This is a handkerchief holder that my grandma sent me years ago. Filled with beautiful and delicate handkerchiefs. The holder itself is stunning. Embroidery on silk; ivory on ivory -- one of my favorite combinations. I've had these for years and finally decided to do something substantial. A scarf!
After carefully washing and ironing 14 of the handkerchiefs, I laid them out in two long rows and worked the arrangement until each row was pretty much the same length. I decided not to sweat about whether the edges matched up. I only wanted the ends to be the same. There's a handkerchief with a very delicate "S" embroidered on it. I knew that one needed to be on one of the ends. My grandma's name was Sadie and I think that handkerchief was her very own.
I sewed the handkerchiefs together using a very basic zig zag. I had a few tension issues at first but got it together and the sewing went very quickly. My machine is used to slogging through recycled wool sweaters and cashmere. This stuff was far too delicate!
The final result is a light and airy, beautiful spring scarf. I can't wait for the weather to warm up just a touch so I can trade my cashmere scarf for this one. Today it never crossed the 30 degree line so it may be a week or two before I can wear it.
In the meantime, my next project is looming. Literally. I have a theory that I can weave long strips of cashmere and make some fabulous scarves for next winter. I found a great tutorial here:
http://www.hallnet.com/Weave.html
and have already bought and marked the wood for cutting. I'm going to try it out first on some old t-shirts rather than risk cutting up the cashmere without a plan. Can't wait.
What wintery projects are you hatching this spring?
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