As for the quilts, you can put bits of them into screen frames and make room dividers. Use them to upholster the tops of old footstools.

Don't have any ideas for the doilies.

I've seen where they use pieces of quilts or doilies in making of primitive lights. They take a candle lamp and stick it in a old wooden box, crate, or just different kinds of containers, then add a piece of the quilt or doily then add some old things light old pictures, skelton keys, berries, old postcards, or gloves. You could use all kinds of things.
Another idea for the quilts is to make some ornies. Like hearts,stars, or other shapes. You could tea die them to make them primitive looking. Then put them in wooden bowls, crates,or old jars. How about making rag balls?
I hope you get lots of ideas. I'm interested also!
Cheri

I have seen bears made from old quilts and bedspreads.
The doilies could be used around their necks like a collar on one fastened in their hands. Or like Cheri said.

I think you could frame the quilt squares in a picture frame if they were interesting enough. Same for the doilies.

I saw a really neat quilt a few years back that was made of denim rectangles. In the bottom right corner of the squares, there was about 3/4 of the doilie. Really pretty. There may have been strings of beads and pretty ribbons attached too.

I've seen stuffed animals made out of them. Have also seem them made into jackets.

Depending upon how tore up they are you could cut them up and make baby doll blankets out of them, wall hangings or if in good enough shape baby blankets. I LOVE quilts and have bought the baby doll or wall hanging size many times. I just can not resist them. One other thing is place mats or table runners.
Thats all the ideas I have...
Sydney

Lots of ideas for the quilts, not so much for the doilies!
Stuffed bears
Christmas ornaments
pillows
frame the quilt squares
make a wall hanging
quilted vests
purses

Enjoy!
Sue102

Thank you everyone!!! Great ideas. I am not great at sewing but would love to make them into bears and use the doily for a collar-so cute. A lot of the ideas I would love to use for my own use. I am trying to come up with ideas for stuff I already have so I can sell these items for some extra cash.

How about a quilt angel. Cut a piece about 12" square, add a 4" ruffle of lace or sheer material to two sides of the square(this will be the bottom of the angel). Fold the quilt back so you have an elongated diamond shape(similar to a man's tie) keeping the ruffle along the bottom. Make a head for the angel with a 6" circle of muslin, stuff. Attach the head to the top of the quilt with hot glue. Fold a doily in half and wrap it around the neck of the angel, gluing in place (add a pretty ribbon that coordinates or an old brooch to the front of the doily). Paint the eyes on the angel (permanent pen in black), put a bit of blush on her cheeks, give her a smile with a permanent pen in brown, add hair (use moss or curly hair). Make a halo from star garland and glue to the head. Make angel wings from quilted muslin or felt, glue to the back of the angel. Add a piece of ribbon to hang on the wall. I also make heart shaped Santas out of old red quilts, let me know if you need patterns.

I had some tatted and crochetted doilies made by my greatgrandmothers and when my brother got married to a woman whose six figure income matched my brothers (what do you give THEM?!?!) I stiffened six 8 inch round doilies with "Stiffy" and mounted them on velvet mat board. I used 2 long frames and put three in a row in each. There is a shadow box space that is clear and you stick it on the edge of the glass so that you don't smash the doilies when you frame them. I got some of that at a framing store and VOILA! Beautiful, meaningful gifts!

Hope that this helps!

~~Mimi

I hada doyle from my grandmother inthe 1928s and I put it in a picture frame, but in front Iput a picture of my granddaughter... then I put apeice of light blue cloth behind it then I put it on my super scanner and got a pic of it..then I put it on the wall it looks great.. Sometimes I really am amazed of my skills and ability to work with junk and trash..

I have seen them used beautifully as seat cushion covers. THey really look great with wicker on a covered front porch!
And I have seen bags made from them........from purse size to larger ones used for knitting/crocheting or craft bags!
Julie

I use small doilies to wrap around the stem of my lavender bundles that I grow. I add a dried rose and some caspia to the bundle and tie a pretty ribbon around the bundle and wrapped doily. they sell well at craft shows.
Karen

In my crafting days I made hundreds of heart pins out of old quilts...blanket stitched them around the edge and stiffened them. they went for 3 to 5 dollars...They were only 2 inches high...that's a lot of little hearts you can get from a quilt.

patti

I hope this shows up.Computer has been pits this week.If the bedspreads are Chenille bedspreads than I seen the cutiest girl dress made from them.They used the bedspread for the botton part of the dress and than they used a matching flowery piece for the top.So so darling.I have just did some bids on ebay for some and hope to get them made.

my mom had lots of hand crochet collars i kept those and pinned them to a poster board, framed them.,and wa la Victorian decor. doilies can be mounted on colorful print framed for wall decorations or tacked to colored pillow cases to match your comforter[quite feminine and dainty looking].
if you have a crocheted table cloth which has seen better days or soiled beyond redemption save pieces and use them on sofa pillows or if large enough swags over plain drapes.remember to stitch a piece of material to the piece before you cut it
use doilies over matching print on the round bedside tables under the glass.i use antique doilies under the protective glass on my dresser and chest of drawers.they don,t get soiled and i don,t have to wash them as much;this saves them from destruction. try mounting a doilie on a fabric,place it an old drawer, attach a storybook doll,use for a shadow box..i use doilies for rugs,and table clothes and bed spreads in my doll houses.i have also doubled them over run ribbons around the edge for sachet bags.

You could use parts of the quilt to make a jacket or vest. Maybe even combine this with some chenille and doily collars.

I have seen some amazing doll and bear dresses made from old doilies.Mainly the old embroidered linen type.They have sewn about 16 doilies together into a rectangular shape,run a gathering stitch along the top to gather up skirt section of dress,bottom edge is trimmed with old lace around the hem.Top of dress is made with an oblong doily cut in half for back and front,2 small doilies used to make sleeves,all edges trimmed in old lace,then whole dress is dipped into cold tea to give an antique look finish.These sell occassionally on ebay for $60 to $80 and every one of them is OOAK due to the different doilies used.I prefer the ones with large bright colored flowers embroidered on the doiles myself,especially in pinks and purples and mauves.Hope this idea appeals.Lynzi from Australia

I have a cute use for old doilies. Take a large vase, fill it with popourie, and a 35 string of Christmas lights. A large rubber band around the neck will hold the light string. Take doilie and string around edge with small ribbon, and tighten to fit top of vase. Voila! When plugged in, the lights look nice, a great night light, and the lights warm the popourie, and it smells nice too! I like to leave a small amount of ribbon hanging down, along the height of the vase, it looks so cool.

You could make placemats or table runners from good sections of the quilts. you can frame doilies, and quilts. Here are a couple i've done.

Here is a link that might be useful: My stuff

I made 6 bears from one of my grandmothers old quilts,one for each grandchild. And this week I made cushions for my wicker out of an old quilt.{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}

I love both the Bear and the cushions. What great uses for cutter quilts.

Here is a link that might be useful: My stuff

Hi Kudzukween.
I really like your bear. Would you mind sharing what pattern you used to make him/her?
Thanks.
Cream

Such great ideas in this post. Love the litte bear and homemade wicker seat cushions, very nice!

Kristin, welcome to the forum. I hope you'll stay with us and do more posts. Please also post pics of your creations from the doilies and old quilts when you're done. We love pics on here.

Sal

I'm such a packrat,I don't throw anything away,so I must have the pattern somewhere,but I made those bears over 20 years ago,they still have little newspaper pirate hats(I took it off for the photo)I got the pattern out of a magazine,I do remember that. The quilt was a worn utility quilt made from feed sacks,quilted in a Baptist fan from the strings saved from the feedsacks. The cushions were made from a commercially made/sold quilt,like you see at Dollar General or Freds,and I bought it for a dollar,it was covered in ball point ink when I got it,cheap hairspray took the ink out.I sprayed it with Scotch Guard to kinda keep it clean. I got another store bought quilt in maroon and hunter,to make cushions for winter for Christmas,only paid 50 cents for it. I'll look for the bear pattern,but I may never find it! lol

I, too, have an old tattered quilt that I would like to make something out of. However, it is so tattered that there are only very small parts that have no holes showing the batting and in some cases the batting is coming through the holes. Would you personally use the parts with holes to make, for example, a bear? If you have used the parts with holes, I would very much appreciate seeing a picture of the item. Thank so much.

I recently saw, in one of the magazines/books that I read! a Doily garland- just wrap the edge of the doily along a piece of jute, or other string, wire, whatever. It was for a tea party/birthday party, but I thought it was nice enough to decorate a wall in a bedroom or something.
Haven't done it yet... :)

I made Christmas stockings for all my grandchildren (10) out of old quilts. Hang them from my bannister every Christmas tied to the garland with raffia. I get compliments every year.

There are so many great ideas here!
I just inherited some old doilies from my mother-in-law and once I have some more from scouring flea markets, I plan to sew them together to make a long table runner for my dining room table. Once I have the lay out I like, I'll either tack them to one another and let them look "scattered", or add them onto a lace backing. I've never done this before, but I'm hoping it will be as pretty as it is in my minds eye.
Good luck in choosing your project idea Kristen :)

FanciNani,

I'm happy you got something out of this thread. You do not want to take advantage of the public. You want something that means something to you!

I applaud that!

Suz

Have you checked pinterest?

Here is a link that might be useful: Doilies

.....and quilts......;o)

I put some of my mothers doiles in a round quilt frame and topped with a ribbon and flower to hang in the window. I painted the living room wall blue and used tiny nails to put the doilies on the wall to look like snow flackes, had a ton of comments on them....