Teodora Paintings: What have I done with my mom’s doilies?!

Handmade doily by Rozalia Galatean
Photo by Teodora Totorean

I come from a culture where in the old days women were supposed to learn a few crafts like cross stitching, macramé, knitting, weaving to create clothes for the family, blankets, carpets, cushion covers, duvet covers as well as decorative items for the home. As the years went by, more and more women started to have jobs and their chosen craft became more of a hobby. Many women passed it on to their daughters or practised it as a source of extra income.

In my family, my mum created macramé doilies all her life. She always found the time for her hobby, between a successful career in education and raising three children. She also set up workshops with other women who wanted to learn the craft of macramé.

Now retired with my father in a picturesque village in Romania, among gardening, reading and doing crosswords she still finds the time for macramé. Whenever I visit her, she always makes sure I leave with some doily samples in my luggage. After running out of space where to put them in my house, I started to contemplate the idea of incorporating them in my paintings as semi collages and mixed media art.

I have created art using fabric and other materials before, so using doilies is just another idea worth exploring. Instead of buying them from charity shops, I’d rather use my mum’s for that extra personal touch. Below you can see “the making of” process plus the finished paintings and yes, I do have my mum’s approval.