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Elegant Swan in 3D (Lace)

Elegant Swan in 3D (Lace)

Bring a touch of graceful beauty to your decor with this freestanding lace swan! Stitch each feathery lace piece separately onto heavy water-soluble stabilizer, then hand-sew together to create your own lovely 3D bird to feather your nest. Our step-by-step instructions will show you how!

Supplies & Materials:

Project Needs & Notes:
- Embroidery thread
- Water soluble stabilizer (such as Vilene of Sulky Ultra Solvy)
- Scissors
- Hand sewing needle and thread, or glue

The designs used in this tutorial include: 
-  X14688, Elegant Swan in 3D (Lace)

Finished Swan Sizes:
X14687: 3" tall x 2 3/4" wide x 4 1/4" long
X14688: 2 1/2" tall x 2 1/4" wide x 3 3/8" long

Gather Materials:

Freestanding lace designs have been specially digitized for water-soluble stabilizer. After the stabilizer is removed, beautiful embroidery remains.


When you download the design, you will find multiple embroidery files which contain all of the pieces of the design.

White lace swan with intricate curved and feather-like patterns, placed on a dark wooden surface. The lace is delicate with fine mesh details.

There are a couple of different kinds of water-soluble stabilizer. One is clear and plastic, and that brand is Sulky Ultra Solvy. The other is soft and fibrous, called Vilene. Both will work very well. Vilene is used in this demonstration.

Use a size 11 or 75/11 sharp sewing needle. A sharp sewing needle has a smaller, finer point than an embroidery needle. That means it will make smaller holes in the stabilizer.

A square piece of white, slightly textured fabric next to a crumpled, transparent plastic sheet on a wooden surface with horizontal planks.

As the freestanding lace will be seen from both sides, wind a bobbin with the same thread that is being used in the top needle.

Spool of white thread and a bobbin with white thread on a dark wooden surface, thread slightly unwound from the spool and bobbin.

Start Embroidering:

Hoop the stabilizer firmly. Make sure it is nice and tight with no wrinkles.

Rectangular embroidery hoop with stabilizer fabric stretched and clipped in place, set on a dark wooden surface. No embroidery visible.

Attach the hoop to the machine and load file "a". Follow the color change sheet, and embroider the first color of the design using a matching bobbin.

White lace embroidery of a swan with detailed swirling patterns and layered feathers, being stitched by an embroidery machine on a white fabric.

After embroidering, trim away the excess stabilizer.

Gray-handled scissors resting on a dark wooden surface next to a white lace swan embroidery piece with intricate patterns.

The stabilizer's packaging should give instructions for removing the excess. For Vilene, soak the embroidered lace for a few moments.

Hand holding a white embroidered lace patch shaped like a swan with detailed feather and body patterns, over a textured brown circular surface.

Allow the lace to air dry, and then press it with a pressing cloth on top.

White lace embroidery of a swan on light fabric, with detailed swirls and curls, lying on a woven textured beige surface next to a blue and black iron.

Repeat the steps above to embroider the rest of the lace pieces.

Five white lace embroidery pieces with intricate swirls and dotted patterns laid out on a dark wooden surface. Two pieces resemble swan heads with wings, three smaller geometric pieces include one oval shape and two triangular shapes.

To assemble the lace swan, first take the two side pieces (files "a" and "b"), and match up the short straight edge with the wrong sides of the lace together. Using thread matching the lace, hand sew the two side pieces together along the short straight edge.

Close-up of white lace fabric with intricate feather and swirl patterns, partially folded and stitched with white thread, on a dark wooden surface.

Next, take the chest piece (file "c"), and match up one lower corner with the front corners of one of the side pieces. With wrong sides together, begin to hand sew the chest piece onto the side piece.

White lace in the shape of a swan with detailed patterns is placed on a dark wooden surface; a needle with thread is inserted near the swan's neck.

Continue sewing the pieces together until you reach the top point of the chest piece. The point should match up with the chin of the swan.

Close-up of a hand sewing a small, white lace piece with intricate swirled patterns onto a larger lace fabric with similar designs, against a wooden background.

Take the two side pieces, and match up the edges of the swan's head. Sew the two halves of the head together only along the bottom edges of the head.

Do not sew all the way around the head. This will help everything line up later.

Close-up of white lace embroidery shaped like a swan with detailed swirling patterns and a needle threaded through the tip of its raised wing on a wooden surface.

Hand sew the other side of the chest piece (file "c") onto the opposite side piece.

White lace swan figure with detailed embroidery and swirling patterns, standing on a wooden surface with a blurred brown background.

Next, take back neck piece (file "d"), and match one lower corner up with the indentation where the neck and wings meet on one side piece. Hand sew the side and neck piece together along one edge. Make sure wrong sides are together.

Hand holding delicate white lace shaped like a swan with a curved neck, a needle threaded through the neck piece, and intricate embroidered patterns.

Sew them together until you get to the top point of the neck piece.

Close-up of a hand sewing a white lace fabric with a needle and thread. The lace has intricate floral and swirl patterns. Background is blurred brown.

Then line the two side pieces up again, and sew the two halves of the head together from the point of the neck piece to where you stopped sewing earlier.

Close-up of a hand holding white lace fabric with intricate swirling and floral patterns; a needle with white thread is being used to stitch it.

Sew the other half of the neck piece onto the opposite side piece.

Hand holding delicate white 3D lace shaped like a swan with detailed wing patterns, a sewing needle threaded through the lace on a brown background.

To add the base (file "e"), match the center of the curved end up with the back center seam of the side pieces, and hand sew them together just at the seam.

This will tack the piece in place, and help with lining everything up later. Make sure wrong sides are together.

Hand holding a delicate white lace swan figure with intricate scrollwork patterns and fine thread details, set against a wooden surface background.

Then match up one of the front corners of the base piece with one of the corners made by the neck and a side piece.

Hand sew the base piece to one side piece starting at the front corner and sewing backwards towards the center back seam.

Hand holding a delicate white lace piece shaped like a swan, showing intricate swirl patterns and layered edges against a wooden surface background.

Continue sewing around the shape until the base piece is completely sewn to the bottom edge of both side pieces and the neck piece.

White lace swan with raised wings and curved neck, intricately patterned with swirls and loops, placed on a dark wooden surface.