Heirlooms – Part 1 - Fibers
     In 1993 I had the pleasure of meeting my great Aunt Lil.   When I told her I designed crochet patterns, she told me about her sister Annie who crocheted beautiful doilies.  Three of Aunt Lil’s heirlooms were Annie’s doilies. They were beautifully done with tiny thread, roses and filet crochet.  Through my Aunt Lil and these precious family heirlooms I had finally found a “crochet connection”.  Aunt Lil entrusted me with two of the cherished doilies - I was honored. 
     Heirlooms are valued possessions passed down in families from generation to generation.  These family treasures are our connection to the past, linking generations in a profound, personal way by giving us a better perception of our family’s history.  Heirlooms can become extremely touching pieces of history.  Your challenge is to keep them safe and sound as they make the journey from one generation to the next.  A few extra steps taken now will insure that the next generation will also enjoy this wonderful link to the past.   
     You can become part of this historical connection by crocheting a treasure for family, friends and future generations to enjoy.   When creating a new piece, you have the opportunity to affect the preservation of your projects.  You can make them outlast a lifetime by choosing the right materials and using good cleaning and storage techniques.
Basic Knowledge of Fibers
     Textiles are particularly delicate. Inevitably the fibers in any textile will begin to fall apart. Nothing lasts forever, especially textiles. Original choice of materials, accidents that happen over time, how the piece was used, cleaned and stored influence the present and future condition of any textile heirloom. The best materials to use when creating an heirloom would be fibers or fabric of a single fiber type that have good preservation characteristics.  The typical fibers used for making heirloom textiles are cotton, silk, wool and linen.  It is important to know what type of fiber you are dealing with for proper cleaning techniques and for planning the creation of a new piece.  The care and cleaning techniques vary depending on the type of fibers. There are things you can do with cotton that you cannot do with wool.  When creating a new piece it is important to make sure you are not working with a blended fiber but 100% cotton, wool, silk or linen.

MaggiesCrochet.com Crochet Butterfly Doily Pattern

There are several gorgeous heirlooms to create at MaggiesCrochet.com.  The most popular heirloom doily on the entire site is the Butterfly Doily. This was an ancient doily pattern that was first worked in size 30 thread!  I spent hours reworking this design in size 10 thread.

Have a great week,
Maggie