i have a fairly large collection of old hankies from my mom and her mom. some are pretty delicate and many have crocheting around the edges etc. does anyone or has anyone used these to make a quilt? they are thin - from age and the fabric used i guess, and i want to be able to "show off" the crochet edges also.

You are so lucky to have the old Hankies and yes they can and are used in Quilts , just Google Old Hankie Quilts and there are so many , to get a good ideal of how they are made and used :D

Also go here and you'll see all kinds that the board members here have done..
http://www.quiltingboard.com/search....+Quilts&u=&s=0

I have thought about that myself. I found some from my mom and grandmother. I will have to chek it out.

if they are delicate,thin..a quilt would ruin them, if it had to be washed.
I would frame them,under glass..using acid free paper products. and display the that way. you could do a section of a wall in a bedroom,with different older frames. it would be pretty.

a friend had an old knitted blanket that was her great grandmothers. her husband..(who was handy..lol) made a coffee table, and added depth to it, and set the blanket in there.enclosed with glass on top..
stayed clean, no one could touch it..yet is was beautiful to look at..( unlike a quilt,that could be hung up on a wall.)

I have the book Handkerchief Quilts that I am selling. PM me for details if interested.

I made one with vintage hankies, doilies and antique cigarette silks. It was easy to do and a lot of fun. http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-50849-1.htm

I love the quilts made from hankies! I remember seeing one here where the hankies were turned into butterflies. It was amamzing!

I have a lot of my mother's hankies also. I found a book at a quilt show called "Hooked on Hankies" with a nice variety of hanky projects. The website that sells this book is www.d-originals.com.

I have a customer bringing me a hankie quilt in the next week or so. I will post when I get it in.