Editing Tatting (section)

===Materials===
Older designs, especially through the early 1900s, tend to use fine white or ivory thread (50 to 100 widths to the inch) and intricate designs. Often they were constructed of small pieces 10&nbsp;cm or less in diameter, which were then tied to each other to form a larger piece — a [[shawl]], veil or umbrella, for example. This thread was either made of silk or a silk blend, to allow for improper stitches to be easily removed.{{Citation needed|date=July 2014}} The [[mercerised cotton|mercerization]] process strengthened cotton threads and spread their use in tatting. Newer designs from the 1920s and onward often use thicker thread in one or more colors, as well as newer joining methods, to reduce the number of thread ends to be hidden. The best thread for tatting is a "hard" thread that does not untwist readily. [[Gimp (thread)|Cordonnet thread]] is a common tatting thread; Perl cotton is an example of a beautiful cord that is nonetheless a bit loose for tatting purposes. Some tatting designs incorporate [[ribbon]]s and [[bead]]s.