While cleaning out my mother's house I found these handkerchiefs that reminded me of a time more than 50 years ago when many women, my mother and grandmother included , wore handkerchiefs in pockets or draped them in the edge their purse, leaving the decorative parts exposed. These handkerchiefs were not meant to be used as a tissue, but were purely decoration. The handkerchief for emergencies was probably a white man's handkerchief hidden in the depths of her purse. My grandmother loved to crochet and if you laid anything down, when you picked it back up, it might have a crochet edge on it. Several of these handkerchiefs have her handiwork on the edges. I also have an assortment of dish towels, dish cloths, towels, and pillow cases where she applied her beautiful edgings.
Last week I went to a quilt display at the LaFayette Public Library where I saw some beautiful quilts, both new and old. One of these quilts was made from some decorative handkerchiefs that had been folded or cut into triangles and appliquéd onto quilt squares so that they resembled butterflies. It was stunningly beautiful. Photos of these quilts will be posted on the Chambers County Library website and I will post a link on my blog when it is ready.
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