This is the Easter dress I made for my GD Katie. It went out in the mail today – just in time.                The design is “Megan’s Bunny” by Ann Hallay and is done in counterchange smocking on a striped cotton fabric. The embellishments are bullion carrots and lazy daisy greenery. I tried to make my own pom-pom bunny tails but had a difficult time making them small enough. So I bought the pom-poms and sewed them in place. They will probably last longer than homemade ones anyway. The unusual part of this dress is the tatting around the collars. I took it from a handkerchief and reused it on the dress. I love tatting and have collected many handkerchiefs for the wonderful tatted edgings they have. One handkerchief has just enough edging to apply to 2 child sized collars. I don’t usually pay more than $5 for the hanky and can sometimes get them for $3 each. That’s pretty cheap for glorious handmade tatting!  Pick the hanky you want to use. Check that it is in good repair. Cut out the center of the hanky and leave about 1/4 ” on the tatting. Cut into each corner but not into the tatting. Mark the seam line on the collar, lightly with a pencil or washable marker. Then apply small pieces of Wonder Tape along the seam line. Tape pieces can overlap in the seam allowance. Start with a corner of the tatting and press it down at one of the curves of the collar. Lay the bottom of the tatting along the seam line. Continue along the entire edge of the collar, trying to maneuver the corners at the curves.  Sew the tatting down along the bottom edge at the seam line. Apply the back of each collar with right sides together sewing on top of the same stitch line. Clip the seam of the curves and turn the collar out. 

Press and there you have a beautiful collar! Isn’t that amazing? And think of all the choices you’ll have. Be on the lookout for cute hankies that can make that special dress even more unique and individual. And what a great way to recycle beautiful linens.