30~ For Sneezes?

Handkerchief: /ˈhaNGkərCHif,ˈhaNGkərCHēf/
noun
a square of cotton or other finely woven material, typically carried in one's pocket
and intended for blowing or wiping one's nose.
synonyms: hanky; kerchief, bandanna; tissue
"a monogrammed handkerchief"
There are all sorts of descriptions and histories of the handkerchief. I've always liked the expression Lucy uses, in The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, when she asks the hedgehog laundress, "Have you seen my pocket-handkins?"

As Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle goes through her ironing, Lucy spies one, but it's not hers,
"Why, there's another handkersniff, but it isn't mine. It's red?"

And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, replies, "Oh no, if you please'm. That one belongs to old Mrs.Rabbit, and it did so smell of onions! I've had to wash it separately... I can't get out the smell."

Pocket-handkins and handkersniffs... two words, alone, that endeared me to Beatrix Potter.

These pocket-handkins came four to a pack, from Collage, in Portland Oregon... a Sublime Stitching blank textile. Just the kind of souvenir I cannot resist... one that packs easily, and will inspire creative play.

I decided to revisit painting and embroidering. So, I drew a romantic little ratty, with her bouquet of pink posies. Then I used acrylic craft paints to fill in color. I use water sparingly, and the cotton square was heavy enough, that none of the paint seeped through, which is nice.

A bit of navy blue floss for her eye, and gray for her face, arms, and legs. A pale, sage-y green for the stems and leaves, and three shades of pink for everything, else, including all of those French-knot flowers.


After outlining her dress, and creating a belt of posies around her waist, I trimmed the edges in leaves, and more flowers.

Because.

Well.

Because, I love anthropomorphic rats and mice and bunnies, and romantic bits, like pocket-handkins embroidered by hand.

I wonder, would I actually sneeze into this little handkersniff?
Would you?

With Infinity More Monkeys, a picture a day.