AhhhhhhhhChoooooo!

Extraordinary ordinary things are what I’m drawn to when I treasure hunt. Vintage hankies are a particular favorite. I am always amazed at the infinite number of designs out there.It’s very rare to see the same design twice.

I like hankies so much I even have a favorite handkerchief designer. 

Her signature was Tammis Keefe and her designs are whimsical, her color- ways sophisticated. Can you imagine a time when ladies looked forward to the release of a new hankie design with anticipation? You can read more about Keefe in this article. 


One of my favorites from my collection is a Keefe.

What makes this hankie even more special is the tiny name label. It says Wanda- how special is that!

More favorites….

Michigan map hankie

A very springy daffodil and pussy willow hankie

And this tiny blue bow hankie I carried at my wedding. (It was vintage when I carried it – not because of when we were married- just to clarify.)

Notice that marbled red plastic box. When I first saw it on the shelf at the junk shop I thought it was for sandwiches- but no it’s a “Homer’s Triangular Hanky Box” designed to help you save space when storing your hankies. Makes sense to me- so I brought it home.

Having so many hankies that I really love just stashed away seemed very sad to me. I've noticed lots of clever ideas rooting around on Pinterest to bring them out into the open to enjoy. There are table runners, quilts and even pendants over a baby crib stitched from vintage hankies. I decided to make some café curtains for the bathroom and did a pendant treatment up top.  I bought some bar towels at Target, sewed a casing, and then simply stitched the hankies in a patchwork fashion on top. They are all different sizes and I just let them overlap.

It’s nice to be able to enjoy them. I’m a tiny bit concerned they’ll fade in the sun- so my most precious are still tucked away in the triangular box in my dresser saving space.