How to Make a Hankie Quilt
With a little patience and a minimum of sewing skills, you can create a decorative patchwork quilt from a collection of old handkerchiefs. A sewing machine is not a necessity for this project, but it helps when you're stitching so many different fabric swatches together to make the quilt panels. Look for hankies that are the same size to make the panels for the quilt. If your favorites are different sizes, fill in with a strip of complimentary fabric to make panels that are equal in length and width.
Things You'll Need
- Handkerchiefs
- Measuring tape
- Straight pins
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Scissors
- Batting
- Spray adhesive
- Fabric
- 2-inch-wide grosgrain ribbon
Instructions
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1
Place four handkerchiefs face down onto a flat surface. Pin the common edges together with straight pins to create a 1/2-inch seam.
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2
Stitch the seams together. Remove the pins. Iron the seams flat.
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3
Follow the process to make as many four-handkerchief panels as you need for the desired size of the hankie quilt. The panels should all be the same size. Cut the handkerchiefs, if necessary to reduce a panel, or stitch a fabric strip between the handkerchiefs to increase the panel size.
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4
Join the hankie panels together by pinning 1/2-inch seams, stitching the edges and then ironing the seams flat.
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5
Place the hankie quilt face down on a flat surface. Cut sections of batting to fit the back side of the quilt. Batting is a fiberfill material that is available at fabric and discount stores.
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6
Spray the back side of the quilt with spray adhesive. Arrange the batting on top of the quilt and press down. Leave the quilt undisturbed for one hour.
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7
Cut a section of complementary fabric to fit the back side of the quilt. If the hankies are cotton, use cotton fabric for the back. Spray adhesive onto the batting that is face up. Fit and press the fabric onto the batting. Wait one hour.
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8
Pin the fabric back, batting and hankie quilt together around the perimeter edges with straight pins to make a 1/2-inch seam. Stitch the edge seams together.
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9
Cut a length of 2-inch-wide grosgrain ribbon to fit each edge of the hankie quilt. Pin the ribbon onto the edges so that half of the ribbon is on the front and the other half is on the back.
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10
Stitch the ribbon in place. Fold the ribbons at the corners of the quilt and stitch a diagonal seam to hold them in place. Remove the pins.
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