Vintage Hanky Wall Art

What to do with the numerous vintage hankies I've acquired over the years, mostly from estate sales? Of course, I could just frame them and admire the pretty designs, but I decided to turn a few of them into wall art, instead.

This project starts with a 10-inch-square canvas that has a depth of about 5/8 inch. These types of canvases, which are readily available at any art or crafts store, are handy because they can be hung on the ridge created by the stretcher bars, so they don't need to be framed although they can be. 

I painted the lavender background with acrylic paint, using a natural sponge to dab on the paint. I created the flower with a circular layer of lace, made by a simple running stitch at the bottom of a length of lace and pulled the thread to form a circle.

I also used two yellow hankies with floral designs, another much smaller layer of lace, and glass pearls in the center. This particular design requires two vintage hankies because the corners are used to form the petals of the flower.

 I hand stitched the flower and stitched the pearls to it before centering and gluing the flower to the canvas with craft glue.

Flowers will have a three-dimensional effect, rather than a two-dimensional look that a vintage hanky framed flat would have.

Visit my PaulaDSewing Patterns site on Etsy to see more examples.