M is for Marti

"M" is for Marti!  Do you remember Nancy? Well, Marti is a friend of Nancy's. She saw Nancy's dress and was reminded of a bunch of family hankies she had. This wonderful lady decided to give me all of those amazing hankies and all she wanted was a dress to keep for herself. In this bunch of hankies I found a small one monogrammed with an "M" and a lovely green tatted edged hanky. We decided the one with the "M" must have been one of her childhood hankies. I combined the two to create her a one of a kind Hanky Dress. BTW her favorite color is green!

I decided a dress was not enough for this generous lady...so I made her a Hanky Heart too.

Close-up of the front and back of Marti's green and white Hanky Heart

Close-up of Marti's Hanky Dress

Pat's Pretties - Hanky Dresses and Hearts

Here is Pat with her newly framed Heirloom Hanky Dresses. The top two dresses were created from vintage family hankies and the bottom two are were created from a new hanky and a very special handmade antique hanky. This display is representative of four generations of women in her family.

These Hanky Hearts were created from bits and pieces of her damaged hankies. Don't you just love the subtle grey of this beautiful shadow box with its gentle gold tones accenting the frame. It's just lovely how the framer floated the ribbons in mid air above the hearts. The grey perfectly accents the detail of the Madeira handkerchief used in the hearts. 

The framing on both was done by the Colorado Frame Company located in downtown old Littleton.

These three very special white hankies were done in my baby baptismal gown style. One of which you will notice was included in the framed grouping above. Each one is adorned with antique mother of pearl buttons and two have silk ribbon bows. I've been making this style for years; however, I think this may be the first time I have published a picture of this style online. Please zoom in on the picture so you can see the beautifully intricate hand work in each of these hankies. The one on the left has a tatted edge, the middle one is pulled thread and needlework, and the one on the right, I believe is punchwork.

For Terri and Her Sisters

My journey with Terri began before Christmas of last year when she contacted me through my my Etsy Shop asking if I could make some dresses from her grandmother’s hankies. And like a blast from the past there was Terri in my inbox again today. I was thrilled because we had had so many fun conversations along the way …. I recall something about morphing Minnesota rabbits, a sister named Patti that was not born on March 17 and one named Kathy that was born on March 17, pink fairy dresses and memories of snow.

Don’t ask – we won’t tell.

The Hanky Dresses and Hanky Hearts you see here were shared with her sisters. In addition she purchased an additional St. Patrick’s Day Hanky Dress as a birthday gift for her sister who was born on March 17. Terri was so lucky to have bought that one when she did because the very next day its views skyrocketed to over 900 views (not sure why, but it may have been featured on the Etsy Home page). 

Anyway – long story short – she wanted to leave feedback on Etsy and that reminded me that I had intended to share her dresses with you all on my blog. Following is what she said when she originally received her Hanky Dresses.

Dear Muriel…love, love, love my little fairy dress! Kathy loves her pink one and Patti is thrilled with the surprise hearts and her pretty dress! Patti got her package yesterday and I got mine today. I was so excited! Once again, your beautiful handiwork is superior! So enjoyed our chats and will miss you! I will be sure and send business your way, if I can! Love, love, love you for bringing our memories to life in a way we can display proudly and see daily! – Terri

Little pink pixie dress and the hankie it was made from.

This was a very old and fragile hanky with storage damage, edge damage and a hole right in the center. I would guess that it dated back to the 1920's. I actually didn't think I could use it; but continued to experiment with try to hide the holes and damage and finally came up with this rather pixie-like design. Once I decided it was a pixie fairy dress I just had to add some iridescent beads and silk ribbon....and wah-lah!

The Hanky Hearts below were made from the one remaining hanky that could not be made into a dress. I think I managed to add most, if not all, of the remaining family buttons Terri had sent me to work with...a bit of a whimsical touch.

Thanks Terri – it was a pleasure! 

I too will miss our conversations.

"N" is for Nancy

A while back I received a phone call from a lady asking me if I would be interested in purchasing some hankies from her. Of course, I was interested, so we arrange a meeting. As I am looking through her hankies she asks me, "What do you do with them?" I showed her a Hanky Dress that I had brought with me just for this purpose. Long-story-short I ended up making some dresses and hearts for her grand children and friends from the hankies that she had originally wanted to sell. (I also got to purchase the rest.) The brown heart was for her grandson. The dresses are not shown in their relative sizes - I was just experimenting with a new Photoshop technique I learned. Looks like I missed a bit of the hanger on the pink dress.

THEN...a couple weeks later, I get a phone call from Nancy and she tells me that she found a couple more hankies that were hers and would I see if one of them could be made into a dress for her. I ended up using both of the hankies she brought me and created a new design technique in the process. I was pleased with the result; and, as you can see, so was Nancy.

"N" is for Nancy

Valentine Boutique Sale

Just wanted to share a few photos with you from the show. We took all these before the madness began. Saturday was one crazy busy day! Kathy, who organized and put the show together in her home, did such a great job. She was such a gracious host and everything ran so smoothly. 
Thank you Kathy for all your efforts!

Group shot of all the vendors.

This is Grace - our youngest vendor. 

Everybody brought some homemade sweets.
That's Kathy our fearless organizer in the background.

Here is a shot of my Hanky Dress and Hearts display

New Item - Hanky Hearts

I've been hatching this idea for about six months now. These Hanky Hearts will be available in my Etsy shop next week ... just in time for Valentine's Day. While some of these were made especially for the holiday they are meant to be used year round.

Hanky Hearts are  one-of-a-kind items made from as many as six different vintage handkerchiefs. Many vintage hankies, though not quite perfect, still have plenty of beauty to share. 

I especially enjoy the challenge of coordinating the pretty bits and pieces crazy quilt fashion into a unique and usable item. They are decorated on both sides, machine quilted and stuffed.

I have already done a custom order for a lady that wanted her mother's hankies turned into loving keepsakes. She gave them as gifts to her family this past Christmas. 

A Hanky Heart can be used as a door hanger, a pin cushion, a dressing table ornament, or a bowl filler. You can use several as a garland, or string three together to create a vertical garland.

Here's a collection of red and white hearts  I made especially for Valentine's Day. Surely they will become a reminder of the giver's affection for a long time to come.