Make Your Own Handkerchiefs {DIY} ~ A Tiggy-winkle Tutorial

"Once upon a time there was a little girl called Lucie, who lived at a farm called Little-town. She was a good little girl—only she was always losing her pocket-handkerchiefs!"

~ Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-winkle

Poor Little Lucie! Always in the habit of losing her precious handkerchiefs! What was to be done if they were not recovered? Mrs. Tiggy-winkle suggests that she should learn to make her own. What a resourceful little hedgehog homemaker she is!

Small handiwork projects are wonderful for the young ladies in your life (and you!). My daughter likes to keep something in her energetic hands as I do our homeschool read-alouds. Making up these little hankies are a fun way to prepare something productive while learning new skills (she made the one in the picture, though not perfect, she is getting better each time).

To begin, it helps to have a pattern book for transfers. I like the Dover Transfer Little Books since they have smaller designs that are perfect for small projects like handkerchiefs or decorative table runners. They are only a few dollars and you get quite a bit of designs. Just iron them to your fabric and the little hands are ready to work with the needle! For this project, we used the Small Flowers book.

The other supplies you will need are a square piece of cotton (ours was a generous 14 by 14 inches) which you will need to hem. You will also need an embroidery hoop, embroidery floss and embroidery needles (these can all be found at your local craft store). The simple stem stitch is really all that is necessary for a beginner project to outline a flower (directions for this stitch is shared below). For convenience, you can also use a plain handkerchief, iron on your design and begin embroidering.

"The first stitch which is taught to a beginner is the “stem stitch”. It is most useful in work done in the hand, and especially in outlines of flowers, unshaded leaves, and arabesque, and all conventional designs.

STEM STITCH

"It may be best described as a long stitch forward on the surface, and a shorter one backward on the under side of the fabric, the stitches following each other almost in line from left to right... A leaf worked in outline should be begun at the lower or stalk end, and worked round the right side to the top, taking care that the needle is to the left of the thread as it is drawn out. When the point of the leaf is reached, it is best to reverse the operation in working down the left side towards the stalk again, so as to keep the needle to the right of the thread instead of to the left, as in going up."

~ Handbook of Embroidery by L. Higgin (1880)

Handiwork and handkerchiefs are both becoming a lost art and it is something I wish to preserve in our home. I think they also make a wonderful handmade gift! These can easily be sent with an encouraging letter in the mail. We use our decorative hankies to cover our ferments for a prettier look in the kitchen. We also use them as dresser scarfs and doilies to place under vases of flower and such. Of course, the traditional use of the hankie is also appreciated. Do you utilize handkerchiefs in your home? What do you use them for? You may also be interested in making your own spray starch (another Tiggy-winkle Tutorial). For more Beatrix Potter inspired projects, visit here.

                                                      

All the fine print. This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, Awesome Life Friday Link Up and Create, Bake, Grow & Gather. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. This post may contain affiliate links (which are merchant links that help to support this site at no additional cost to you if you purchase an item through them).

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