Daffodils and Jonquils are the March Birth Month Flowers

Is your birthday in March? If it is, then daffodils and jonquils are your birth month flowers. I had to do a little research on this one to figure out the difference.

According to the American Daffodil Society, a jonquil is one of the thirteen divisions of daffodils. Bloom color, size and shape, as well as foliage type, flowering schedule and number of blossoms to a stem, determine the classifications of over 25,000 registered hybrids. All of these perennials fall under the genus Narcissus. 

DAFFODIL - are the large-flowered varieties.
NARCISSUS - are the small-flowered and early-blooming types bearing clusters of blossoms.
JONQUIL - often have fragrant yellow flowers. 

Blooms are comprised of two parts: the perianth, made up of six outer petal segments, and the corona in the center, shaped like a trumpet or cup (depending on length). Besides the familiar yellow and white flowers, daffodils also come in orange, red, apricot, pink and cream. In some varieties, the perianth and corona are different colors or varying shades of the same color. Leaves may be flat and straight or narrow and spiky. 

Following are a few hankies with daffodils for your viewing enjoyment.

I decided this was a daffodil on this pretty yellow linen hanky. What do you think?

I was surprised to find several blue daffodils.

This is the sweetest little hanky. It measures only about nine inches square.

I found this pretty hanky in two color versions; the other has a blue background with pink, blue and yellow daffodils.

I think these daffodils are uniquely bold.

This may be my favorite. White/Yellow Daffodils on a pale blue linen background.

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.

February's Birth Month Flowers on Vintage Hankies

February's birth month flowers are violets, primrose and iris. Of the three, violets were the easiest for me to find on my hankies.

Above are four lovely examples of  hankies with violets from my personal collection. 

This is a sweet little handmade hanky. I know that because a sweet little old lady told me so and she also explained to me how it was done and that she could remember making some as a child. She told me that the trick is to pull a thread loose and attach a piece of embroidery floss or other thread and pull it through the fabric. The little circle of violets is hand embroidered on this one. And, finally the hanky is hemmed.

 Here we have three primrose hankies and what may be an iris one. I haven't totally convinced myself that this is an iris. It may be an orchid. What do you think? If it is an orchid, then I don't have any hankies with irises on them.

I just happened to have one sweet round hanky simply brimming with violets.

Look What I Found - Snowdrops

Vintage hanky with pretty little snowdrops in the falling snow.

The other January birth month flower - Snowdrops.  I was doing some hanky washing and it popped up just like pretty little snowdrops do. Granted these are pink and red and blue...but, hanky designers did take a lot of liberties. The thing that cinches it are the tiny white polka dots all throughout the outer white border. I know you can't see them in the photo (so sorry), but they are there and they they make this little hanky soooo pretty!

And...top top it all off...it is snowing today. 

I Have a Treasured Hanky – Part Two

This Hanky Dress was made from an antique silk and lace handkerchief. I remember my joy when I first saw it. The lace is very fine and delicate. The silk is a lovely pale green and the lace is cream. There are places where it has been repaired and I could see that the thread used for the repair was larger than the thread that was used to originally stitch the handkerchief together. In the past, thread was made really fine so I knew this was quite old. I had guessed at least 1920's. And now we know that it was likely older.

The handkerchief was given to Susie by her cousin Cindy who told Susie that the hanky had belonged to her great grandmother. Cindy remembered hearing that it was from England or Ireland; maybe, something that was brought over when they immigrated. She said it had always been treasured by her family.

I do not usually work with silk hankies because they are too soft; however this one had such a beautiful wide lace border that I thought I just might be able to make it work. Furthermore, I have never made a dress with this configuration of folds and I really don’t know that I could ever do it again. It all just sort of fell into place.

Susie had a grand plan for this dress….she wanted to surprise Cindy and give it to her for Christmas. Susie has since let me know that Cindy was surprised and pleased with her gift, but, Cindy told her that she should really be the one to have it because of her love of things old. The two haven't seen each other since they were young and hope to get together this spring or summer.

Here are a couple of close-up pictures of the handkerchief.

I Have a Treasured Hanky

This is what Susie said when she contacted me last September to ask me if I do custom work?”

Wow! Did she ever have a treasured hanky…several treasured hankies, as a matter of fact. I am only going to share the first two with you in this blog post because they are so special.

This is a simply splendid example of a Madeira embroidered handkerchief. Just look at the detail in this handkerchief!

It was given to her by her Japanese mother-in-law in 1968 when she and her husband were married and she thinks it may have been made in China in the 1940’s to 50’s.

Here is the dress I made for her.

And...this second hanky was given to her by her best friend who said, "Here, this is old, you'll like it!" Ha! Ha! Yes it is old. My research would indicate that this is a fine example of punchwork from around 1920. This was a technique commonly used for wedding handkerchiefs.

You will notice this dress is made a little differently. Each of my Hanky Dresses is created to show off the handkerchief to its best advantage.

Second Hanky Dress I made for Susie

Easter Basket Vintage Handkerchief

Just wanted to take a moment to share this lovely vintage handkerchief with you. Technically, I don't think these were meant to be Easter baskets; but, they are pretty enough and close enough for me.

Have a great Easter and stop by again next week. I have a surprise for all my followers.

Christmas Hanky Dress

I made this dress earlier in the year for a customer. I thought you might like to see it now that it tis the season. I would guess this is about a 1950's or 60's vintage handkerchief. It is cotton with an overcast scalloped edge. I found a sweet little glass button that was just perfect and added a satin ribbon around the waist.

Vintage Valentine Puzzle Handkerchiefs

The history of Valentine’s Day is all about secret love and so are these handkerchiefs. I have seen them referred to as both “Secret Message Handkerchiefs” and “Puzzle Handkerchiefs”.  This is my current collection. I think they probably all date back to the 1940’s; however, I have only found proof that two of them do. The one with the cupid is a Franshaw hanky and was featured in an advertisement in a 1949 issue of Mademoiselle Magazine. And, the first one in the bottom row which forms a white heart was produced by Kimball and is featured in a 1947 issue of Charm Magazine. 

Take a look at the open hankies in the second picture. One’s first impression when seeing one of these hankies might be that the design is a tad askew or just plain strange. Now look at the hankies again in the first picture. When folded, they reveal a hidden message or surprise picture. Unless you know what you are looking at you would likely pass one of these treasures by.

See if you can match the open hankies with their folded version. Here's a hint - I've mixed them up to make it bit more challenging for you.

Now I am going to show you how to do the fold. They are all about the same and all you need to do is look for the points you need to match up. I will use the Franshaw Cupid handkerchief in my example.

No 1 - Examine the design and determine the top. Lay handkerchief face up.

No 2 - Fold this one in half (bottom up to top) with right sides together.

No 3 - Fold top half back down on itself at the halfway point.

No 4 - Notice the shape of the hearts. These are the curves you will eventually match up.

No 5 - Fold the handkerchief in half again (left to right) toward the inside and then back out on itself  again one-quarter of the way while lining up the curves of the heart. All Done!

Hanky Dress Class in February at the Willow

Join me for a class in how to make 

my new style of Hanky Dress

February 9, 1:30 – 3:30

at the Willow in Downtown Littleton 

(corner of Prince and Main Streets)

Hanky Dresses can be used in so many different ways and for so many occasions. Speaking of which, why not make some for Valentine’s Day! There are five patterns for you to choose from. They make wonderful door hangers, small gifts, garlands and decorations. Great for parties and craft night with your friends.

You’ll decorate your own bodice and then learn all the essentials of assembling the dress. Included in the $40 fee for the class will be one pattern of your choice, and supplies for making one dress. (Please bring a pair of small and sharp paper cutting scissors and a couple of paint brushes.) You are welcome to bring additional hankies of your own to work on, if time permits. The smaller size, 9-10 inches, is best for this project. If you are a handkerchief collector and are concerned about damage to your hankies – don’t be. This project will not damage the handkerchief.

SPACE IS LIMITED - REGISTER NOW!

CALL 303-730-8521  

OR EMAIL INFO@WILLOWARTISANSMARKET.COM

A Nod to the 2014 Color of the Year

The Pantone Color of the Year for 2014 is Radiant Orchid 18-3224.

Pantone describes their color this way:  Radiant Orchid blooms with confidence and magical warmth that intrigues the eye and sparks the imagination. It is an expressive, creative and embracing purple—one that draws you in with its beguiling charm. A captivating harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones. Radiant Orchid emanates great joy, love and health.

Naturally, I had to search Etsy to see what I could find in the way of vintage hankies in this spectacular color. Below are a few of my finds; however, there are many more.

'Radiant Orchid - 2014 Color of the Year' by HankyDresses

My collection of Radiant Orchid Etsy Finds incorporating my passion for vintage handkerchiefs. There are some beauties to be found.

Treasury tool by StylishHome.

 

There were two that I had to claim for myself

....this one and the one in the photo under the books above.