Make a Machine Embroidered Handkerchief

Embroidered handkerchiefs make great presents. Now that we have a new embroidery machine, we've been practicing designs and lettering on handkerchiefs. We took some ordinary handkerchiefs and we made them special....and we took scrap fabric (some from old projects and some from old clothes), cut the fabric into a handkerchief sized square, serged the edges to make a handkerchief and then embroidered the handkerchief for a nice finish.

Handkerchief with monogram

Tools
Embroidery Machine 

Materials
White handkerchief
Tailor chalk
Sulky 40 weight rayon embroidery thread
Sulky Fabri-Solvy stabilizer
Sulky KK2000 spray adhesive
Sulky water soluble stabilizer

Step 1
Select the design and organize your thread. We like to place the thread in the order we plan to sew it so we make few mistakes.

Step 2
Use tailor chalk to mark the handkerchief where you place to embroider.

Step 3
Prepare the handkerchief by spraying the back of the area to be embroidered with adhesive spray and then sticking the fabri-solvy stabilizer over the glue. If the design is detailed, spray the front of the handkerchief with adhesive glue and stick Solvy water soluble stabilizer to the front of the handkerchief. If the design is not thick and detailed, then stabilizer on the back alone may be sufficient.

Step 4
Place the handkerchief in the hoop of the embroidery machine.

Step 5
Stitch the design.

Step 6
Dissolve the stabilizer in water.

Further Reading
"Machine Embroidery With Confidence: A Beginner's Guide"; Nancy Zieman; 2005
"Creative Beginnings in Machine Embroidery: Innovative Ideas for Expert Results"; Patty Albin; 2006.
"Embroidery Machine Essentials: How to Stabilize, Hoop and Stitch Decorative Designs";  Twigg Jeanine; 2001.
"Machine Embroidery on Difficult Materials (Book & CD Rom);  Deborah Jones; 2009.
"Machine Embroidery Wild & Wacky: Stitch on Any and Every Surface"; Linda Turner Griepentrog, Rebecca Kemp Brent; 2006.