\nFar from being unhygienic (as many of us have been led to believe), handkerchiefs are great, eco-friendly options that are as kind to your skin as they are to the planet.\n
Let\u2019s learn a bit more about them, and how to make them easily at home!\n
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Kleenex tissues were invented in the early 1920s. They were created as a means of removing cold cream, but the marketers soon came to an epiphany. Instead of being used primarily by women, these disposable cloths were popular with men too. People were using them to blow their noses instead of solely relying on handkerchiefs.\n
As a result, the Kleenex company developed a slogan to convince people that handkerchiefs were unhygienic. Adverts with the slogan \u201cDon\u2019t put a cold in your pocket!\u201d were on almost every radio station and in practically every magazine. This fearmongering tactic worked wonders. Within 30 years, more people were using disposable tissues than handkerchiefs.\n
You can imagine how much money that company has made since instilling this paranoia?\n
Because of this message, many people have been inundated with the idea that handkerchiefs are unhygienic. After all, you can throw a tissue into a magical garbage bin as soon as you use it. This rids you of germ-laden sinus drippings immediately.\n
In contrast, you\u2019d carry a used handkerchief around with you until you get home. Make sense?\n
We now live in an era where people are acutely aware of the need for sustainability and eco-friendly living. As a result, we\u2019re all more aware of the far-reaching impact that our daily choices have on the world as a whole.\n
Consider how many trees are cut down to make disposable tissues. And how much water is needed to process them! According to Dr. Yu, founder of World Green International, \u201c17 trees will have to be cut down, and 20,000 gallons of water is contaminated to produce a ton of tissue paper.\u201d\n
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The average daily tissue consumption for a single city is over 600 tons. And that\u2019s just one city, using over 11,000 trees and about 12 million gallons of water for the sake of disposable tissues.\n
We can do better than this.\n
Now add to that the fact that these tissues are full of all kinds of less-than-wonderful chemicals. Most tissues contain amounts of petrochemicals, formaldehyde, and chlorine bleach. These can do a lot of damage to your skin, and the body absorbs them more easily through broken skin.\n
In contrast, cotton handkerchiefs are gentle to adult and child skin alike. Furthermore, the only chemicals in them will be via your choice of laundry detergent.\n
The key to better handkerchief hygiene isn\u2019t a matter of disposability. Rather, we need to keep used hankies from contaminating everything else until we can wash them.\n
Fortunately, there\u2019s an easy fix for this. Cloth menstrual pads and diapers come with leak-proof carrying bags. Get yourself some waterproof storage bags for your handkerchiefs as well, and you\u2019re good to go!\n
Break out the sewing machine and cloth. We\u2019re diving in!\n
Make sure you only buy 100% cotton fabric to make your handkerchiefs. Synthetic fiber blends can irritate your skin, and they\u2019re not absorbent. Some people use cotton-linen blends, which can be okay too but are rougher. Similarly, silk-cotton blends are soft and pretty, but not durable. They\u2019re okay for dabbing away tears rather dramatically, but won\u2019t hold up to dealing with hardcore sinus effluvium.\n
You can use any weight cotton in either solid hues or prints. Kids tend to like colorful animal prints, for example. I\u2019m a fan of floral and botanical prints, and you can get manly designs as well.\n
*Here\u2019s a tip: the same sturdy 100% cotton fabric that\u2019s ideal for quilting just happens to be perfect for handkerchiefs too. If you\u2019re making a quilt and have fabric left over, transform it into a handkerchief!\n
First and foremost, wash and dry your fabric thoroughly. I recommend washing the cotton on cold with two rinse cycles. Then either hang it on the line to dry or put it through the dryer on medium heat. This will eliminate any excess fabric dyes and prevent the cotton from shrinking after you sew it.\n
Once dried, iron it well to eliminate any creases. Then lay it out on a flat surface and use your measuring tape or ruler to measure out a square size that you like.\n
The average size is around 16\u2033 x 16\u2033 (or 40cm x 40cm), but it\u2019s really up to you. Many people like to fold hankies into quarters, so a 16\u2033 square will be a 4\u2033 pocket square folded up. Alternatively, you can make yours tenugui style instead, at 14\u2033 x 36\u2033 (or 35cm x 90 cm).\n
Add an extra 1\/2\u2033 on each side for the seam allowance.\n
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Fold each side over 1\/4\u2033 (7mm) and iron flat. Then repeat this so that each edge has been double-folded and ironed. If you\u2019ve never made a double-folded hem before, check out this video. Before you baste these into place, use your scissors to cut a small triangle off the edge of each square. This prevents the corners from \u201cbulking up\u201d when you sew them.\n
After you trim the edges off, double-fold and iron those seams back into place. Then use the contrast thread to baste them lightly with a running stitch. If you\u2019ve never done this by hand before, check out this tutorial:\n
Do you have everything basted into place? Excellent: it\u2019s time to sew.\n
You can do this either by hand or with a sewing machine. If you\u2019re using a machine, load up your bobbin with the thread you\u2019ve chosen to finish these. Then get that spool into place, thread the needle, and set your machine to \u201cstraight stitch.\u201d\n
You\u2019ll want to stitch 5 mm in from the outer edge of your fabric. If you\u2019ve never sewn corners before, there\u2019s an easy method. When the needle is in the \u201cdown\u201d position, lift the presser foot off the fabric. Then turn your project 90 degrees, and put the presser foot back down. This will create a perfectly turned corner!\n
This is a really quick process, but can be intimidating to a novice sewer. If you\u2019d prefer to sew handkerchiefs by hand for now, that\u2019s absolutely okay! I love to sew these by hand, and they\u2019re good practice for hand stitching in general. Use a backstitch for this kind of hand sewing. It\u2019s sturdy and strong, and very easy to keep in a straight line.\n
When you\u2019ve sewn all the way around your hem, secure the end with a double knot. Pull the thread through the fabric layers, then tug slightly before cutting it. This will hide the ends inside the hem you\u2019ve just sewn, keeping everything tidy.\n
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Use the seam ripper or manicure scissors to remove your contrast-hued basting stitches. Then, fold your handkerchief into a square and iron it flat.\n
Wasn\u2019t that fun? And easy?!\n
This is a great project for a rainy weekend afternoon. If you\u2019re using a sewing machine, you can hammer out several handkerchiefs in a single day. Or hand-sew them to wind down in the evenings. Whichever method you choose, you\u2019ll have several glorious stacks of handkerchiefs for when you need them.\n
Remember that handkerchiefs aren\u2019t just for colds and flus! They\u2019re great to carry with you for a number of different reasons. They\u2019re great for keeping sweat out of your eyes when gardening, for example. You can also dampen them with some water to clean ice cream off your kids\u2019 faces or mop up spills when out in public.\n
Keep some in your bag along with one of those waterproof cases, and toss them into the laundry when you get home. Every so often, hang them outside in the sunshine or soak them in a 1:1 water to vinegar ratio soak to disinfect them. When you use them, you\u2019ll be kinder to your skin, as well as kinder to the environment.\n
And that\u2019s awesome for everyone.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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