Enid (who is a valued member of the sewing industry for more years than she cares to

admit) loves to use her sewing/embroidery machine to create beautiful practical items.

These scrumptious hankies are perfect for weddings or mother’s day gifts with

Enid turning a simple 11in square of handkerchief linen into a uniquely treasured

keepsake with the addition of machine embroidery and decorative stitching.

ENID’S TIP: Use two layers of Dissolve Magic when embroidering stand-alone lace. It is easier to work with the lace while the stabiliser is still in it, so roughly cut around each lace design washing out the stabiliser once each hankie is complete. Also make sure your fabric is well stabilised using several coats of spray starch. Use Tear-away Magic at the back of all decorative stitching as it not only supports the stitching, it is an eco-friendly product that pulls away easily from the back of stitching when dampened without distorting the stitches in any way.

 

Hankie A is edged with a 1in fine heirloom cotton edging lace. Firstly attach the lace to the right side edge of the 11in fabric square using a straight stitch in 5mm from the edge of the fabric and mitring the corners of the

lace as you sew. Then use a wing needle and a hemstitch width and length 2.5 so the stitch swings over the straight edge of the lace and punches a hole in the fabric.

Use small sharp scissors to cut the excess fabric from the back of the lace around the outside edge of the fabric.

Enid had fun playing with her software to create a delicate embroidery design for one corner of the hankie.

The other four hankies use stand-alone lace designs from Jenny’s Lace Glorious Lace design CD using designs: lgl02b, lgl02d, lgl02e (corner motifs) and lgl07a (edging lace).

Hankie B uses a three thread rolled hem setting on the overlocker/serger around the edge of the fabric, chaining off and leaving a tail at each corner. Use a wing needle and a hem stitch (as for Hankie A) width and length 3. Sew this around the inside edge of the rolled hem so the swing of the needle just goes off the fabric and doing so creates a neat shell edge to the hankie (clever idea

Enid). Use the rolled hem tails to aid the stitching when going around the corners. Dot each corner with fray stop, allow to dry and then clip the tails. Attach design lgl102 to a corner of the hankie (wrong side of lace to right side of fabric) using a narrow zigzag and then cut the fabric from behind the lace.

Hankie C uses the same technique as Hankie B with design lgl02d stitch in each corner. You could also sew the bride and groom’s names or initials and wedding date in one corner for a bridal hankie, or your mother’s name for a mother’s day gift.

Hankie D uses a decorative stitch (No F1-7) from Enid’s Husqvarna Viking SE sewing machine around the edge of the fabric so the needle just catches the edge of the fabric with the longest stitch throw going into the fabric on the left of the decorative stitch. In doing this a scallop edge effect is achieved without the need to cut around scallops – another clever idea Enid! On the inside of this stitch use a wing needle to sew an entredeux stitch that is parallel to the first row of stitching and aligned with the edge of the long throw

stitch from the previous row. Attach design lgl02e across the corner as for Hankie B and embroider the word ‘Mother’ above it.

Hankie E. Enid used her software to join lgl07c to the top end of lgl071 so it stitches out as one length of edging lace, which is the perfect size for one side of the hankie. Save this design and call it edge. Stitch out four of these designs and four lgl02d. Use design lgl02d (at the corners) to connect the edge design into a square. Lay this lace square over the 11in fabric square and attach it around the edge using a wing needle and hemstitch (as in Hankie A) and then cut the excess fabric from behind the lace. Again, initials or names can be embroidered in one corner of this stunning hankie.