Doilies!!

A little break from quilting.

I find it odd that I resist the final step of a project, especially when that step is starching and blocking.  I guess in my mind it's a messy, complicated process.

In reality, it's only as complicated as you want to make it.  The results from a Google search for "starching recipe for crochet" shows a variety of solutions. Recipe ingredients range from sugar & water to a cornstarch solution to glue & water to using spray starch and more!

I've tried the sugar solution and the glue solution, both are great for very stiff starching. Perfect for snowflakes and star ornaments.

But I wanted these doilies to have a little drape and I wanted simple so I used a 1/5 solution of liquid laundry starch and water.

Next, I grabbed a foam core board, as many pins I could find, and a 12" dinner plate to draw a circle.  Just so you know, if you're ever blocking, you'll want to use steel pins. They don't rust like nickle plated pins. I was in a hurry and willing to take the chance using my applique pins. (No damage to my pins that I can see but I may have to use a sand pincushion next time I applique.)

I wish I had taken some before pictures. The transformation is incredible.  .. I'll tell you, there's ALWAYS a point in every project that I have doubt and I'm tempted to set it aside and start something new (perhaps something better)... Before this final step, i wouldn't even have given the square doily to Goodwill! I'm so grateful that I didn't give up. The blocking helped fix the issues I was having with the square doily.  By the time I placed the last pin I finally felt I created something beautiful!  And I was proud to wrapped them up to be gifted to a quilting friend. 💓