>>>Mary writes: Okay, here's a newby question asked to me by another newby, and it had me thinking. She found some pre-made linen hankerchiefs in her basement and wants to add a lace edging to them. I know to use cotton thread on cotton, or linen thread on a linen hankerchief. <<<
If I'm using a pre-hemmed hankie, I prefer to make straight lace and gather the corners. If the lace pattern I want to use has corners, I may wash lace and fabric, mount the lace, and *then* trim the fabric. However, any pattern with corners can be made straight and mounted with gathered corners. If you want to make straight lace, here's how to figure out how long to make it. Decide what finished size you want the fabric portion to be (e.g., 10 inches). Choose your lace pattern and find out how wide it will be (e.g., 3 inches. The distance from one corner of the fabric to the other is 10 inches, but the distance from one corner of the lace-trimmed hanky to the other is 10 + 3 + 3 inches (fabric length plus twice the width of the lace). Multiply that by 4 sides and add at least 1/4 inch (I prefer 1/2 to 1 inch) for each corner, so the outside edge has some "give". If the pre-hemmed hankie is not quite square, add up the four sides of it, add 8 times the width of the lace (4 corners, each needing 2 widths) plus the "give" (1 to 4 inches). Robin P. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA http://www.pittsburghlace.8m.com/ - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
