Hanky Curtains

I picked up this premier issue of Vintage Style magazine the other day. The picture on the cover caught my eye. Curtains made out of an old sheet and some vintage hankies. I thought this would be a great use of some of my collection of vintage hankies. And I needed some new curtains for my kitchen. Even though I have a huge collection of hankies I always feel bad about cutting them up. This project was perfect because you don't cut the hankies but just apply them whole onto the background fabric. Instead of using a sheet I used part of a damask tablecloth I picked up a the auction. My tablecloth was not in perfect condition it had a few worn spots. So I didn't feel bad about using it for my curtains. The tablecloth has that pretty fagoting edge that I used as the bottom edge of my curtain. Notice the one round hanky. That is the only round hanky I have so I thought it added a cute surprise to my curtain.

Damask Jacket

Several weeks ago I picked up this vintage damask tablecloth at my local Goodwill Store. I only paid $2.00 for it. It was in pretty good condition with only two tiny holes that were easy to avoid when cutting out my pattern.

The pattern I used is the Damask Jacket from Barb Originals. I bought this pattern several years ago at the Sewing Expo. For some reason I have never sewed it up before. It is a loose fitting swing jacket. As the name suggest it was designed to be made using a Damask Tablecloth. You can use any fabric that has a nice flow to it. Barb also sold some very lovely linen in her booth at the Expo. My tablecloth had a nice drape to it but I didn't want a white jacket. So I tried my first dying project. I followed the directions on the package of Rit Dye and dyed the fabric in my front loading High Efficiency Washing machine. I think it turned out great. The petal pink color shows off the damask pattern better too. It was quite a large tablecloth so I have some leftover. Not sure what I will use it for there is not enough for another jacket. This was a very easy pattern to sew.

Since I was using a vintage tablecloth for my fabric I thought this was a perfect place to use a few of my vintage hankies too. I used two of them, one was added to the peplum at the back and the other at the collar and cuffs. I had a tiny piece of hankie left over from my hankie tops. I decided to make it into a flower pin to add to the lapel. that added just the right finishing touch.

The buttons I used are some vintage buttons someone gave me. I really wanted to use three different large vintage buttons. I had in mind some gold toned buttons with pearly centers. But I could only find one that I liked in my stash. So these gold dome buttons are temporary until I find some better ones. I wanted to wear this jacket to work tomorrow so these buttons are OK for now. It is really hot around here right now but I go from hot to cold with the air conditioning. This is a very lightweight jacket and it will brighten my day. I just have to decide what to wear with it. I love my pretty pink jacket.

















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Handkerchief Tops

I have acquired quite a collection of vintage hankies. Some belonged to family members a few I picked up at antique shops and several I purchased from online auctions at Shop Goodwill . I love looking at my hankie collection and dreaming up ideas to use them. However I have a very hard time actually cutting into one of my vintage hankies. In fact many of my hankies are still folded in their original form and I can hardly bring myself to unfold them. They have been folded in that shape for many years so it is quite easy to refold them. They are so pretty and unique they should be shown off and used for something pretty.

I picked up a copy of Hankie Style by Amy Barickman for Indygo Junction. This book has several apparel and accessory projects all using hanker chiefs. Some use hankie fabric and new and vintage hankies. I do have several new hankies in my collection too. I thought I would be able to cut into the new ones more easily, but they came in such a cute package and were folded so cleverly that I didn't want to disturb them either. I decided to take the plunge and use a few of my hankies to actually make something.

My book has two full size garment patterns included, a cardigan and a tunic. The cap sleeved tunic looked like the perfect project to try first. It only used one hankie and I needed some light weight tops to wear to work. I had recently purchased this sweet Swiss dot fabric at Hancock Fabrics . It is very lightweight and has a nice vintage look. I went through my hankies to find the right ones to match my pink dot fabric and the pretty pink floral dot fabric.

The Cap Sleeved Tunic was very easy to put together. It only took me about an hour and a half to cut and sew my first top. For the first one I used the pink floral with a rose windowpane hankie. I picked this one first because the hankie had a small hole in one side so I didn't feel so bad about cutting it up. I like the finished top except the neckline is slightly to big in the front. I fixed it by stretching a piece of elastic at the very edge of the neck. This gathered it up slightly causing it to fit more closely to my neck. The next top I altered the pattern to make the neck smaller before cutting the fabric. The second top made with the pink dot fabric fit much better. The hankie I picked out for this top had a large bouquet in one corner and I wanted to highlight that feature. I turned the hankie on the bias and let the point float freely beyond the seam. I like the way this one turned out and I wore it to work today. I will probably make more of these tops because they are so quick and easy and really could be made without a hankie. Next project from this book perhaps a scarf or a T-shirt embellishment.


I joined these link parties!! My Repurposed Life and Amy Lou Who Sew-N-Tell.
Sunday Showcase at Under The Table Dreaming.