Crocheted Items Help, please

I posted the framed work photos to suggest what she could do with the crochet work to remember her mother and grandmother. She's been responding by Liking my posts.

 

I'm glad to share what I know. I thought the tablecloth looked like it may have needed laundering the most. Even if it is yellowed after laundering; it is safest to "roll with the color" that it "is" instead of trying to bleach it. Bleach is just so caustic - even in low solution. I'd sooner try the oxy or perhaps a slightly stronger detergent; rather than bleach. Another observation: with some of your pieces of lace - there IS some raised work. The raised work _does_ belong on the top of the piece rather than on the bottom.

Sometimes you can finger press the raised work to even stand up a little to give it a bit more dimension. I notice it on the layered petals of the roses on the tablecloth... yet there is something curious about the tablecloth. The roses and petals appear to be raised - but the spiderwebbing chain stitches that circle the rose lay atop the leaf designs. It just SEEMS like the flower and leaves would both lay atop that spider webbing.

The green outlines two leaf shapes.. the black arrows indicate the spiderwebbing threads that are on top of the leaves and the red indicates were the leaf stitches cross under the spiderwebbing. I have no idea what came first... the chicken or the egg (spiderwebbing or leaf shape) and perhaps they were worked at the same time. I just find it a curiosity!

The black arrows on the rose; also indicate the "raised petals"... if you have a wood cuticle stick or something like that that you can try to lift those areas as you are finger pressing... they may fluff up a little. They also may not - depending on where the stitches lay. I've seen pieces where each of the petals were only connected at the very center of the flower and the petals would lift up enough to stick your pinky under. Other times... the petal worked behind is affixed tightly to the petal in front of it - giving it the illusion of raised work. You will have fun discovering it's secrets!


Cheerio Leslie

 

I've got lots of this type of stuff stored in my basement... I've got a "thing" for vintage linens. Very little has any value, unfortunately.