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    Home » Crafts

    DIY Handmade Bookmarks Using Vintage Linens

    Updated: Jan 11, 2021 by Melissa Mortenson · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 1 Comment

    Jessica from Cutesy Crafts is with us today sharing the most beautiful bookmark project! She’s repurposing vintage linens into handmade bookmarks! The fabric is from her great-grandmother. I love that each time she uses the bookmarks it can remind her of her family.  

    vintage linen bookmark

     

    Tutorial for Handmade Bookmarks from Vintage Linens

    When going through my great grandmother’s things, we found a few beautiful old handkerchiefs. Not knowing what I would do with them, I took them home until I came up with an idea. I finally found a use for some of them and made them into no-sew fabric bookmarks. Now I can enjoy their beauty and think about her every time I use them.

    vintage linen bookmark

     

    To make these no-sew fabric bookmarks, you’ll need:

    • vintage handkerchief or other scraps of fabric
    • scraps of thick fabric, such as canvas or duck cloth
    • paper backed, no-sew, fusible interfacing (Heat n Bond Ultrahold)
    • ruler
    • pen or pencil
    • parchment paper
    • scissors
    • scallop fabric shears or pinking shears
    • D

    Fabric Bookmark Directions:

    Step One:

    Start by drawing a 2 x 6 inch rectangle on the paper side of your interfacing.

    Position the interfacing, paper-side-up, on the “wrong” side of your handkerchief. Iron it down and let it cool. If your handkerchiefs are thin, like mine were, use a piece or parchment paper to protect your ironing board from the interfacing. The stickiness on mine seeped through a little.

    Cut out the rectangle.

    Peel off the paper backing.

    Place your rectangle on top of your thicker fabric, with the interfacing side down. Make sure it’s a solid fabric with no print. White worked great for mine! Iron it down and let it cool.

     

    Step Two:

    Cut out your rectangle again, with some fabric scissors. Then trim both sides with the scalloped shears, to make a pretty design on the edge. You can use regular pinking shears for this as well, but I really like the scallops.

    You can totally play around with this tutorial and use different scraps of fabric. They don’t have to be handkerchiefs. I made some for my girls with scraps of some unicorn fabric that I had sitting around. They love them!

    vintage linen bookmark vintage linen bookmark

     

     

    About the Maker:

    Jessica of Cutesy Crafts

    Hi, I’m Jessica, and I blog at Cutesy Crafts.  I’m a stay-at-home mom to four cute kids, and I love all things crafty!  My blog is filled with all kinds of crafts, mostly for my kids and my home. I believe that handmade items are special because of the details and special touches that a machine can’t reproduce.  For that reason, I’m also a big fan of hand embroidery.  I hope I can inspire you to be creative!

    Check out these other projects from Cutesy Crafts:

    How to Make a Blanket for a Baby

    Felt Bow DIY Bookmarks

    Beauty and the Beast Coloring Page Bookmarks

    More Vintage Linen Projects:

    How to Make a Quilt out of Vintage Handkerchiefs

    Vintage Handkerchief Baby Burp Cloths

    25+ Projects to Make with Vintage Linens

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    About Author

    Melissa Mortenson

    Melissa Mortenson is a blogger, designer, and content creator. She is the Polka Dot Chair blog founder and has been sharing fresh and creative ideas with readers since 2008. She is the author of “Project Teen, Handmade Gifts your Teen will Actually Love.” Her work and designs have been featured on HuffPost, TODAY, Pioneer Woman, HGTV, BuzzFeed, Better Homes & Gardens, and many other established publications. Her first fabric line, “Derby Style,” debuted in January 2015 through Riley Blake Designs.  Additional fabric collections have followed it in subsequent years. A mom of 3, she considers herself lucky to be living in Kentucky.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shanna Cartmell says

      September 05, 2018 at 11:53 pm

      Precious! I have some vintage hankies, now I know what to do with them. ?

      Reply

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    I’m also a Mom and a Maker. I am like most of you, just trying to do my best every day. Some days I succeed, many days I fail.  I find joy in creating, if you do too, then I hope that you find something here bring a little “happy” to your life.  Find out more about me here.

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