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Freestanding Battenberg Lace Bracelet #17472

These are instructions on how to embroider the Freestanding Battenberg Lace Bracelet

Stitch-outs of the bracelets - one in white, the other in black colors.

Stitches: 13106
Size: 55.5 x 174 mm
Colors: 2

Stabilizers: We recommend to use water-soluble mesh, such as Vilene. Vilene D0102 is a non-woven dissolvable stabilizer which is imported into the US, is sold in large rolls and is sometimes packaged under different brand names. Some of these brand names are Fabri-Solvy by Sulky, Avalon Plus by Madeira, Wash-Away, and Aqua Magic.

Film-like water soluble stabilizers, such as Solvy by Sulky, Avalon by Madeira and Badge Master are not suitable for Free-Standing Lace embroidery.

Black bracelet decorated with black cabochon and black seed beads.

Threads: The thinner the thread, the finer the final product will be. That is why for this project we recommend machine quilting cotton thread, which gives bulk to the lace and makes it look hand-made.

Embroidery polyester thread will make very fine web-like lace.

Embroidery rayon thread is too soft, it does not keep its shape and often its color will fade under the influence of chemicals from the water-soluble mesh.

You can use 40-, 50- or even 60-weight cotton, and you can use it both in the bobbin and in the needle. If you use 40-weight cotton thread for the needle, you shoul use 50- or 60-weight cotton in the bobbin.

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The drawback of cotton thread is lint. Please don't forget to clean the machine with a soft brush or compressed air after each embroidery.

To get two-sided embroidery, use threads of the same color in the needle and in the bobbin.

Needles: We use size 80/12 embroidery needles and 80/12 metallic needles. Our experience shows that cotton thread used with metallic needles gives less lint. The needles should be sharp, so it's advisable to change them often.

Most Importantly: ALWAYS make a test stitch-out and wash away the stabilizer. This helps you to select the threads, needles, stabilizers and settings of your machine correctly. It's very important to select the correct thread tension!

You can read more about how to embroider Battenberg lace in our tutorial.

Washing out the Stabilizer:

Rinsing away the stabilizer is also an important step, because the lace can be stretched or distorted if this is done incorrectly. We recommend to use a foam board and stainless pins.

Cut away the excess stabilizer close to the stitches. Take your time and carefully pin every single loop on the lace's outer edge to the board.

Now place the board into a bowl with luke-warm water. Leave the board in the water for at least half an hour. Change the water a couple of times.

Take the board out of the water and leave to air dry. Do not unpin the lace until it's completely dry.

Photo demonstrating how to pin machine embroidered lace to a foam board for further washing out of the stabilizer

This stitch-out is used for demonstation purposes only.

Bracelet:

Besides watersoluble mesh and embroidery threads you will need:

any bracelet/necklace clasp,
flat back cabochons, sized between 20-15mm - 30-22mm (we recommend plastic or polymer clay beads; glass and natural stone beads are usually very heavy),

seed beads, or/and pearls size 5 and 8,
basic jewelry tools including pliers and cutters,
craft/fabric glue,
sewing needle and thread.

Stitch-out of the design with seed pearl beads.

All other embellishments are optional and up to you. We used seed beads, small pearl beads, and cabochons. You can use any other small embellishments to your taste to make your bracelet one-of-a-kind! For attaching the decorations, use the same thread with which you made the embroidery, or at least of the same color.

Step One: Hoop 2 layers of watersoluble mesh. Hoop tightly. Upload the file into the machine. Embroider the file.

Step Two: Cut away the excess stabilizer. Neatly pin the stitch-out to a foam board and rinse the remaining stabilizer. Leave to air dry. Press with steam if needed.

Step Three: Attach the bracelet clasp to the ends of the lace.

Step Four: The bracelet looks beautiful without any additional embellishments. However, you can go ahead and use your embellishments to make your bracelet one-of-a-kind! For attaching the decorations, use the same thread with which you made the embroidery, or thread of the same color.

Another good choice is hot-fix crystals, which have an adhesive back activated by pressing with a hot iron. However, if you do not have hot-fix embellishments, use embellishments of your choice and glue them on. We recommend Beacon Adhesives Gem-Tac Permanent Adhesive.