Monday, August 09, 2010

handkerchief wreath

I couldn't get the colors to look right when I photographed this hanging in the entry on our maroon door so, I had C hold it outside for you all to see.

The process for this wreath is super easy.

You will need at least twenty-four handkerchiefs, a twelve inch wreath, and a roll of six inch tulle.

  • Wash and iron your handkerchiefs. Starch your handkerchiefs. I would use a stronger starch next time - I would like my handkerchiefs to be a bit more stiff.
  • Use a pencil to punch holes in the wreath at one inch intervals. The holes need to go all the way through the wreath. Enlarge them a bit by wiggling the pencil around in the hole.
  • Bring all the corners of a hanky together and twist the middle of the hankderchief to a point. Insert a pencil, eraser side down, into the handkerchief and push it through a hole.
  • Once the fabric is through pull it in firmly.
  • Cut the back of the handkerchief or use a straight pin to pin it to the back.
  • Repeat until all the handkerchiefs are inserted.
  • Wrap the wreath in tulle and cut a few strips of tulle to tie around the wreath for more puffy interest.

Here is a better look at the butterfly blouses that can be seen in the previous post. I had one of these when I was a little girl and I loved the drama of the sleeves.

The blouses are really simple. They are basically four rectangles. My Mom made these for the girls too.

C's fabric is leftover from a dress that my Mom made her when she was small. It is also the same fabric you can see in her doll's dress here


I am sharing at:

The Girl Creative: Just Something I Whipped Up



Sumo Sweet Stuff




Keeping It Simple

13 comments:

  1. LOVE that wreath, Melissa! What a great job, and SO creative! :)

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  2. Two great projects! Your girls look so proud of their tops!

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  3. Love your handkerchief projects!!! You're so creative and talented. Thanks for sharing!

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  4. The wreath is very pretty, and I imagine it looks especially pretty on a maroon door!

    Cute blouses, too!

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  5. Love the little shirts

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  6. Hi Melissa, Your wreath is charming! A fun idea! Your girls make beautiful models... I remember my Mom making me tops like that:-)
    Bella

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  7. Great wreath - I love the idea to use so many hankies in such a cute way!

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  8. I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I linked to this post today from the new Home & Garden channel at Craft Gossip. :) My hope is to share many of the fabulous projects I see everyday with the vast CG audience. I hope you will not only stop by and subscribe to CG, but will tell your friends about the new category! Hope you see some traffic from it!

    Your feature will appear in the main Craft Gossip RSS feed, on the main home page and can be found directly here
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/handkerchief-wreath/

    If you would like a "featured by" button, you can grab one here!
    http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/grab-a-craft-gossip-button/

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  9. what a great idea for the handkerchiefs. I see them at thrift shops everywhere. This would be a fun and inexpensive project. The blouses are really cute.

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  10. Your wreath is delightful! I love it! and I agree with Bella, your girls are great models :-)

    I have a new linky party, "Small Treasure Tuesdays" if you have time, feel free to check it out and link up a treasure. Have a good day!

    http://mythoughtsandtreasures.blogspot.com/2010/08/small-treasure-tuesdays_10.html

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  11. That is a beautiful wreath! I never would have thought to do that!

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  12. That's so cute! What a fantastic summer project.

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  13. Hey Girl, Just wanted you to know I am featuring your re-purposed sweater this week.

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