Making of Handkerchiefs Is Fascinating Work

1910

Here's a New Fad

Girl Who Is Adept With Her Needle May Easily Provide Herself With a Supply of Handsome Ones

Handkerchief making is fascinating work, and any girl who sews neatly may easily provide herself with a supply which will be a matter of pride to herself and of envy to her less industrious associates.

French or Irish linen of the finest quality should be used for any handkerchiefs destined to carry elaborate embroideries, and the greatest care should be exercised in the cutting of the squares. To draw a thread in the four directions is the only safe way, as otherwise the delicate material is apt to twist and become unmanageable.

When Armenian or any other very fine lace edging is used the handkerchief need not be hemstitched, although infinite care must be devoted to the hand hemming, as irregularly set stitches spoil the entire effect of the work.

Exceedingly narrow hemstitched borders are more than ever popular, and nearly always handkerchiefs so treated have corners embroidered delicately with wreaths, clusters or semi-detached butterfly and flower designs. Sometimes only one corner is decorated with a rather large and elaborate spray pattern, or a medallion will inclose a small initial. Only when there is no other decoration should a monogram be employed.

Fancy lace stitches are blended with the embroidery patterns, as in the case of the lily pads, which show petals of fine netting, and the butterflies, with transparent wings. Sometimes a girl who embroiders indifferently but sews with extraordinary neatness appliques lace motifs upon the corner of a handkerchief and then cuts away the material from the under side, but this is difficult to accomplish, and a slip of the scissors means ruin to the entire piece of work.

Scallop borders are exceedingly dainty, but that sort of work takes an immense amount of time and is so heavy in proportion to the fabric that it is easily torn. The better way is to buy a machine scalloped handkerchief of fine quality and embroider it daintily, than to devote hours of toil to a border which may be reduced to a ragged fringe the first time it is tendered.