doily

On a lace vintage doily, Simpson embroidered the Japanese proverb “Fall seven times, stand up eight,” a fitting metaphor for her metamorphosis as an artist.

And seven petticoats beneath, so she seemed to skim just above the pile of the carpet, like a floating doily.

Rachel Scott, 40, the New York-based designer behind the women’s wear line Diotima, was also inspired by the lace doilies she saw growing up.

She filled the place with antiques and doilies and Victorian-era wedding photos — some of which she bought on EBay — with unsmiling brides and grooms.

The three Witchlings and the two older witches settled into cushiony floral chairs around a table covered with an old-fashioned doily tablecloth.