View source for Doily

{{Short description|Ornamental fabric or paper}}
[[Image:Wheat 2641t.jpg|thumb|Representation of ears of ripe wheat used as a table linen]]
[[File:ArmenianNeedlelace.jpg|thumb|Armenian Needlelace]]
[[File:Algae or seaweed specimen, pasted on colored construction paper, framed by paper lace doilies. The algae have been arranged into designs and scenes, 1848.jpg|thumbnail|Eliza A. Jordson, Brooklyn L.I. 1848. Algae or seaweed specimen, pasted on colored construction paper, framed by paper lace doilies. [[Brooklyn Museum]].]]
[[Image:Napperon.JPG|thumb|A crocheted doily in use]]
[[Image:Wakefield queen3.jpg|thumb|[[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]] holds a doily-wrapped posy.]]
[[Image:Macarons on a paper doily, October 2010.jpg|thumb|[[Macarons]] on a paper doily]]
A '''doily''' (also '''doiley''', '''doilie''', '''doyly''', or '''doyley''') is an ornamental mat, typically made of paper or fabric, and variously used for protecting surfaces or binding flowers, in food service presentation, or as a clothing ornamentation, as well as a [[head covering for Jewish women]] and [[Christian headcovering|Christian women]]. It is characterized by [[Cutwork|openwork]], which allows the surface of the underlying object to show through.
Doilies can be constructed in a variety of techniques, and the doily motif can also be represented in atypical non-textile formats.
== Etymology ==
Doiley was a 17th-century [[London]] [[draper]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doily |title=Doily |publisher=Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary |year=2009}}</ref> who made popular "a woolen stuff, 'at once cheap and genteel', introduced for summer wear in the latter part of the 17th c."<ref name="OED">{{cite web |title=Doily, adj. and n. |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=http://www.oed.com}}</ref><ref>{{OEtymD|doily}}</ref> At the time, it was used as an adjective, as in "doily stuffs" or "doily suit". Later, usage shifted to refer to "a small ornamental napkin used at dessert", known as a "doily-napkin".<ref name="OED" />
== Usage ==
=== Headcovering ===
The doily is worn as a [[head covering for Jewish women|headcovering for Jewish women]] as an alternative to the traditional ''tichel'' (headscarf).<ref name="Goldman2007">{{cite book |last1=Goldman |first1=Ari L. |title=Being Jewish: The Spiritual and Cultural Practice of Judaism Today |date=2 October 2007 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-4165-3602-4 |page=219 |language=en}}</ref>
The doily is used as a [[Christian head covering|headcovering]] by many Christian women who wear them in obedience to {{Bibleverse|1 Corinthians|11:1-13|RSV}}, especially by [[Conservative Anabaptism|Conservative Anabaptist Christian]] women, including certain [[Conservative Mennonite]] fellowships such as the [[Biblical Mennonite Alliance]].<ref name="Stevick2014">{{cite book |last1=Stevick |first1=Richard A. |title=Growing Up Amish: The Rumspringa Years |date=15 June 2014 |publisher=JHU Press |isbn=978-1-4214-1371-6 |page=319 |language=en}}</ref>
=== Furniture protection ===
In addition to their decorative function doilies have the practical role of protecting fine-wood furniture from the scratches caused by crockery or decorative objects such as nativity scenes, or from spilled tea when used on tea trays or with cups and saucers. When used to protect the backs and arms of chairs, they are serving as [[antimacassar]]s.
=== Flower arrangement ===
Doilies are traditionally used to bind the stems in [[Nosegay|posies]] (formal flower arrangements called tussie-mussies in the Victorian Era).<ref>{{cite journal |last=Felbinger |first=Elaine |title=Tussie Mussies |publisher=huntingtonbotanical.org/ |date=May–June 2005 |journal=SUBROSA: The Huntington Rose and Perennial Gardens Newsletter |issue=42 |access-date=26 January 2014 |url=http://huntingtonbotanical.org/Rose/Subrosa/42/tussiemussies.htm}}</ref>
=== Food service and etiquette ===
Doilies figure prominently in the custom of [[finger bowl]]s, once common in formal, [[Service a la russe|multi-course dinners]]. The linen doily (never paper) separates the dessert plate from the finger bowl. The custom requires that both doily and finger bowl are removed to the upper left of the place setting before briefly dipping fingertips into the water and drying them on the napkin. Failing to move both together is  considered a faux pas.
Disposable paper doilies "were designed as a cheaper but respectable alternative to crocheted linen doilies" and are commonly used to decorate plates, placed under the food for ornamentation.
=== Backlash to disrespect for doily craftswomen ===
In response to a museum's diminishment of the work and value of women's textiles, scholar Elena Kanagy-Loux defended the artistry, value, and skill of the makers of doilies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kanagy-Loux |first=Elena |date=2024-04-25 |title=My Grandma's Doilies Are Not a Joke |url=http://hyperallergic.com/906788/my-grandmas-doilies-are-not-a-joke/ |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=Hyperallergic |language=en-US}}</ref> Cultural doily work and motifs have been celebrated by contemporary artists, including public art pieces<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Continuous Thread |url=https://new.mta.info/agency/arts-design/collection/a-continuous-thread |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=MTA |language=en}}</ref> and shows. Collectors of doily textile art pieces find a wide range of styles and techniques are available.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Push-Pull of Doilies: Revered, Reviled, and Reconceived |url=https://pieceworkmagazine.com/push-pull-doily/ |access-date=2024-05-23 |website=PieceWork |language=en}}</ref>
== Techniques ==
They are [[crochet]]ed, [[tatting|tatted]] or [[knitting|knitted]] out of [[cotton]] or [[linen]] thread. Many patterns for crocheting or knitting doilies were published by thread manufacturers in the first part of the 20th century. The designers were often uncredited. The designs could be circular or oval starting from the center and working outward, reminiscent of the [[polar coordinates system]]. Doilies, as well as other household items, may be made by crocheting rows on a grid pattern using a technique called [[filet crochet]], similar to points on the [[cartesian coordinate system]].
Contemporary designers continue to make patterns for modern hand craft enthusiasts. Although it may to some extent interfere with the original use, some doilies involve [[embroidery]] or have raised designs (rose petals, popcorn, or ruffles) rather than being flat.
[[File:Starr Sb-center (7704416522).jpg|thumb|Italian-American doily representation in public art]]
==See also==
* [[Antimacassar]]
* [[Armenian needlelace]]
* [[Koniaków#Koniak.C3.B3w lace|Koniaków Lace]]
* [[Lace]]
* [[Medallion knitting]]
* [[Mountmellick embroidery]]
* [[Cutwork|Openwork]]
* [[Tenerife lace]]
* [[Placemat]]
==References==
{{commons category|Doilies}}
{{reflist}}
{{crochet}}
[[Category:Crochet]]
[[Category:Linens]]
[[Category:Serving and dining]]
[[Category:Embroidery]]
[[Category:Lace]]
[[Category:Domestic implements]]