5 Absolutely Clever Ways to Modernize Crochet Doilies

When you hear the phrase “crochet doilies” what immediately comes to mind? I know for me, it brought up images of mothballs, old grandma houses with these delicate lace things covering every surface, and dusty frilly things that I’d never EVER use in my home.

I never thought about crochet doilies as anything other than one-dimensional, and a bit outdated. But what if I told you there were some amazingly clever ways to upcycle these into modern touches to your home?

I didn’t believe it either.

But doing a quick search on the internet has shown me that there are some really cool ways to modernize these frilly lace crochet doilies that I had never thought of before. I’ve come to see that they are incredibly versatile and useful.

So here are a few ideas that you can use to touch up your home decor with a little bit of old-time whimsy. You can also check out this article on some other ways to decorate your home with crochet items.

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5 Absolutely Clever Ways to Modernize Crochet Doilies

1. Dream Catcher – Something I’d never thought about before, but using crochet doilies into dreamcatchers is genius! This beautiful dream catcher from Megmade With Love is simply stunning!

She has a great free pattern to make one of your own, that you definitely need to check out.

2. Craft Stencils- When back to school season hits, the kids are going to need to cover their books. Wouldn’t it be a cool idea to use a crochet doily as a stenciled pattern on their books?

You could use this for other great things like beautiful fabric prints, cards, wrapping paper or other stationery, the sky is the limit!

3.  Lamp Shade – You can use some old crochet doilies to spruce up your light fixtures around the house! If you’ve ever done paper mache projects, this process is very similar.

Use a balloon blown up to the size you’d like the lampshade to be, and cover it lightly in Vaseline.

Take the crochet doilies you’re using, and place around the balloon in whatever pattern you would like.

Use some Mod Podge diluted with a little water, and paint over the top of the doilies to secure them in place. This will also stiffen the fabric, but make sure the coating of Mod Podge is fairly heavy.

Leave it to dry overnight, then when the doilies have stiffened and dried, use a pin to pop the balloon inside.

Clean out the remnants of the popped balloon, and it’s ready to use as a lampshade!

4. Framed Artwork- A framed picture with a gorgeous lace doily in the middle would be a great modern touch to your home. Paste them onto a canvas, or framing them in a shadow box would be a great couple of ways to update these vintage pieces.

This beautiful piece from ColorGirlz over on Etsy is a perfect example, and so gorgeous!

5. Tea Light Candle Holders- Wouldn’t this be a great elegant touch to a wedding or formal table setting? Make these with a similar process to the lampshades, but use small bowls or containers instead of balloons.

Final Thoughts:

I know that sometimes crochet doilies aren’t seen as cool or modern. However, as you can see from this list they are an extremely beautiful versatile item. You can add them to your home in a lot of simple ways. It’s a great way to cross vintage with modern in a simple way.

Which one of these ideas was your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

P.S. Also, if you enjoyed this list, can you share it with the world? Pin it, or tag a friend on social media? Thank you so much, you’re awesome!