Tuesday 5 March 2019

Hankies


Now I know that this might not count as the most thrilling "make" on the planet, but it's what I did with a worn out old pillow case [the back was ok]. I've done this several times over the last few years and it's kept Mr GBT stocked up with handkerchiefs whilst reducing my waste.

A few hanky related bits of trivia......

A hanky worn on in the top pocket of a suit jacket is known as a pocket square.

At one time hankies were considered so valuable that they were listed in dowries and wills.

There is a tradition of hankies being used as part of folk dances in many countries. Our Cotswold Morris Dancers being a case in point.

At one point the size of your hanky reflected your wealth. Louis XIV issued a decree in 1785 stipulating that nobody was permitted to exceed the size of his own collection.

In the Middle Ages Knights tied hankies given to them by ladies to their helmets for good luck.

To complete the post....a hanky tree which I discovered on a walk a few years ago.


Arilx

8 comments:

  1. In my teens,when I was a Mod...think Quadrophenia,lol....we used to buy hankies attached to a piece of card that was slipped into our top pockets.xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How clever. I have always admired the way the Mods dress. Arilx

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  2. Pocket squares are always snapped up if we have any on our stall.
    Need a snazzy pocket square to go with a jacket? Scour the chazzas for 1970s kipper ties and chop the end off - fits perfectly into a breast pocket!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a fabulous idea Vix. We collect men's ties for recycling and then send them out to the Philippines where they are made into amazing clothes. All proceeds from the sales help the families in Manila who live on the tip send their children to school and stop the cycle of poverty. Arilx

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  3. Whenever someone mentions hankies it takes me back to my Nan in the 50's, she used to keep them in a chocolate box on her chest. Of course, chocolate boxes then used to be really decorative with pictures on the top and quite sturdy.
    Briony
    x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have painted a beautiful picture Briony. I remember the sturdy cardboard boxes that chocs came in and people treasured them. Arilx

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  4. My mum used to make something like this for my dad, he had a terrible sinus problem. She used any old sheets and pillow cases, hemmed on four sides. They all went in the twin tub washing machine last after everything else had been done.

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    Replies
    1. It makes good thrifty and eco sense doesn't it. A lot of what I'm doing is what would have been the norm once upon a time.
      Arilx

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