| Our machine embroidered freestanding Battenberg lace does not imitate
hand-made Battenberg lace.
We include specific recommendations for stitching out every particular
design on the page of that design. This page has some general instructions. |
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| 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.
Madeira's Avalon Plus has the same nonwoven texture and is also good
for the purpose.
Film-like water soluble stabilizers, such as Solvy, Badge Master, Madeira's
Avalon are not suitable for Free-Standing Lace embroidery.
We buy Vilene at PGS
Specialties; you can use the same store or check to see if water-soluble
Vilene is available locally.
The drawbacks of Vilene are that it leaves lint, so clean the bobbin
case with a soft brush after every project. Also, dissolve it only in luke-warm
water; in hot water, the chemicals in the mesh can cause the color of the
thread to fade. |
| Threads: You can embroider this type of lace with any embroidery
threads: polyester, rayon and cotton. The choice of thread depends on your
project.
The thinner the thread, the finer the final product will be.
Embroidery polyester thread will make very fine weblike lace.
You might like its looks and feel for garments.
Embroidery rayon thread is too soft, it does not keep its shape well
and very often its color fades under the influence of chemicals from the
watersoluble mesh. However it might work in some projects.
We highly 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.
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.
Most often we use Signature machine quilting cotton thread, but similar
threads from other companies should work just as well. Cotton thread for
machine quilting is very strong and gives less lint than sewing cotton
thread.
To get 2-sided embroidery you should use the same thread for the needle
and 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 after every project. |
| Hooping: We usually use 2 layers of water-soluble Vilene
with our FSL designs. It's very important to hoop the stabilizer VERY tightly,
like a drum skin. If your hoop does not hold the stabilizer well (this
often happens because the stabilizer is very thin), we recommend to wrap
muslin strips around the long sides of your hoop's upper frame. |
| Thread Tension: Freestanding lace designs look best when the
needle and bobbin threads meet halfway. Stitch a sample, and adjust the
tension if needed. Consult your machine's manual and/or dealer on how to
do this. |
| 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. |
Embroidering Freestanding Battenberg Lace from AED
You can practice using this free sample design.
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| Step One: Download the design from the website to your computer. |
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| Step Two: Unzip the file. Upload the embroidery file to your
machine (depending on your machine brand, you might use a card, a floppy,
USB jumpdrive or direct connection between the machine and the computer). |
| Step Three: Hoop 2 layers of water-soluble mesh. Make a test
stitch-out of the file using different combinations of the threads.
Rinse the stabilizer in lukewarm water and leave to air dry. Press with
steam.
Do not discard your stitch-outs. Keep them for future reference. Staple
them to a sheet of paper and write down which thread you used in the needle
and in the bobbin. Later it will be easier for you to decide which thread
to use for different projects. |
| This particular design can be used as a coaster or small doily.
You can also make a lace insert. For this, place the doily on a piece
of fabric and pin in place. With a 1mm straight stitch along the outer
outline of the lace, attach the lace to the fabric. Step 1mm from the first
stitch line and make another 1 mm straight stitch along the previous one.
You will have 2 parallel straight stitch lines along the outer outline
of the lace. Work from the right side of the doily.
Turn the work on the wrong side. With a pair of sharp scissors cut away
the fabric under the lace close to the stitch. |
| Joining the Battenberg Lace Parts: |
| Some projects will need you to connect lace parts. To sew Battenberg
lace together, you have to work by hand. Use the same thread with
which you made the embroidery. Align the lace parts so that the tiny loops
on one part coincide with the loops on the other part. Connect the lace
parts by these loops. |
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Happy Embroidering!
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