Use beautiful Battenburg lace to create a sophisticated Celtic knot doily. Learn our best tips and tricks for transforming embroidered freestanding lace into a fabulous addition to your home decor.
Supplies & Materials:
Project Materials
- Water-soluble stabilizer
(Vilene or Sulky Ultra Solvy)
- 30-35 weight cotton thread
- Size 11 or 75/11 sharp sewing needle
Sizing Notes:
The finished size of your doily will depend on the size of your design. The examples below are the finished doily sizes for the Celtic Knot (Battenburg Lace) designs.
Large: 15 1/4" x 15 1/4"
Medium: 13" x 13"
Small: 7 1/4" x 7 1/4"
Gather Materials:
Battenburg lace designs are embroidered onto water-soluble stabilizer. When the stabilizer is soaked away, beautiful lace remains behind.
Battenburg lace is digitized for 30-35 weight cotton thread. This thread brings a classic, hearty, and traditional look to the lace pieces.
30-35 weight cotton thread is found under different names, such as mercerized cotton or
all-purpose cotton.
You will use the same thread in both the top and the bobbin. Wind a bobbin with the cotton thread.
Two kinds of water-soluble stabilizer can be used when embroidering freestanding lace. One is clear and plastic-like, known as Sulky Ultra Solvy.
The other is soft and fibrous, called Vilene. Both kinds will work very well. This example uses Sulky Ultra Solvy.
Start Embroidering:
Embroider the design onto one piece of water-soluble stabilizer, using a sharp sewing needle (size 11 or 75/11).
A sharp sewing needle has a smaller, finer point than an embroidery needle. That means it will make smaller holes in the stabilizer.
At each color stop, stop the machine and change the bobbin to match the top thread.
After embroidering, trim the excess stabilizer away.
Soak the remaining stabilizer away according to packaging instructions.
Allow to air dry completely. Then, press. Use a pressing cloth over the lace to prevent scorching.
To make a doily with the Celtic knot design, embroider the knot design six times.
With the right sides facing up, align the side edges of two of the designs together as shown.
Zigzag stitch the pieces together along the side edges where the lace pieces touch. Use the same cotton thread in the bobbin and needle that you used to embroider the designs.
Add the remaining four pieces by repeating this process: align the side edges of the pieces together and zigzag stitch in place.
There will be a small space left at the center of the doily when complete, as shown left.
This Celtic lace doily mimics the shape of a star when finished. Use it for a decorating year-round -- even at Christmastime!
