On a chilly November day my fiancé told me that I shouldn't spend a cent on a gift for his birthday. If I wish to give him something, it should be completely free for me. Ok... I couldn't sew him any clothes at the moment, so I thought "so... What else could I do myself?" I've always enjoyed cross-stitching, but obviously I didn't want to give him a "cute" cross-stitched picture of kittens or flowers. Plus, my eyes wouldn't thank me for that (it's tough to be short-sighted, oh yes).

I'm sure that for some people a handkerchief will be a completely useless gift. To be honest, I don't have a single handkerchief, even though I often have a Kleenex in my handbag. But my husband is different. As a proper gentleman, he's not only having, but actually using handkerchiefs. So it didn't take me too long to realize that I can make him one. With his initials. In an old-fashioned classy style.

For my handkerchief I've chosen 100% Italian cotton. Actually it's a shirt fabric I've bought a few years ago to use as a lining.

As for the embroidery, it took me some time to decide what type of stitch to use. I've never successfully tried anything apart from the cross stitch, so... But luckily I chose chain stitch. And that was an awesome choice! It's a very easy and nice stitch, suitable for a variety of projects. It was really easy to stitch my husband's initials.

First of all, I draw "DJ" on the fabric. Then I started stitching, using a wood embroidery hoop. As for the thread, I really wanted to buy a special rayon one, but it was too late to order it, and I could't find it in any shops. So, just like my husband wished, I spent 0 cents on that gift. I used a sewing Gutermann thread. After finishing the embroidery, I sewed the handkerchief and pressed it.

And I must say it was the first, but not the last handkerchief. I've already made another one.

Do you like hand embroidery? If yes, what was your most recent or most special project?