best we could figure is that they're at least 105 years old.  Other than some discoloration (which I happen to like), they are all in pristine condition!


Mary insisted the doilies were a gift and would not entertain the idea of money so we agreed that as a thank you, I will custom make a waist apron for her grand niece and incorporate one of the doilies as the pocket.  Obviously, this is the least I can do.

The kindness of strangers....wonderful, right?!

Remember to share a comment on this post, or any of my November posts, for a chance to win this vintage 1950's tablecloth apron I made.  Drawing is November 30th ~ good luck!

17 comments:

  1. What a sweet gift from a thoughtful lady! They are lovely and such a treasure!!

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  2. Oh Cindy, you lucky, lucky girl! I love vintage/old/antique almost anything, and those doilies are amazing.

    Great fun for you girlfriend!

    Hugs,
    Meri

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  3. What a wonderful gift! The sweet lady knew you would take care of her treasures. They are gorgeous.
    Love the apron!
    Hugs,
    Donna

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  4. What a gift! I'm sure she gave them to the right person.

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  5. Mary must be thrilled to know that someone who loves & appreciates vintage linens will be giving these heirlooms their new home.
    :-)

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  6. How sweet of her..that is amazing. I love them too and love to have them scattered around my home. :D

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  7. What WONDERFUL treasures and a wonderful story to go with them!! You deserve them! They're wonderful!

    ~Angela

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  8. What a sweet lady to see that the doilies would go to someone that would appreciate them and not to Goodwill. That looks like a lifetime of work by a talented needle woman. She would be happy to know that you have them.

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  9. I think she knew just how much you would appreciate them. Love how you displayed them for the photos!

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  10. What a lovely gift! The are beautiful!

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  11. Cindy that is so sweet. What a treasure to have all those dollies. And to know they where hand my with love. That is so heart warming.
    Hugs
    donna

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  12. Mary put a lot of thought and effort into the future stewardship of her family treasures. She made the right decision. I love your idea of the apron with doiley pocket. I'm sure every one of your creations becomes a part of someone elses family treasure. To love and enjoy our treasured possession, is what it's all about.
    A lovely blog.
    Chris

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  13. Hello Cindy,
    Oh, that is so sweet. She couldn't have chosen a nicer person. Enjoy your new treasures.
    Smiles, Paula

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  14. What a wonderful treasure trove...you are certainly one lucky gal!

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  15. Those are beautiful, Cindy! You're going to appreciate them more and more as time passes. What a wonderful gift....

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