VINTAGE HANDKERCHIEF DRESS TUTORIAL.....

Recently my husband swept me off for a real treat, a week at the beach for my birthday! (In case you are wondering, I just hit the big 45!) Since it was my birthday week I got to do a lot of stuff that I like to do, like spend an extraordinary amount of time picking out handmade paper and browsing high end antique stores, a decorator showroom, and flea markets along with lazing and strolling on the beach, collecting shells, watching fireworks each evening from the pier, snapping photos, and dining in seafood heaven.

At one of my favorite antique stores in the area I saw the most darling way to display vintage hankies. This lady made these little hankie dresses and had them hanging on a jewelry display rack and they were stunning! They looked like a Barbie clothing store. I found myself sliding the little hangers across the bar like you would real clothing when you are shopping. I did not copy her design, hers were just plain cardstock and the dress bodice was drawn differently with no extra embellishments, hers were only line drawings of the dress details.

YOU WILL NEED:

A hankie

a six inch by 3 inch piece of cardstock that matches your hankie

8 inch piece of wire

embellishments of your choice

8 inch piece of ribbon

glue (I used hot glue)

repositional double stick tape

scissors

fine tip black marking pen

pencil

iron

*press your hankie flat then fold into a square and press.

*fold the 6 inch by 3 inch cardstock in half so you have a 3 inch by 3 inch piece.

*using a 3" by 3" scrap of paper, sketch our your dress design and cut it out, with a pencil lightly trace your pattern onto the colored cardstock, the fold will be the shoulders of the dress.

*cut out your design, be sure and leave some of the fold on each shoulder uncut.

*on one half of the dress, using the black marking pen, sketch your dress details.

*embellish if desired ~ I glued on a lace collar, lace trim on the bottom of the dress front, buttons, and a tiny silver heart at the neckline.

*bend wire in half, twist about eight times, bend twisted end over a pencil to curl, twist curl to the side to form the hanger, spread out the remaining ends, attach to the inside front of the dress, you may need to clip off the ends, then secure with a bit of glue, allow to dry.

*line up your hankie with the inside of your dress and secure with double stick tape on the front, the inside fold, and the back, press in place.

*Tie ribbon around the waist to close the dress onto the hankie.NOTE: This project does not damage the hankie, the low tack tape comes off easily.

What to do with a little hankie dress:

Imagine this darling as a gift tag!

It could be hung in an empty frame with the wall color making your little hankie gown pop!

Go a step further and giver her arms and a head and make her into a paper doll!

Hang a whole row of them across the top of a window for a sweet window treatment!

These would make great gifts for a ladies luncheon!

This would also be a great item for you art swappers out there!

This would be a great way to display grandmother's collection where you could enjoy your family heirlooms!

Blessings,

Sandy