Hankies

A little over a dozen linen handkerchiefs, newly made.

They're not for show or gift-giving or living a twee life, they are for me to use as a durable and practical alternative to tissues.  (I also have this ambition to have linen in my life as much as possible.  I like the feel of linen much better than disposable tissues.)

I cut the store-bought cloth into pieces a couple of years ago and at the time I sewed up a dozen and a half.  That stack has seen continual use.  The amount was almost enough to last between washdays whenever I was afflicted with a cold and more than enough otherwise.  It will be nice now to have ample.

The hankies are simple, no embroidery or monograms.  The cloth is plain-weave.  The size is about the same as a tissue.

I enjoyed sewing the seams by hand over several evenings.  It's satisfying to have the project off the to-do list.  If I had to do it over I would have bought a thicker weight of linen, rather than cloth described as fine handkerchief linen.

I read somewhere that in the old days linen cloth was pressed to make it stain-resistant.  I didn't test stain-resistance, but I tried using my handkerchiefs both ironed and un-ironed to see how they felt.  I like the look of them better ironed but they feel more absorbent when un-ironed.