Some St. Patrick's Day Fun with Vintage Hankies

A Little St. Patrick's Day Welcome!

Happy St. Patrick's Day - Hanky Hearts from the Hanky Dress Lady

I love to make Hanky Hearts almost as much as Hanky Dresses. These two were actually made for a client of mine. The photos show both the front and back sides of each with shamrocks on one side and buttons on the other side. (click to get a closeup view)  Both of these were made from just one handkerchief. You can use Hanky Hearts as door decorations, on a cabinet nob or almost anywhere you like. I slipped  one through the hanging loop of the other here to create a chain effect.

St. Patrick's Day Puzzle Handkerchief

This St. Patrick's Day hanky belongs to the same client...and what a lucky Irish lady she is! At first glance one might think it just a rather odd and old damaged hanky. Not so - this is a rare St. Patrick's Day Puzzle Handkerchief. I have a collection of Valentine Puzzle Hankies, but this is the first St. Patrick's Day Puzzle Hanky I have ever seen. When folded properly the lovely Irish shamrock design is revealed. It may be damaged but I think it is still a treasure.

Create a Hanky Bouquet for St. Patrick's Day

I don't have an ounce of Irish blood in me - but I do love the color green! You can create a hanky bouquet with all sorts of containers. Look around and see what you might have to work with and give it a go. You'll want to starch and iron those hankies to give them a little stiffness so the points will stand up and not flop over. Check out the close-ups below and let me know which is your favorite.

One Duck - Four Easter Hanky Bouquets

Looking for last minute Easter decorations? Well I am. Here is how I am going to spruce up my bathroom a little for my Easter guests.

I have this sweet vintage duck vase which just happens to be the exact same age I am. I know this because I found it many years ago at a yard sale and the man that sold it to me said it was given to his mother as a gift by a friend when he was born....and he told me when that was....however, I am not going to tell you, hee! hee! hee!, that's my secret.

So which hanky do you think I should use in my little duck for Easter? 

Duck #1 has a lovely purple and yellow hanky.

Duck #2 has a vivid spring flowers hanky.

Duck #3 has a hanky with more pastel colored spring flowers.

Duck #4 is all yellow and so adorable!

The duck hanky bouquet is actually setting in front of a house plant in my bathroom...he just looked pretty there. So which one do you like best? Please leave a comment below and let me know. 

Wishing you all a blessed Easter with your family and friends.

Which is Your Favorite St. Patrick's Day Hanky Dress?

I've put together a collection of some of my green Hanky Dresses for St. Patrick's Day. I have described each one's special features here. Remember to click on the photo so you can get a closer look at the details described. Once you're done looking; please hop on over to my Facebook Page and vote for your favorite.

The Hanky Dress Lady on Facebook

This first Hanky Dress was made from a lovely green linen hanky with a hand crocheted edging. The button at the waist is actually a four-leaf clover with a rhinestone center.

This second dress is the perfect contrasting companion to the first dress. It is made from a white linen hanky with a lovely green and white crocheted edge. The sweet little green buttons are a classic vintage style.

This vintage hanky was a rare find and I just love the Celtic look this Hanky Dress has. I think it could also be interpreted as Art Deco.

This Hanky Dress is simple yet very special. The design is created with white French knots worked on a green linen hanky. The button is a lovely carved mother of pearl.

This Hanky Dress is a bright kelly green cotton with a white floral design which is machine overstitched. The buttons are small vintage imitation pearl; and, I added some tiny vintage rick rack at the waist.

One of my oldest and personal favorites is this sweet little Hanky Dress. It is smaller than the others at only nine inches. The apron was created from a damaged Irish linen hanky. What makes it so special are the four-leaf clovers incorporated into the design of the lace.

Decorating for Valentine's Day with Vintage Hankies

Here are few more quick and easy Valentine's Day decorating ideas using vintage hankies! I don't know any handkerchief collector who doesn't adore Valentine hankies. I want to share with you a few ways that you can show off your collection.

Use your hankies as decorative shelf edging. As you can see, I also enjoy collecting jadite and dog figurines. My dogs are all interspersed amongst my favorite dishes. They stand silently and faithfully guarding my treasures. Cats would be just as sweet - if you are a cat person.

So much for the dining room. Now, let's move on into the bathroom. You've probably seen my hanky bouquets before, but you have never seen this! Yup, I've been holding out on you...

The Hanky Dress Lady even decorates her TP with vintage hankies!!!

Valentine Hanky Dresses for Shelley

What fun I had making Valentine Hanky Dresses for Shelley. Pictured below is the fabulous collection of Valentine's Day hankies she sent for me to use. Need I say I was in heaven when these lovelies arrived in the mail!

The red dress above is very special and I think it is probably my favorite. (I say, "think" because it is so hard for me to decide...I really like them all.) It was made from an older and more delicate hanky than the others. The border is actually a sheer transparent fabric. I chose pretty carved mother of pearl buttons to embellish this sweet Valentine dress.

Below you can see the completed Hanky Dresses. Can you match up the hankies with the finished dresses? Which one is your favorite? See how hard it is to decide!

She also asked me to make some dresses from the pattern I sell. If you click on the photo and zoom in you can see the imitation rhinestone embellishments used. I didn't have enough valentine hankies for four dresses. So, I improvised and used pretty little white hankies for the skirts and added the Valentine aprons for more color. I managed to make all of the aprons from one Valentine hanky.

I have made dresses for Shelley before, and it is always a pleasure. She uses them for party decor and gifts; and has kept several for herself to frame and hopefully share with grand daughters one day.

This is one of the hankies Shelley sent to me. When I told her that it was a puzzle hanky and also that I collect these, she gave it to me for my collection. I simply love it and every time I see it I remember Shelley and smile! 

Click this link to learn more:    Valentine Puzzle Hankies

Easy Valentine Hanky Dress Display Idea

This is a quick and easy way to show off those Hanky Dresses you've been making.
I thought of this when I was taking my Christmas decorations down. This is just a shabby white frame with red satin ribbon strung from side to side around small nails hammered into the back of the frame. I made it to display my Christmas cards. You can attach it to the wall using removable adhesive Command wall hooks. Patterns can be purchased from my Etsy Shop.

Super Bowl 50 Bronco Hanky Dresses For Sale

I like to say there is a Hanky Dress for every season and a Hanky Dress for every reason.

Living in Colorado I am, most heartedly, a Broncos fan and I made these two Hanky Dresses specifically for that reason!

Now, you may be asking, “What on earth is a Hanky Dress.” Well, I am going to tell you what on earth a Hanky Dress is. It is a piece of art created from grandma’s treasured vintage hanky. I take grandma’s hankies and fold them into the shape of a dress in various styles. Then I carefully stitch and embellish each one and hang it on a little handmade hanger that I coerce my husband to make for me. Each hanger must be made to fit each dress and must meet my rigorous standards. From time to time I find it necessary to reject a hanger. And, I can tell you when that happens, it does not make for a happy home around here.

I’ve done this with wedding hankies, Christmas hankies, Valentine hankies, fancy hankies…polka-dotted, plaid, and plain hankies. The fact is, these hankies have memories attached to them. Some were so precious they were never used. They had been tucked away in a drawer for safe keeping, while others were faded and worn. Some had even been passed down from generation to generation. They were childhood hankies and lover’s hankies. Many might be considered quite ordinary and every day, but they all had one thing in common. They reminded my customers of someone they loved.

Super Bowl 50 will happen only once. This is my way of commemorating the event. I have used two vintage 1950’s Burmel linen hankies with hand rolled white hems to create these very special Hanky Dresses. They are embellished with vintage rickrack and buttons from the same era and measure approximately 11-12 inches shoulder to hem. These hankies are most likely of the never used variety that I spoke of earlier. I can tell because the colors are vividly bright and the linen is nice and crisp.

Surely, there is some philanthropic millionaire out there who would like to own these and give my little Hanky Dress business a boost. Available online through my Hanky Dresses Etsy Shop. If you happen to live in Denver, they can be viewed in person at Frame It located at Broadway and Ridge Road in Littleton.

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Super Bowl 50 Bronco Hanky Dresses - The Hanky Dress Lady 

Birds and Beans

Good Morning All - Today I want to talk about birds and beans! I have been working for quite some time to catch the two finch photos above. I've discovered that finches are quite flighty feathered friends. These pictures were taken at different times but in the same general area. They are enjoying themselves eating my catnip seeds.

While I am on the subject of birds I thought I would show you a couple of items I currently have available in my online vintage shop. The first is a cross stitched bluebird which I have been able to date back to the 1940's by the flat head screws in the wooden frame. This charming cross stitched bluebird was obviously made with much love. Most likely stitched by Mom and framed by Dad.

And then I have this cheerful yellow pottery pitcher set. It has this wonderful parrot motif on the one side and a pretty flower motif on the other side. It would look so spectacular in a cottage kitchen...and you could use it for a large bouquet of flowers as well.

Now - let's talk about those beans. Aren't they pretty? They caught my eye in the garden early this morning as the sun showcased their speckled rosey color. Oh wow! I just went and found the seed packet and it turns out that they are called Speckled Cranberry - what a coincidence. They are an heirloom variety that I purchased from the Seed Savers Exchange a few years back. Here is what the back of the packet says: Brought to America from England around 1825. Triple purpose bean. Can be used as a snap bean at around 60 days, green shell bean at around 80 days, or as a dry bean if grown to full maturity. Produces heavy crops of stringless 7-9" pods until the first frost. Pole habit, dry, 60-90 days. I mostly use them for winter dry beans.

Living Vintage Hanky Dress Giveaway

Kim at Living Vintage and I are hosting a Hanky Dress giveaway. This is the lovely vintage hanky that Kim graciously provided. It is such a sweet classic! A precious pink floral cotton hanky!

This is the Hanky Dress that I made from it.

And, this is how you can enter to win it.  Just go to Kim's blog LivingVintageCo to find the complete story about how this all came about and leave a comment. For extra chances to win you may leave a comment on this post or visit my Facebook Page and leave a comment in the post about the giveaway there. The winner will be chosen randomly from all comments received. Giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only and runs until 9:00 pm on Monday, July 27, 2015.  Good Luck!

These are Kim's Hanky Dresses hanging in her spectacular laundry room. Go have a look see. You'll find some great decorating ideas!

Several of my customers have also used Hanky Dresses to decorate their laundry rooms. 

Some have put them in open Shabby Chic frames on the wall while others have just lined them up on a string to create a sweet grouping. My friend just has two hanging from tiny nails on the wall above her folding drying rack. 

Feeling Patriotic

I've been stitching together some red, white and blue stars and stripes. The top picture shows the front and back sides of three lumbar pillows with removable covers; and the bottom picture is a portion of one of four patriotic banners I've created. Each pennant is 16" long and 13.5" wide at the top. The banners are six feet long, sturdy and hand washable. Each pennant is composed of two pieces of machine sewn white cotton with fusible fabric embellishments and red hand stitching on the edges. Items are available for purchase from my Etsy shop where you'll find more information and pictures.

A Tour of the May Curtice St. Market

These are a few of the items that caught my eye at the Curtice Street Market yesterday. Cathy and Carolyn were minding the shop. That's Cathy behind the desk. As usual, Anita had some magical upcycled pieces.

The flowers in the garden were at their best.   And, I found some really fun garden stuff created by Jennifer. That's her clever patio bar - complete with rake wine rack and built-in ice bucket.

The Curtice Street Market is an occasional shop comprised of a group of vintage vendors and local artists.

Click Here to Visit their Blog

Hanky Dress Featured on House of Hawthornes

I  was surprised to find one of my dresses featured on Pam's House of Hawthornes blog yesterday along with some other nice ideas for vintage handkerchiefs. 

Click to see full story.

House of Hawthornes on Facebook

Details about this Hanky Dress here.