Fabric Envelope

As I incorporated more hankies, I separated a collection of hankies just for Genevieve. Recently when I sent her to get a hanky for herself from my drawer, she returned with a gorgeous sheer one with elaborate tatting. Oops. I let her use it for the day, albeit anxiously watching over it.



I can't remember how I came to possess these little fabric envelopes (on the left), but I keep my hankies in them. My aunt who knows a lot about vintage linens told me they could be lingerie bags. I decided to make one for my girl.

I turned out my scraps for Genevieve and told her to pick two fabrics she liked. Same thing with buttons. Don't you just admire her choices? I must say, I am rather proud of her blend of patterns and colors.



I flipped up the corners of the envelope flap to further show off the pretty contrast. She is enchanted with her own little stack of hankies in a fabric envelope she helped design (but not sew - I'm still building up patience for that).

Updated: A Tiny Tutorial

1. Cut 2 rectangles about double the height you want the finished envelope to be (but I play around with it, folding it to see what looks right).
2. Sew the rectangles together, right sides facing, leaving a few inches unstitched.
3. Turn the rectangle right side out through the open inches, and press.
4. Topstitch close to the end the whole way around, closing the hole.
5. Just fold up one end to make the envelope and sew the side seams.
6. Now fold down the other end - that's the flap. You can decide to turn up the edges and put decorative buttons on (like I did) or do other fancy stuff: a real closure of some kind like snaps or button/loop, ric rac or lace, etc., or a RUFFLE (wouldn't that be cute?). It's so fun to play with colors and ideas in this way! By the way, I first made my own envelopes with paper years ago, which is another creative option to fiddle with.