Happy Valentines Day!
Roses are beautiful but they eventually wilt, Chocolates are yummy but I gobble them up in no time, I'll always treasure cards with special messages, but my latest love is....
Valentines hankies!
All those pretty hearts, cupids, ribbons and lace make them so romantic.
Since Medieval times, knights in shining armour have carried their loved ones fabric token in tournaments or into battle.
Hankies are a handy size to carry from far away places. making them a popular gift from sailors to their loved ones. How wonderful it would have been to receive a square of embroidered silk from an exotic far away land. .
Marie Antoinette was such a trend setter. She apparently thought the square was the most elegant shape for a hankie and so it was decreed by her husband King Louis XVI of France, that all hankerchiefs should be square.
Squares may be elegant but one of the things I enjoy about Valentines Hankies is their creative shapes.
In Victorian times women used hankies to flirt. If a woman lightly swiped her hanky across her cheek she was signalling "I love you". We've all seen movies where heroines drop their pretty lace hankies to attract the handsome star.
I haven't been collecting very long and I've probably won't become a serious collector but it's lovely to have a few of these sweet hankies around. Besides the quilter side of me has been thinking...
...and flirting with my design wall
Maybe I should have have a date with my sewing machine?
Wishing you all a wonderful Valentine's Day!!!
30 Comments
Happy Valentines Day! Love your sweet collection of 'hearty' hankies! (They make a great quilt top!) x
ReplyDeleteWhat gorgeous hankies! Happy Valentine's Day to you too!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful collection of hankies you have!! (Surely they are not op shop finds?) I love the look of them all on your design wall- they would make a great quilt!
ReplyDeleteThose are so sweet! Love your hankie collection to pieces. Maybe you could make a summer weight quilt with them and put voile on the back!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous collection. I didn't know valentine hankies even existed. Enjoy the rest of the day.
ReplyDeleteCarinissimi!
ReplyDeleteBuon S Valentino anche a te!
Ciao
They are beautiful Rachael. WHere did you find them?
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentines Day Rachael! All those hankies are so cute! I saw a bunting made of hankies and that was adorable as well :)
ReplyDeleteHappy love day to you too! I love all the hankies.. when I was young I use to go through my aunts hankies she had collected.. thank you for bringing that memory back! And yes that looks like a beauty in the making!
ReplyDeleteLove.. love.. love.. this post! I Had never seen anything but square ones. Let alone Valentine hankies.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful collection!
Happy Valentine's Day!
Wow...a stunning post..love the hankies. U r inspiring me:)
ReplyDeleteI have never seen these before. They are wonderful. Lovely collection!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful collection! May everyday be Valentine's Day for you. {big hug}
ReplyDeleteThose are some gorgeous, gorgeous hankies! Where do you find them?
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentine's Day to you Rachael.
ReplyDeleteWhat a pretty quilt those hankies would make !
Happy Valentine's Day!!!! I love all of you Valentine's hankies. I have never seen them before. Are you really going to make them into a quilt? That would be gorgeous!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentine's Day to you too! There's really no holiday that fits vintage nostalgia like Valentine's. Your growing hankie collection proves it's a match made in heaven.
ReplyDeleteHow sweet. I have never seen these type of hankies, they are so adorable.
ReplyDeleteI love your collection of hankies....beautiful! I have several, and one I bought framed; it has a lovely tatted edge! I love anything with tatting on it!
ReplyDeleteOne of the most creative and original Valentines Day posts ever . I love those handkerchiefs and the history behind them!
ReplyDeleteOh they were so worth the wait and I am glad they arrived in time. They could be a serious addiction I agree. I still havent found the pattern that used these gorgeous hankies although I dont know that I could cut them up.
ReplyDeleteI never knew there were such things! Hope you had a lovely day :-)
ReplyDeleteI have never seen Valentine hankies, I am going to have to keep my eyes open. They are so charming!
ReplyDeleteI like the way your quilters brain works! You have some great hankies to work with. Go for it!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post! I'm so far behind on my reading and it was such a joy to see you Valentine hankie collection. I have a collection of 2, lol.
ReplyDeleteYou could make a stunning quilt with them.
I'll keep an eye out for you in the future. It is fun to have a niche' in collecting, I like yours!
Love the tokens of LOVE. Unlike others who had never seen valentine hankies they brought back happy memories for me. My mother sent one to my Grandmother every year while I was growing up. Somewhere in my bottom drawer are a few of them Happy Me.
ReplyDeleteThe post is georgeous as always.
Dear Rachael, This is Rebecca, one of Craig and Hamish's friends from when you lived in Melbourne together. You have made a beautiful blog and your quilts are amazing. Have you seen the book about Barbie fashion from handkerchiefs like yours? They are exquisite creations. Here is a link http://www.hankiecouture.com/news_book.php
ReplyDeleteContact me at needleandspindle.com if you would like to chat.
How gorgeous Rachael....I've never seen a Valentine Hanky! Hope your Valentine's Day was a good one xo
ReplyDelete*swoon*
ReplyDeleteDon't know how I missed this post. What a wonderful collection of hankies! I love the inspiration on your design wall. I have just a few old hankies, and I use them to clean my eyeglasses.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for leaving me a comment. Your kind words encourage me to keep sharing my work and stories.