On Tips and Tea on Tuesdays, I will cover a topic and hopefully provide you with some tips that will be helpful! And just as an afterthought, tea may occasionally be a cup of Joe!

Tea today, is my old stand by, Earl Grey, black tea, good for bringing a smile on a gloomy, cloudy, day. Another old stand by that provides some needed cheering up, is pulling out my collection of vintage handkerchiefs. These are so dear, and I enjoy pulling them out and just imaging a past life-time when I would place one of these in my pocket book, along with my lipstick, and other dainty-lady’s needs.

Here are some pieces where I used some of my hanky collection, for my book Creative Embroidery Mixing the Old with the New. Often, people ask how can you use hankies? Well the book also covers that too, with projects and gallery pieces! Hanky and Lace Collage, is one of the Projects by Design, the Tea Cozy, is a Stash Project, and Bella Fleur Mouchoir, is a gallery piece.

Tips: Working with Hankies

• Stabilize the hanky with an iron-on sheer-weight or light-weight interfacing.
• Cut a hanky that has an embroidered pattern on 1 or all 4 corners into 4 sections.
• For a hanky that has an allover pattern, cut off each corner, leaving a square in the middle that can also be used in a collaged base.

Happy tea drinking and stitching to you! ~Christen

PS: If you have any questions or thoughts, just leave a comment! See Tips, Tricks, the Basics, for more helpful ideas.