I finished my hanky quilt in time to enter it into the Cache County
Fair last summer. I thought it was about time I shared the photos of it
here.
My mother-in-law gave me the book "Quilt Style" by Tammy Tadd for Christmas a few years ago. I flipped straight to the page with the Hanky Panky pattern and knew right away that I NEEDED to make that quilt. I was a woman on a mission. Every time I visited an antique store I looked for vintage hankies. I also hit my grandma up for a bunch of pretty handkerchiefs. After months of collecting, I had a gorgeous pile of hankies but I couldn't bring myself to cut them up. I found a seller on Ebay who had a whole stack of vintage reproduction hankies for a reasonable price. If I recall correctly the auction I won was for a lot of 25 hankies and the pattern only calls for 16. I then had the difficult chore of choosing just 16 lovelies and arranging them in a way that felt good to me. I'm sure I am not the only one who does this but I had to try about 186 different hanky combinations before I finally settled on something. Also, the pattern called for white fabric to line the backs of the hankies. The pattern showed the edges of the hankies being sewn into the seam which was silly to me. If you have a beautiful scalloped edge, it would be a shame to cram that into the seam. I just cut the four quarters of the hankies a half and inch smaller than the lining. When it came time to choose a quilting design I knew I needed something that would hold the hanky down but still leave the scalloped edge free. It took me about an hour and a half to decide on a quilting design, but I think it was well worth the time - I LOVE it! After I got done binding the quilt I felt like it wasn't exactly finished. The lady who quilted it for me suggested I add a little pearl to each square. I am so glad I did, it was the perfect finishing touch!
I love the way this quilt turned out and have it hanging in my room where I can see it everyday! Are any of you obsessive collectors? What are you hoarding away for a future project?
