Handkerchief is one of the essential items to carry with you. It is not only practical (you will find lots of time you need to wipe your hands or face, or tie your hair up and all you need is to pull your handkerchief out), but can also be a sign of your personality. Put a design on the corner of the handkerchief, and you have a unique item that belongs only to you!

Many people make handkerchiefs for themselves and also to give. Handkerchiefs with unique designs make great presents – imagine your beloved ones always keep your handkerchief with them. Quite a happy feeling, isn’t it? I do make a lot of handkerchiefs to use and give to my family and friends.

Sewing a handkerchief is also a simple project that does not take you much time or require much sewing skill. You only need to know how to sew a straight line, with sewing machine or just your hands, to make your own handkerchief. It is also a pleasant activity, when you are tired of making complex projects!

And the best thing is that it does not require you much fabric – a yard of 60 inch wide fabric can make 20 handkerchiefs!

Now let’s get started!

What you’ll need:

1. Materials

– A piece of cloth/fabric of your choice

– Thread of similar color to the main color of the fabric

2. Tools

– Scissors

– Ruler or tape measure

– Pencil/fabric marker

– Needle (for hand sewing) or sewing machine

How to make your own handkerchief in just 3 simple steps:

1. Iron and lay the fabric flat

2. Cut the fabric into your desired measurements

Measure the fabric using your ruler or tape measure and draw the lines to get a square. The handkerchief can be made in any size that you want. For example, the most common handkerchiefs often measure at 10 ½ x 10 ½ in.

Always remember to leave about ¼ in for seam allowance if you don’t want the handkerchief coming out smaller than you expect. Cut the fabric ¼ in from the lines, or if you are not confident with cutting parallel to the lines, draw before cutting.

3. Sew it

Fold all four sides of the fabric and make a narrow hem with a straight line. If you do not have a sewing machine, it’s fine, you can always hand sew it. Check my video for hand sewing instruction of how to make your own handkerchief. I can show you how to sew a hand rolled hem.

If you are using a sewing machine, it may get a bit tricky at the corners. You can get by it after practicing. But personally, I love hand sewn handkerchiefs, just because I love the softer hand rolled hem.