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The FSL Battenberg Butterfly Border Lace Set is a set of two designs. One of the designs is a rectangle pattern. The second design is a corner pattern. Different combinations of these two patterns allow you to create beautiful table linens of different shapes and sizes.
To embroider this type of lace, please read our recommendations first.
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 repackaged under different brand names. Two of these brand names are Wash-Away and Aqua Magic. Film-like water soluble stabilizers, such as Solvy, are not suitable for Free-Standing Lace embroidery.
Threads: The thinner the thread, the finer the final product will be. That is why we recommend that at least one of the threads, either in the bobbin or in the needle, should be cotton, which gives bulk to the lace and makes it look hand-made. Embroidery polyester thread will make very fine weblike lace.
Embroidery rayon thread is too soft, it does not keep its shape and very often its color fades under the influence of chemicals from the watersoluble mesh.
If you are using 50- or 60-weight cotton, you can use it both in the bobbin and in the needle. If you use 40-weight cotton thread for the needle, you can use regular polyester bobbin thread.
We used Signature machine quilting cotton thread, but similar threads from other companies should work just as well.
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 after every project.
Most Importantly: ALWAYS make a test stitch-out of the design and wash away the stabilizer. This helps you to select the threads, needles, stabilizers and settings of your machine correctly. DO NOT embroider several designs in one hoop.
Our first sample is the small tablerunner. Its finished size is 10" wide by 20" long.
Step One: Make a test stitch-out of one of the files. If you are satisfied with the results, embroider the files "corner" and "border" four times each.
Rinse the stabilizer and leave to air dry.
Press all parts with steam. On your working table, lay out the designs in a rectangle.
Manually, join the parts in the places marked in red. Use the same thread with which you made the embroidery.
Step Two: Place the lace frame on a piece of fabric and pin in place.
Step Three: With a straight stitch along the inner outline of the lace, attach the lace to the fabric. Work from the right side of the tablerunner.
Step Four: With a pair of sharp scissors cut away the excess fabric close to the stitch.
Step Five: Return to your sewing machine and using short and dense zig-zag, stitch over the raw edge of the fabric from the wrong side. Use thread of the same color in the bobbin! Our lace is pale pink, so we used pale pink bobbin thread.
For a tablerunner 15 inches wide, add a border piece between the corners on each short side. You can make the long sides of the tablerunner as long as you need by adding border pieces.
To make square doilies of any size, add equal numbers of border pieces between all the corners.
The smallest square doily is 10" x 10". To make it, embroider the file "corner" four times.
Follow the Steps 1 though 5 to assemble the doily.
By adding one piece of border between all corners, you'll get a square doily measuring about 15" x 15".
The possibilities of the set depend only on your time and patience. By combing the corners and borders, you can make doilies, tablerunners, tabletoppers and tableclothes of any sizes .
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