A Dress Made Out of Little Prints

01 March 2010 | by Jen in Frocks & Such, Sewing

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!

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Comments! What are your thoughts, dears? | ♥ 17 Comments

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17 Comments

  • At 2010.03.01 11:49, lsaspacey said:

    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. :(

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    • At 2010.03.01 11:54, Adventures in Dressmaking said:

      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!

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      • At 2010.03.01 12:06, Nancy said:

        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?

        [ Reply ]
        • At 2010.03.01 12:27, jen said:

          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)

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          • At 2010.03.01 17:58, Lola said:

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

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            • At 2010.03.01 18:40, heather said:

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

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              • At 2010.03.01 21:24, Andrea said:

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

                xo!

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                • At 2010.03.02 07:20, Stéphanie said:

                  Adorable ! I love it so much !

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                  • At 2010.03.02 09:21, Tracey said:

                    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!

                    [ Reply ]
                    • At 2010.03.02 10:50, jen said:

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

                      [ Reply ]
                      • At 2010.03.02 14:52, Lavender Dreamer said:

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

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                        • At 2010.03.02 15:19, Modern Crush said:

                          This is an amazing idea, really! Hankies!

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                          • At 2010.03.03 14:59, Casey said:

                            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

                            [ Reply ]
                            • At 2010.03.04 03:57, Rebecca said:

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

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                              • At 2010.03.04 20:58, jen said:

                                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

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                                • At 2010.03.05 12:09, Suzanne said:

                                  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!

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                                  • At 2010.03.11 19:55, Violette Crumble said:

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

                                    [ Reply ]
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