My dad uses cloth handkerchiefs. He has used them as long as I can remember. I learned to iron by practicing on his freshly laundered ones. My mom thought it was time for him to have some new ones and it would be nice for him to have them decorated by his granddaughters. These would also make great gifts for someone like me, who seems to always be at a loss for tissues!
They started with nice white handkerchiefs and laid them out flat on the table.
Then, my mom showed my niece and daughter how to use a plain No. 2 pencil to draw a design on the fabric.
She told them to keep the design simple and to not worry about mistakes. The handkerchiefs would be washed after they were done sewing them and any stray pencil marks would be "erased" by the washing.
After they drew on their design, the drew the fabric tight with a mini embroidery hoop.
Then came the embroidery lesson. You start by using 3 to 6 strands of embroidery floss, knotting one end and threading the other end through a needle. Pull the thread up from the bottom then work the stitch backwards - towards where you pulled the thread from the bottom - following the pattern on the fabric.
Both girls had no trouble catching on and were all smiles as they saw their designs become colorful patterns on the fabric.
Here is my daughter's completed handkerchief for her grandpa.
This was a great chilly afternoon project at the lake!
"He produced a handkerchief - crisply folded - and handed it to her. She took it with silent astonishment. She'd never before known anyone who carried a handkerchief." -Cassandra Clare, City of Bones
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