Have you seen the little purses made from them for little girls? Or baby bonnets. Also at out local cracker barrel they have a shadow box with plywood covered in burlap and they've got vintage hankeies attached to it with pins(jewelry) and old necklaces. And some photos, etc. I've also seen sleeves in pheasant tops out of them.

I'm sure you'll do something great.
Susan in Bama

The little bonnets are absolutely beautiful made from hankies. Check the February Issue of Creative Needle for how-to info.

Also, There is a woman's blouse pattern in a recent issue of Sew Beautiful (I think). They are doing a "suit series", and the hem of the top has a hankie set into it that is lovely.

Cindy

OOps... that issue of creative needle gives the how-to for the hankie purses.. not the bonnets.

You could make a quilt. Instructions at HGTV - hankie quilts. episode QLT 806

Nancy

I love old hankies. Have quite a few myself.....one was given to me by my first boss back in 1960. It came from Sweden.

Somewhere I've seen a quilt where hankies are folded to form butterflies. The lace or embroidered ones would look so lovely like this. Perhaps the more delicate ones would be best in a shadowbox. I think as LoganHogan suggested.

Or you could put some of them together and make a cover to throw over a lampshade, very feminine and dainty....attach some old pearls or beads on the bottom edges to keep them in place.

Sorry I don't know where I saw the butterfly quilt pattern, was very different but soooo nostalgic and attractive looking.

All the best,
Nanna

There are a couple of quilt books that feature hankies. Some are really cute. What a nice thing to have in your stash.

Here is a link for another idea.
http://www.sewmuch4retirement.com/projects/debbiecook/heirloompillow/debbiecookheirloompillow.html

another use for them is aprons.

If they are that delicate and old you might want to use a fusable lightweight interfacing to back them with.

Sew the hankies onto satin pillows as 'lace' covers and pile them on your bed as a romantic touch.

Lay a tablecloth wrong side up on the table. Turn the hankies so they're diamond-oriented and lay them so the east-west points are just inside the hem, overlapping them or putting them side by side, depending upon the design you want. Tack them on and you have a 'handkerchief' edging for your tablecloth. The hankies won't hold up to washing, so use it as a decorative cloth only.

That same cloth can be used as a canopy for a little girl's bed.

Lay them along the shelves inside your china cabinet so half hangs over the edge. The china will hold them in place and they'll stay clean inside the cabinet. It doesn't matter whether or not the handkerchiefs match.

Ray

I have be using the vintage hankies with the colorful edging as "flowers" in small vases. Pick up the hanky by the wrong-side center and secure with a twistie. Turn the hanky edging side up and tuck into a small vase with other coordinating hankies. With a little plucking and repositioning they really look very nice. Even hankies that are not in excellent condition can be used if positioned carefully. I've found opaque vases with a fan-shaped top are my favorites. Using more hankies rather than less gives a more lush appearance. These really look much better than they sound and don't require destroying the hankie.

I love that last idea, since it doesnt destroy the hankie and it's pretty edging. How about simply framing them? I am planning to do this if you would like to email me directly. Robin in NC

I have some old hankies, dolies, dickies that I have attached to a single flat sheet with pins. I want to permentaly attach them, should I hand sew them on or is their a way I can machine sew them on? I don't want to cut any of them, but want to display them instead of keeping them in a box. Any suggestions?

If you have a lot of them you could make a bedskirt with them for a little girls room. A solid color spread and a few pillows covered with a hankie would be nice also and you could enen make a window valence out of them to complete the look.

FWIW, I seem to recall seeing directions for making Angel ornaments from lace handkerchiefs somewhere on the web...

I have been collecting lovely hankies on a small scale for several years and truly such elegant items. I have some displayed in a small wicker basket each perfectly folded and placed as to layer each other around the basket edge with several covering the center of the basket. I placed a pretty table runner over a small night stand laying them out in a similar manner along with other lovey feminine items and accessories. They add such a beautiful touch dont they