A Dress Made Out of Little Prints

01 March 2010 | by jen in Sewing, Vintage

hankie-dress_full

I couldn’t wait to post these, I just had to show someone!  I’ve been collecting vintage hankies for years, not entirely sure what I was going to do with them (curtains?  quilt?  aprons?) and feeling quite the hoarder.  Last year I put “hankie dress” on my never-ending to do list and I finally got around to playing with the idea this past weekend.  I haven’t seen a dress like this before (I’ve seen little baby dresses made from hankies but not grown-up girl ones) and I’m pretty happy with the results so far.

I was going for something sweet and not too patchwork-y or hippy.  I used all the same colorway (for this one aqua and yellow/mustard hankies) to help pull the dress together.  I did very little to alter the hankies as I wanted to preserve the look of them.  I also wanted to avoid having to make a pattern.  I recently finished a sundress from a 1950s pattern that looks ok but I spent forever trying to get the fit right (and it still isn’t quite right, dang) and I’m just kind of over patterns right now.  (That’ll be short-lived, I’m sure!)

hankie-dress_det

Basically this dress is just a tube of strategically placed hankies of varying size.  The fanciest part is the ruffle on the front made from a wee hankie that has been one of my favorites.  I’m not 100% sure I’m done yet but I’m very close!

Happy Monday!

Comments! What are your thoughts, dears? | ♥

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17 Comments on “A Dress Made Out of Little Prints”

  1. 01 March 2010 | lsaspacey says:

    You will have to model that one for us! It looks so lovely and sweet. Makes you think about warmer weather; which I’m starting to doubt will ever come again. Woe is me. :(

     

  2. 01 March 2010 | Adventures in Dressmaking says:

    That is so fantastic!
    I have been collecting vintage hankies for a while now, too, just waiting for something to do with them… I am inspired!

     

  3. 01 March 2010 | Nancy says:

    AH! so exciting. It looks really nice and I love the color combination and the little ruffle.
    I too am a hankie collector and have been trying to decide on projects forever.

    i love the curtain idea and have toyed with a quilt. The little girls dress you mention sound interesting. Do you have any links for that?

     

  4. 01 March 2010 | jen says:

    Thanks so much, ladies! And yes, I do plan on modeling this, once I’m done. :)

    Nancy, I haven’t found a lot but here are a few links:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/38229873@N00/520209406/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/38229873@N00/391816058/in/set-72157594535087598/
    http://josiekatstrunk.com/bitty_hankie_tiered_dress.html

    (found via Google image search)

     

  5. 01 March 2010 | Lola says:

    So far, I love the dress! I can’t wait to see it finished.

     

  6. 01 March 2010 | heather says:

    this is just the cutest! I love that you made it out of hankies. It looks so light and comfy!

     

  7. 01 March 2010 | Andrea says:

    What a cool idea! Great for summer, and for using up all those lovely hankies. Adorable!

    xo!

     

  8. 02 March 2010 | Stéphanie says:

    Adorable ! I love it so much !

     

  9. 02 March 2010 | Tracey says:

    Darling…You are so creative! I’m not sure I could pull something like that off. This dress is perfect for those hot summer days!

     

  10. 02 March 2010 | jen says:

    aw, thank you for such sweet comments! i’m glad you love the dress!!

     

  11. 02 March 2010 | Lavender Dreamer says:

    It’s so very feminine…and looks like YOU! I love it and won’t it be perfect for the summer months! Very sweet! ♥

     

  12. 02 March 2010 | Modern Crush says:

    This is an amazing idea, really! Hankies!

     

  13. 03 March 2010 | Casey says:

    What an ingenious idea! I would never think to use handkerchiefs like this–it’s brilliant and gorgeous! Wow. I’m just so inspired after seeing this! :)

    ♥ Casey
    blog | elegantmusings.com

     

  14. 04 March 2010 | Rebecca says:

    So, so beautiful and what an incredible idea!!!!

     

  15. 04 March 2010 | jen says:

    thank you all!!

    i would LOVE to see other hankie dresses (or tops, etc) so let me know if any of you make one. :D

     

  16. 05 March 2010 | Suzanne says:

    SO gorgeous!! I absolutely love the idea of this but would be so scared to chop something, so in essence, I admire your bravery! And I love the result!

     

  17. 11 March 2010 | Violette Crumble says:

    Oh. My. God. I love it.
    Did you have several of the same hankie? Please show us a picture of you wearing it!

     

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