Hankie Couture
Oak Park native transforms hankies into doll clothes.
ROCHEL BURSTYN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Jews in the D
I
t might look like an old
hanky to some, but to
Marsha Greenberg of Oak
Park, it’
s a doll outfit waiting
to happen.
Greenberg, 66, is the creator
of Hankie Couture, which
revamps vintage items such
as handkerchiefs, tea towels,
tablecloths, napkins and doi-
lies into one-of-a-kind doll
clothing.
At age 10, Greenberg was
already creating amateur
designs out of newspapers for
her dolls. By 11, she’
d mas-
tered knitting, crocheting,
embroidering, cross stitching
and needlepoint, to name just
a few.
She married her husband,
Brian, in 1972 and together
they started Marsha Inc.,
a company that designed
and manufactured women’
s
clothing. After selling the
business in 1986, Greenberg
began designing custom-made
dresses for private clients,
even some for the Academy
Awards. (“No one famous,
though,” she said.)
Life would have continued
along that projected path if
not for their fateful trip to
Pennsylvania in 2002. In a
corner of an antique shop,
Greenberg noticed a display of
vintage handkerchiefs.
“I heard the music of a
hundred-piece orchestra in
my head,” is how Greenberg
later described that moment
in the first of her three books
on the subject. “Here were my
… vintage treasures! Flowers
mated expertly with scallop
borders! Romantic roses
lit up by enchanting vines!
Such a happy combination
of elegance and elan! And so
small!”
Greenberg purchased more
than 100 and realized they
would make the most amazing
doll dresses. Most exciting of all
was the fact that no two were
alike. “Where can you go any-
where these days and find only
one of something?” she said.
With each hankie,
Greenberg considers its size,
border, colors, design and
decides what would best suit:
a bodice with long or short
sleeves, with possibly even a
matching hat or purse.
Equally as important to
Greenberg is that kids enjoy
them. “I’
ve seen the way doll
clothes are made today, and
it’
s appalling — cheap polyes-
ter fabrics, Velcro that’
s barely
stitched on,” Greenberg said.
“How can anyone have fun
playing with something so
poorly made?”
Children are not the only
ones who benefit from
Greenberg’
s creations. Over
the years, she’
s received many
letters from around the world,
from people who couldn’
t bear
to throw out their deceased
mother’
s or sister’
s handker-
chiefs.
On the other hand, what
exactly were they supposed to
do with them? Greenberg to
the rescue! She revamps the
handkerchief into a unique
doll outfit, which the family
can display proudly on a doll.
“I think it’
s because my
dresses strike a chord in peo-
ple’
s hearts. They evoke a fond
memory. People feel and see
the love that I have put into
my dresses,” Greenberg said.
To date, Greenberg has cre-
ated more than 6,500 doll out-
fits, which she sells on eBay
(price ranges from $15-$300,
depending on custom detail)
and has the rest on display
in her basement. Still, she
knows there are plenty more
vintage items out there just
waiting to be discovered, and
she’
s prepared: she never goes
anywhere without her tape
measure.
For more information or to purchase
doll clothes or Hankie Couture books
(which include patterns), email
marsha@hankiecouture.com.
“Such a happy
combination of
elegance and
elan! And so
small!”
— MARSHA GREENBERG
28 | OCTOBER 1 • 2020
Marsha Greenberg
celebrating her
August birthday
social-distancing style