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Monday, November 12, 2012

Dishes and Doilies

My table this week features a wonderful birthday gift from my dear friend Michele, who blogs at Adventures in Thrifting.  Besides being thrifty, she is crafty!  I first "met" Michele online in the 1990s, and we finally met in person a few years after that.  She is my most faithful e-mail correspondent, and we usually exchange two notes per day.  For my birthday last month, she sent me a table runner she'd made from doilies she had collected throughout the year, then sewn together.  It looks great on the dark wood of my dining room table.  She managed to get it the right length by cleverly e-mailing my daughter when she knew she was visiting and asked her to measure my table.  Here's how it looks on my table between tablescapes:
I wanted to set a special table to show it off, so I chose my late mother-in-law's Wedgwood Potpourri pattern.  Its creamy background color is a good match for the doilies.
The scalloped edges of the Potpourri plate echo the shape of the two round doilies in the runner.  I love the cream soup bowls -- and the little flowers inside the rim.  I used navy linen placemats, turned vertically and draped over the edge of the table, and flax-colored napkins, my silver, and blue stemware.  Deep pink alstroemeria blossoms in bud vase napkin rings dress up the placesetting a bit.
Here's the large central doily.  I love this unusual design.
More alstroemeria in a simple pitcher add a little more color.  My mother-in-law had many pieces in this pattern, including the vegetable bowls and salt and pepper shakers pictured here.
Here's an across-the-table view.
And here's a view of the whole table, set for six.
Over on the sideboard, demitasse cups await.
I love these dainty cups -- so sweet, with a little flower inside.
Thanks, Michele, for inspiring another tablescape with your lovely birthday gift!  And thanks, everyone, for visiting my table this week.  I will be linking to Let's Dish at Cuisine Kathleen and Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch, so don't miss all the other tables available there!

21 comments:

  1. Michele is very clever! The doilies are beautiful and make a unique runner. I like the mix of shapes. The contrast of the white on the beautiful wood is lovely.

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  2. That's a great table runner. I love the Wedgewood pattern, and thos little tea cups are so charming! I love the blue footed glass too. You have set such a nice looking table. Joni

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  3. Beautiful! Love the table runner and how it's draped over the end place-mats. Beautiful dishes!

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  4. Hi, sweet Tricia!!! First let me say that the dishes and other decor on your table is perfect for the room! The colors just meld beautifully! I'm really happy to hear that you have made friends with another blogger that goes above and beyond the week-to-week exchange of niceties. I think blogging is an excellent opportunity to make true friends because we share common ground right from the start. I enjoy chit chatting with other bloggers who share my interests, and I have learned an awful lot from a great many in the 2+ years I've been blogging. It's great to see that a true friendship blossomed! I'm sure there are many that have over the years between others, and that just warms my heart. Hooray for you and Michele! Have a great week!

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  5. Those dishes are beautiful! I love the blues!!

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  6. What a thoughtful and pretty gift! You let it show off nicely and your MIL's dishes are beautiful! Lucky you to inherit them. The blue stemware is so pretty too! It's wonderful that you've made a friend through the internet that you were actually able to meet and get to know! I have a few friends like this now, but we all live at least 800 miles or more from each other!
    Perhaps someday I'll meeet them too!

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  7. Lucky for you to have those beautiful dishes. I too love the sweet flowers. You have a real treasure in both the friend and the tablerunner.. it looks fabulous on your table. Your stemware is absolutely perfect with the dishes. I love your table! xo marlis

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  8. I love the creative use of doilies as a runner. I have seen a lot of that done, with whole tables filled with cream and white and taupe ones. Alas, I have none! Nobody in my family had that talent. The Dishes are gorgeous and the stemware is such a lovely color. Have a wonderful week!

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  9. Your doilie table runner looks wonderful against your dark wood~ what a thoughtful gift! It's beautiful paired with your MIL's china too. I love those sweet cups with the blossom inside!

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  10. Your friend is so thoughtful sending you the beautiful table runner she made, and your mother-in-law's china looks so pretty with it. Belated Happy Birthday wishes...hope it was the best ever!

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  11. Your table is so rich and warm! I love the idea of the crochet pieces, and the colors in the china are perfect with your walls and table linens. Better guard those napkins rings! You never know... I still think they are the best.

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  12. What a wonderful way to use doilies! I have a boxful left from my mother and have never known what to do with them. You've solved that and I can't wait to freshen them up and stitch them together.

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  13. Very nice, Tricia. How lovely! Pretty dishes and doilies and the demitasse cups are very cute...Christine

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  14. Your runner is so pretty and unique...beautiful table, Tricia. I really like that china pattern.

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  15. What a charming, beautiful table! Love the Wedgwood dinnerware. Clever use of doilies. You've pulled it all together beautifully.

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  16. Thanks for stopping by. Always nice to meet new bloggers. I so enjoyed your blogs and got peek of your home and beutiful family. Love the dishes and the doily runner.that was sweet of her to give you an heirloom. Someone spent many hours making them. Happy thanksgiving.

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  17. How pretty your heirloom doilies are! Love your pretty china....everything is quite lovely on your pretty table.

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  18. My goodness this is a lovely tablescape with the special dollie runner! Your friend gave you the perfect gift for your table and was so clever to make it the right length! I like how the Wedgwood china with the blue placemats accents your pretty runner. I know you will enjoy this gift for many years as you do the friendship! Hope your Thanksgiving is wonderful!

    Pam

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  19. Ah, the blessing of family treasures. The Wedgwood is so beautiful: I know that your mil smiles each time that you use it. Everything works so well in your gorgeous burgundy walled dining room. Thanks for inviting us for a peak. Happy
    Thanksgiving! Cherry Kay

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  20. So pretty, Tricia. How clever to sew the doilies together to make a runner. The Wedgwood china looks beautiful with the runner. I always love a cup that has a little bit of the floral on the inside too. laurie

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  21. That looks so pretty! Love the doilies as a runner.
    I hope you have a wonderful Tgiving and thanks for linking to Let's Dish!

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