When making a mobile or hanging snowflakes and other tatted ornaments on the Christmas tree you want them to be nice and stiff. Here are several methods collected from TatChat, E-Tatters and elsewhere:

• Use spray starch - quick and easy, but result is not all that stiff.

• Make up a small amount of double strength Robin starch in a pudding bowl - if your bowls are not all occupied by Xmas puddings! You can cover it and keep in the fridge for a week or 2 to use for all your snowflakes as you make them. You can also use ordinary cornflour (cornstarch) - recipe somebody, please? This works well with beaded tatting as it does not stick to the beads.

• Paint snowflakes with PVA glue. Dilute the glue half and half with water. If it is too thick it will fill up picots. Maybe sprinkle on some glitter before it dries.

• Paint with clear nail varnish, or use some with girly glitter in it. I used some a year ago and the snowflake has not discoloured.

• Use hairspray.

• Use sugar solution. Dissolve 2 cups sugar in 1 cup boiling water and leave to cool.