Dolly Varden has universal appeal!

I wonder how many of you know what I mean by Dolly Varden? Most of the ahem - "older" ladies would know! There was a lively discussion on the Collectables Message board of eBay.com.au recently on the subject. Somebody asked if anyone else had ever heard of crinoline ladies being called Dolly Varden, and there were around 50 replies after a week or so. Some people hadn't heard the term at all, and others asked their Mums and Grandmums about it, and came back with some details. One person claimed that the difference between a Dolly Varden and a Crinoline Lady was that you never see the face on a D.V. design...that one had me tossed! Today I visited an elderly friend - a Japanese lady who I visit once a month. She used to do tapestry when she was younger and has some beautiful works on her walls. I often take some of my stitching to show her, and last month one of them happened to be something with the crinoline lady. She expressed great interest in it and when I said I had quite a collection of them (understatement of the year), she indicated she would love to see them. So I took along half a dozen aprons and about 20 doilies. She was really delighted, and spent a long time over each item, examining the stitching and commenting on the colours. You wouldn't think those designs would hold much appeal for someone from an Asian background, but again, I love many kinds of Asian art and craft work, so I guess it is the same principle.