Enjoy a bounty of beautiful,
colorful handkerchiefs with this
tablecloth design.

No longer a staple of proper women and girls, the lowly handkerchief has been relegated to the backs of dresser drawers and the bottoms of storage trunks everywhere. These delicate lacy linens are again seeing the light at flea markets.

Sift through the stock to create a striking combination of colors, embroidery details, and edging styles to add flourish to a plain white tablecloth.

• Purchased tablecloth or no-iron cotton/poly blend fabric (for the tablecloth center)
• Printed handkerchiefs of approximately the same size (for edging), enough to go around the edge of the tablecloth when folded on the diagonal and overlapping slightly
• 7/8-inch-wide eyelet edging, enough to go around the edge of the tablecloth
• 32-inch-long pieces of 3/8-inch-wide satin ribbon in a variety of coordinating colors, one piece for each foot of your tablecloth's perimeter
• 32-inch-long pieces of 1/8-inch-wide satin ribbon in one coordinating color
• White sewing thread

1. Before beginning, wash all fabrics, including the hankies and ribbons, in warm water and let dry; press.

2. Fold hankies in half on the diagonal, or cut in half. Lay the cut or folded pieces all the way around the perimeter of the tablecloth on the right side, overlapping as shown in the diagram. Use a basting stitch to hold the hankies in place.

3. Pin the eyelet edging over the edges of the hankies. Sew along both sides.

4. Lace the ribbons through the eyelets at one-foot intervals. Tie the ends together in bows.

To launder the tablecloth, wash in the gentle cycle of your washing machine, or hand-wash in cool or warm water. Machine-dry and remove when slightly damp. Press the handkerchief edging first, then touch up the center if necessary.