Instructions and Directions for a Handkerchief Quilt
A handkerchief quilt can serve as a nostalgic reminder of days gone by, before disposable tissues replaced the fancy handkerchiefs that were tucked into every woman's purse and pocket. The retro cotton and silk handkerchiefs, which often feature embroidered edges, can often be found at thrift stores. Folding the handkerchiefs to display their edging and stitching them together can form a charming quilt.
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Things You'll Need
- 40 cotton handkerchiefs of the same size
- Iron
- Straight pins
- Sewing machine or needle and thread
- 2 yards white cotton muslin
- 2 yards quilt batting
Instructions
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1
Press one handkerchief flat with the hot iron. Fold and press each corner of the handkerchief to the center of the handkerchief square to display the edging. Hand stitch the folds in place with small stitches close to the edging, creating smaller handkerchief squares.
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2
Pin two handkerchief squares, right sides together, at one edge. Sew the handkerchiefs together with a half-inch straight seam. Repeat this process until each handkerchief is sewn together in a pair.
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3
Sew the pairs together forming patches of four, and then sew the patches together to produce a 40-patch quilt top with rows of eight handkerchiefs by columns of 16 handkerchiefs.
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4
Cut the quilt batting and white muslin to the exact size of the finished handkerchief quilt top. Layer the backing, batting and quilt top right side up on a flat surface like a table or floor. Insert two safety pins in each handkerchief to secure the three layers together.
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5
Hand stitch in the seams around each handkerchief through all three quilt layers.
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6
Cut a 2-inch-wide strip of white muslin the length of the perimeter of the quilt, or a binding, piecing the strips together to reach the needed length. Pin the binding to the edge of the quilt, right sides together and attach the binding to the quilt with a 1/4-inch straight seam.
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7
Fold the binding a 1/2-inch twice and hand-stitch it to the back of the quilt to complete the handkerchief quilt.
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References
- Photo Credit Buccina Studios/Photodisc/Getty Images
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Comments
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I overheard someone at an Estate Sale talking about making a quilt from old hankies. Since I have at least 100 old hankies, I thought this might be a great way to use them!
