Didn't know which forum was most appropriate...

I've seen various references over the years to men in the 1700s carrying handkerchiefs in the sleeves of their shirts. I don't think it was specific to Scottish kilted gentlemen; it seems to have been common for everyone regardless of attire or nationality.

It seems they would somehow stuff the handkerchief up the sleeve for storage, then pull it out for blowing their noses, wiping their brows, or whatever, then stuffing it back in there. Is this really true?

And if so, can someone tell me more about it? Did they use the same size hankys that we see today? What were they made of? Did they fold them up before stuffing them in there, or did they just wad them up? Or maybe did they have some fancy way of wrapping it round the forearm so it didn't make a lump in the sleeve? Where did they pull it out from and stuff it back into: through the end of the sleeve at the cuff, or from the slit above the cuff? Did they leave the tail of the hanky sticking out for easy access or was it supposed to be hidden?

It's just something I've been curious about, and I can't seem to wrap my mind around the idea of storing a snotty or sweaty rag in my sleeve.