Vintage Hankies…

This bag of vintage handkerchief’s I have been collecting for about 10 years now and some are from my late Grandmother, some from Mic’s late Grandmother, some from antique stores and markets etc…basically when I seen some, I bought them. Now the plan originally was to make a quilt out of these vintage hankies for our bed and something to pass on to our boys and their families. Well, the main criteria for these hankies was that they had to be white and preferably have white embroidery on them, but beggars can’t be choosers and some I have found are coloured etc, but most of them are white.
They have been tucked away in my fabric closet for some time and I found them again recently and thought it was silly to not do something with them, so…..
I thought I would make some cushion covers for our sofa and still have some of this wonderful herringbone wool left from Christmas time and the white looks so fresh with this grey…great for our cooler weather at present.
I thought I would use this one which has an N embroidered on it first, only problem being, they are so thin I had to back it with some white linen to give it strength first.
The detailing is just beautiful!

I also had to sew right near the edge so I wouldn’t loose the pattern on the very end of the hankie.
This is the finished product.
I am so happy with how it turned out as I had no creative inspiration this weekend. I am extremely sore from a hard workout on Saturday and we have just been spending time with the boys and each other which has been lovely. I did start some panels for the folding screen I mentioned a while back, but as I said before, I am just not inspired at the moment.
So this is about it at the moment. I like it though and it is nice to see our families linens being shown.
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.
Ness xx

Comments

comments

Comments (39)

  • Oh Ness it is beautiful, I love it! I am now going to be checking out all of the linen when I go thrifting to see what I can find! xx

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  • Hi Ness. It looks lovely. Don’t forget you can always try bleaching any non-white hankies etc. you may have to make up your quilt. I find applying straight bleach directly to any coloured sections works best. Enjoy your little break from ‘being inspired’. Sometimes busy brains need a little rest to rejuvenate!
    Kristine
    xxx

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  • Miss Ness I LOVE IT!! But you could probably have guessed that:) You have done a beautiful job on the cushion and the tweed looks fabulous with the white linen. So happy to hear you have just been spending time with the boys. I know your inspiration will return, just relax and enjoy my sweet friend. Take care ~ Tina x

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  • Gorgeous! Now I know what to do with all my Grandmother’s hankies. A quilt is exactly the right thing. Thank you for the idea. Lovely post as usual.

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  • What a lovely way to display and use gorgeous old hankies.

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  • This pillow is just lovely! The stark whiteness of the hankie is set off wonderfully by the stormy gray border. What a great way to reuse a bit of vintage treasure!

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  • Dear Ness, the cushion is just gorgeous! You did an amazing job! Relax, have good times and your inspiration will come back, I’m sure! Sometimes thinking of nothing results to be much more productive then to much thinking!!!
    Mara

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  • I love the combination of the delicate white hankie with the beautiful grey wool fabric! So pretty!

    Kat 🙂

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  • Ooh I love how it turned out! I have been collecting hankies for years and never knew what to do with them. This is a great idea!

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  • These are lovely, I used to collect vintage hankies 🙂 I hope you had a great Easter, if you have a moment, please come join my giveaway!

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  • It’s beautiful Ness! I have a few of my grandmother’s old hankies and you’ve inspired me to do something similar with them.
    Happy Monday to you.

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  • Thankyou for sharing this idea. I have a hanky of my nannas just like yours. I get it out from time to time , when I am missing her. I am going to try to make a cushion cover like this so I will see it everyday. You may not feel inspired right now but you have certainly inspired me.
    Karyn x

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  • This is a really neat way to display your family linens. I have a few hankies that were my grandmothers and never have known what to do with them. I have been thinking about making a shadow box of some of her other girly things with the hankies, but this is another idea I could possibly use. Thanks!

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  • What a great idea. I liked it very much.
    Greetings Trudy

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  • I think they are fabulous!

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  • Beautiful !!!!
    I actually still use vintage hankies for their intended purpose -love the vintage to today’s version since they were made of natural fibers vs. polyester blend of today.

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  • Beautiful !!!!
    I actually still use vintage hankies for their intended purpose -love the vintage to today’s version since they were made of natural fibers vs. polyester blend of today.

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  • what a wonderfull idea!!!! Thats a great way to make history for yourself! I collect pieces of clothing from my girls, with the idea to make a kind of patchworkblanket for when they leave the house for example, ONDE DAY!!!;)…I have time…..:D

    Greeting
    Lynda

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  • Your pillow is beautiful. I love the white mixed with the tweed!

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  • Hey, white pillow with embroidery is beautiful. Have a nice week. Iva

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  • That is so clever. What a lovely way to enjoy something sentimental every day.

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  • It turned out beautiful. What a special way to honor your grandmother.

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  • It is quite normal that you do not constantly have new ideas. A creative break. Take it easy and enjoy the time 😉

    The monograme is wonderful! There’s a lot of time in there…

    Greetings and beso

    VINTAGE

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  • Am really impressed, very classic; what a wonderful way to use the hankies. The cushiosn are beautiful. So clever. Love it! x

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  • Ness,
    That pillow is gorgeous! I love how your have the band of darker fabric going around. It’s really pretty and what a great use for vintage hankies!

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  • incantevole creazioni!!
    Adoro passare a trovarti…grazie!!
    A prestiss, Anna.

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  • I have collected hankies for years. I started with the initials of the girls in my extended family to someday have them carry it at their weddings. When I was in school a friend decorated behind her bed with about five hankies (with lots of lace) backed and pinned into navy velvet and then framed individually. They were an outstanding focal point. I have meant to copy her idea but never followed up on it.

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  • I am always looking for ideas for hankies. I wish I was creative enough to try a pillow, but I may try to frame some instead of having them tucked away. Your pillow turned out very pretty.

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  • Ness what a great way to use the vintage hankies. Looks fabulous. Sounds like your family has been having some fun times together.
    Alison

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  • No words to describe, Ness! Goregeous, beautiful, priceless…
    I have some back home, so next time I’ll go visit my family I’ll bring them back with me.
    Lovely Ness!
    SO glad you had a good time off with the family.
    Xoxo, Li

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  • Great Idea! This looks SO beautiful and a perfect way to get a modern look with Vintage! Love it!! Best, Connie

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  • Lovely pillows. I have so many hankies that were my nannies. I love them; so pretty and dainty.

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  • Hi Ness,

    Your cushion looks great. Love the grey with the white and I love anything monogrammed. It’s so timeless. I think you are meant to take a break. I agree with the above, the creative will come when it is ready. I have enjoyed the last few days with hubby and family, and it is so nice. He’s gone to work today and I miss him. Anyway, hope you are having a great day, I have been doing some cleaning here, as it was sons birthday yesterday and have been busy changing things around. Will call in again later.
    Take care
    Janine
    XXOO
    N.W. Coast

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  • What a beautiful result, you must be thrilled with how your cushion turned out. What a wonderful way to treasure such a special item. Thankyou for sharing it.
    donna xx

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  • Ness, your such an inspiration to me. I would love to learn to create like you do..you should teach! lol..Fantastic pillow, gorgeous work! ~lulu

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  • Beautiful. Great inspiration.
    Happy me.

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  • What an amazing idea and it turned out lovely. Hope you had a lovely break over Easter.
    Take care
    Danielle x

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  • This is simply a lovely idea! I have MANY vintage hankies in my collection…I also started with my Nana’s! If only I had your sewing talents!
    🙂

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  • I love it.
    Thanks for the inspiration!
    xx Amy

    Reply

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