Fig. 165. A good arrangement of picot
Now with your fine embroidery scissors cut close to the stitches of the three blocks at each corner. The cut threads are drawn out. Four more cuttings will be necessary on each side. They should be made against the stitches only; that is, the threads that are running in the same direction as the stitches should be cut. [Figure 165] shows where the cuts were made and the threads drawn out. The remaining threads are woven. A mercerized or dull finished marking cotton is used for the weaving. It may be either the plain weaving or may have picots on each side of the bar. Another pretty arrangement of picots is to place them on one side of the bars so that they appear in groups of four each facing the other ([Figure 165]).
Sometimes a lace stitch is used such as the spider or simple loop stitch. Directions for making a spider will be found in the chapter on lace stitches. The loop stitch is made by taking a stitch in the centre edge of each bar. Take a stitch just as if you were buttonholing.
Buttonholing the edge is preferred by many to hemstitching.
Fig. 166. The pyramid stitch
A pretty stitch often seen bordering a row of drawn work is made in pyramid form. It can be as deep as desired. First take a stitch over two strands of the material then three, then four, then five and down again to two ([Figure 166]). This stitch must be worked of course before any of the threads are drawn.