DIY Wedding

How to Make an Heirloom Lace-Edged Hanky for the Bride-to-Be

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Jennifer Stern, contributor

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My embroidered initial was an opportunity for a little something blue.

Jen Stern

You'll be surprised how easy it is to make mitered lace corners!

Jen Stern

My friend Pam sends this sweet note off with each hanky she gives to a bride-to-be...

Pam

My embroidered initial was an opportunity for a little something blue.

Photo: Jen Stern

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Adjust the zigzag stitch to "whip and roll" the lace edges together. Reduce the stitch length to 0.8 mm and lengthen the width to 4.0 mm. Tighten the needle tension to 5 or 6. The sewing technique is the same as the one we used to sew the lace to the edge of the batiste. We are going to zig onto the blue line and zag off the edge of the lace seam allowances. The difference is that we hiked up the tension—as you sew off the edge of the lace, the thread will actually roll the edges of the lace, finishing them as you go! (Whip and roll is a great way to sew and finish edges in one step if you're working with lightweight fabrics!)

Start stitching right at the tip of the batiste, and whip and roll your way to the tip of the lace.

As you stitch off the outer corner of the lace, don't panic as the lace disappears under the presser foot—it'll come out nice and neat. (I'm always amazed at how cool this technique works for stuff like this!)

Don't worry as you stitch off the outer corner of the lace.

When the corners are done, give your hanky a final press. If one of your corners didn't come out perfectly, squeeze a small dot of Fray Check into the corner for a little invisible reinforcement.

A little Fray Check can provide some reinforcement.

If you want to embroider an initial in the corner, fold the hanky and press to create creases to use as a guide. First, fold on the diagonal to find the center above the corner. Then fold the corner in toward the center of the hanky (lining up the first crease on top of itself as you fold). Crease the second fold when you've positioned it where you want to center the embroidery.

I positioned the center of my embroidered initial 4 inches away from the corner.

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Comments (8)

Lilyangel writes: *first attempt....
Posted: 1:07 pm on January 21st

Lilyangel writes: Needing to make a bride's hankie for my dil...just wondering, did you hem (rolled or otherwise) the hankie before you added the lace? I can't tell from the pictures and it doesn't say in the tutorial...Fist attempt here so I want to make sure I know what I am doing!! lol
Thanks!!
Posted: 1:04 pm on January 21st

NeedtoSewBlog writes: Absolutely lovely! Just the perfect gift this time of year.

Thank you!
http://www.needtosew.blogspot.com
Posted: 1:45 pm on June 5th

tsailee writes: Brayden, I was able to find this online and thought it might help:
http://bumblebeelinens.com/hankiebonnet.php

Martha Pullen also sells handkerchief bonnet kits at her store: http://store.marthapullen.com. Look at the menu on the left under "Kits".

These are also great gifts for older men who prefer monogrammed hankies to Kleenex. Just serge the edges instead of adding lace.
Posted: 1:22 pm on May 27th

Sweet_Dee writes: I am always looking for ways to make heirlooms, I love this! I love the words in the poem and the whole idea! LOVE THIS HANKY!
Posted: 9:21 pm on May 17th

Brayden4 writes: I love the hanky with the 'blue' initial embroidery. I will be doing that for my daughters wedding.
Does anyone have a pattern for a brides hanky that turns into something for a baby? I can't remember what it was, but I loved the idea, any suggestions would be helpful!!!
Posted: 10:31 pm on May 16th

JenniferStern writes: Hi Meredith, I like to use Aqua Mesh wash away stabilizer--it looks like paper (not the clear stuff). After the embroidery is done, I trim most of the stabilizer away and then the rest washes away. I almost alway use 505 Temporary Adhesive Spray to hold the fabric in the hoop--It makes it much easier to get the embroidery positioned exactly where I want it! (Never too many questions... :>)
Posted: 5:12 pm on May 16th

MeredithP writes: I love heirloom sewing, but really have no use for it. I like this idea very much. I assume you used a wash away stabilizer when you machine embroidered? What type do you like for this purpose? Did you use temporary spray adhesive to secure the hankie to the stabilizer, or perhaps sticky wash away? So many questions...:-)
Posted: 9:39 am on May 16th

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