Beginner Tutorial: Blocking circle doily with measuring tape

Hello all,

I finally decided to make another tutorial again. Not a video one, it's just a simple pictorial so, hopefully it's easier for you to understand and easier to load :D.

I made these doilies few months ago, and barely had time to do the blocking until today. As I finished blocking the first doily, it came to my mind to make a tutorial on how I do the blocking.

I do the circle doily blocking using pins, blocking mat (for me, soft sponge that is usually used for children playing area), and of course a measuring tape.

If I want to make a perfect blocking, I should use a tracing paper/cloth with circles at different diameters drawn on it. But somehow, that thing is expensive, and I'm too lazy to make one, since I don't normally make doilies. So I decided, let's just use the measuring tape.

Since I am using cotton, I soaked the doily in starch (you don't need to do this with wool or acrylic, water and soap will do). Contrary to some japanese book, I don't spray the starch onto the doily when it was blocked. I found that less trace of starch can be found when the doily dries. I soaked it for 30 - 60 mins. While I soaked it, I always make sure that I shake the bowl/basin where it is soaked and even out the starch, every 10-15 minutes. After it is soaked, do not wash away with clean water. If you wish to wash the doily from dirt and oil, do it before you soak with starch. Squeeze away the excessive water as much as you can, but do not twist. Squeeze by pressing it.

When you are ready with your blocking mat, prepare a towel and wrap the doily in it and further squeeze it. Sometimes, it helps by jumping on the towel. I personally enjoy jumping on it :p.

Ensure that the blocking mat is big enough, and get your pins and measuring tape ready.
In blocking circle doily, it is important to pin it one point to the opposite point (180 degree). To find the first opposite, pick one point and then fold the doily into two.

After that, just pin them to mark it. Don't worry about the measurement, just pin it so that you won't loose the points that you will pin first.

After that, without removing the marking pins, pull the doily to even out and expand the doily.

Pull the doily like this, to even out. Do it on all corners of the doily. After that, put your right hand on the center and pull the doily outward using your left hand (for the left side), and to the same for the right side.

After it evens out (approximately), pin the measuring tape on the middle. It is important not to move the measuring tape after you pin it, and at anytime during blocking. Otherwise, you'll lose your reference point for blocking. I usually, poke the pin needle right onto 0 point of the measuring tape. It doesn't matter if you use inches or cm. As long as you are consistent with radial measurement that you decided (later).

Now, I decided that the radial should be 7 inches. So I pull the first point and pull it to 7 inches.

And then, I do the same to the opposite point. 7 inches from the first point.

Don't worry if it's crumpled, we'll fix it by blocking.

And then start with the third and fourth point. You can choose any points to be your third, but always do the opposite 180 degree for the fourth (and all other even points). And so on...

Doing the fourth point, after third point is set.

 Now, all of corner points are already pinned. If you want to leave it like this, it's ok, i think.

All pointy edges are pinned.

But I do pay attention to the smaller details. There are picots in between of every pointy corner, and I would like to have it clearly defined through blocking.

Oh look! picots to block!

When I pull it, I decided that 5.75 inches is enough.

All picots in one corner are pinned at 5.75"

Just like how you do the points, for the picots, do one to the opposite point of another.

the picots are pinned, and the opposite picots also pinned. Next, choose the third point.

And all points and picots are all pinned well.

Finished blocking. Now wait till it dries!

Ok then... hope my tutorial is working for you! :)