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I look forward to know your ideas.

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Pocket Square Fashion Trend
Schwalm-Style Pocket Square (1)
Schwalm-Style Pocket Square (2)

This small cloth, more than 90 years old, is made of the finest hand-woven linen—with a 25/cm-thread count! It measures 21 cm by 20 cm and has a 1 cm hem.

The edge features a simple hemstitch. Simple needlelace scallops with small needlelace pyramids inside are worked along the edges (please see: Schwalm Needlelace edge decorations – easily embroidered).

Please note that the detailed images show very high magnifications.

The small cloth bearing the initials “H E” was a gift to my father from his relatives in the Schwalm region for his confirmation in 1935.

One corner is decorated with a heart motif featuring an openwork rose stitch pattern. The heart is edged with knife points.

Small leaves and tendrils complete the ornamentation.

The small cloth was kept in the cupboard for decades. Now, as a pocket square, it can enjoy a new lease on life.

Please see also:

Pocket Square Fashion Trend
Schwalm-Style Pocket Square (1)
Schwalm-Style Pocket Square (2)

Pocket squares aren’t just for men. I’ve seen women wearing these accessories lately, too to style clothing in a more striking and individual way.  So, I went through my wardrobe and immediately identified three garments with suitable breast pockets.

In the post Schwalm-Style Pocket Squares (1), I showed a small square cloth featuring a corner motif. Further design possibilities can be found in the small Schwalm borders—originally intended for bodice sleeves or apron ties.

They look completely different depending on the jacket, blazer, blouse, or dress.

You can let wider borders

stick out a long way

or just a little bit.

You can give particularly rustic fabrics that “special something” with it.

You can find many such small edgings—naturally without needle-lace—in my publication “Schwalm Curved Lines, Narrow Borders, and Ornamental Stitches”.

To embroider a pocket square with Schwalm whitework, you need fine linen and a small pattern.
The design should include a heart, a tulip, and a small bird. The motifs are arranged here so that the handkerchief is worn with a corner showing.

20/cm-count linen provides space for small filling patterns within the rather tiny shapes.
Cut to a preliminary size of 30 cm x 30 cm—to allow the embroidery to be mounted in the hoop—the design is ironed onto the linen diagonally to the grain, positioned so that approximately 7 cm of empty space remains towards the edges.

The design (9.5 cm high and 7 cm wide) is embroidered.

Next, the threads are withdrawn.
The peahole hemstitch begins 1 cm away from the motif, followed by a 1.5 cm wide open space for the hem and a 0.3 cm wide strip for the hem allowance. The fabric will later be cut along the outer withdrawn thread line.

The peahole hem should be worked only on the two sides adjacent to the motif. The remaining two sides are secured with simple hemstitches.

Admittedly, hemming is a bit tricky, but manageable with some patience. The cloth now measures 19.5 cm x 19.5 cm and shrank to 19 cm x 19 cm after boiling.

This results in an attractive, distinctive pocket square that reflects the local style.

With the right suit, it can be worn sticking out prominently

or tucked in a little lower.

Even without starch, the linen holds its shape firmly, making the pocket square a real eye-catcher!

Pocket squares featuring Schwalm whitework, designed to be worn flat, will be shown in the next blog post.

Pocket Square Fashion Trend