How to Mount Tatting Onto a Ready Made Handkerchief

There tends to be a hesitancy for people to mount hand made lace to usable cloth items, because of the amount of work gone into tatting the lace. Mount tatting on a ready made handkerchief with hand sewn stitches. Work carefully with the lace, and use precision in the placement of the stitches, to make a beautifully mounted lace handkerchief.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Ready mad handkerchief
• Tatting
• Needle
• Thread
• Scissors

1. Wash, dry and press a ready made linen handkerchief according to the manufacturer's recommendation. Wash the lace by hand, in a small bowl filled with warm water and a small amount of mild soap. Rinse the lace and set it on a lint free towel to dry.

2. Use a needle and coordinating cotton thread to mount the lace on the handkerchief. Thread the needle with the cotton thread, and tie the thread off with a knot at the end.

3. Insert the needle into the hemmed edge of the handkerchief. Do not pull the thread tight. Leave several inches of thread at the end to finish the mounting without leaving a knot visible.

4. Catch the first picot of lace with the needle. Attach the lace to the handkerchief by catching a few threads along the hem. Pull the thread completely through.

5. Continue stitching the lace to the handkerchief in this manner. Gather the lace at the corners before stitching it to the handkerchief. Continue until all of the lace is attached.

6. Finish the mounting by tying off the thread. Tie the two end pieces of string together, where the beginning of the lace begins and ends. Snip the ends of the thread as close to the knot as possible.