Embroidery Library Urban Threads The Study

💫Get 10 Designs for $20!

SHOP ELIGIBLE SINGLE DESIGNS

Wear It. Stitch It. Love It. 🌟 Apparel & Accessory designs are 60% off!

Freestanding Lace Insets for Towels

Freestanding Lace Insets for Towels

Turn ordinary bathroom linens into extraordinary, eye-catching decor--perfect to put out for guests or for personal use.

In just a few steps (and with the help of a cute little kitty) we'll show you how to add lace insets and corners to towels and washcloths.

Supplies & Materials:

Supplies:

**Hand towel
**Washcloth
**Water-soluble stabilizer
**Dry-erase pen
**Paper towels

The designs used in this tutorial include: OR more materials & supplies

- A9542,Seashell Scallop Border (Lace)

- A9543,Seashell Scallop Border (Lace)

- A9544, Seashell Scallop Corner (Lace) 

Special Project Notes:

You can use either 40 weight rayon thread or 30/35 weight cotton thread.

I use Coats and Clark 30 and 35 weight cotton thread. It's labeled as Mercerized ELS Cotton for Machine Quilting & Crafts; Machine Quilting; or All Purpose. I've also used Madeira Cotona, which is a 30 weight cotton thread.

I use the 30 - 35 weight cotton thread both in the bobbin (I wind my own bobbins) and in the top (needle).

A note about water-soluble stabilizers and needles:
There are many, many different brands of water-soluble stabilizer available. Some are thin and light, some are fibrous, and some are thick and heavy. It can be confusing to pick the right one for your lace project.

We've digitized and stitched thousands of freestanding lace designs, and have consistently excellent results with Sulky Ultra Solvy (the heavy weight water-soluble stabilizer by Sulky) and Vilene, a fibrous water-soluble stabilizer. 

Use a sharp needle (as opposed to an embroidery needle) when embroidering onto water-soluble stabilizer - especially if using the "plastic-looking" kind (such as Sulky Ultra Solvy). An embroidery needle has a larger point, which makes larger holes in the water-soluble stabilizer, leading to tearing and misalignment.

Gather Materials:

First, we will print templates of the designs from embroidery software. If you don't have software, make a template by tracing the designs sizes and approximate shapes onto paper.


To determine how many borders you will need to fit the width of your towel, lay out the hand towel and position the border templates across it. To reach across the towel, we needed two large borders and one small border.

Light green towel with a strip of white lace inset featuring a symmetrical floral and scroll pattern laid across it on a dark wooden surface.

Embroider the lace designs. Hoop one piece of water-soluble stabilizer (WSS).


We use Sulky Ultra Solvy. Kenny tested different brands of WSS to see which works best with freestanding lace. To see how different brands hold up when used with freestanding lace, click here .

Clear plastic embroidery hoop with white frame on a wooden surface, held by one hand adjusting the bottom mechanism.

Because freestanding lace is two-sided, the bobbin thread should match the top thread. Wind a bobbin with the same thread that you'll be using in the needle.

We used 30-35 weight cotton for a hearty, yet soft look and feel. You can also use 40 weight rayon or polyester.

Close-up of a sewing machine with thread spool holder removed, held between thumb and forefinger, showing the bobbin case area.

Start Embroidering:

Embroider the designs.

Close-up of an embroidery machine stitching beige lace on a metallic hoop with needle and presser foot visible, against a silver background.

After finishing each design, unhoop the WSS and cut away the excess. Trim as close to the embroidery as possible without cutting any of the stitches.

Set the scraps of WSS aside. You can piece the larger pieces together by wetting your fingers and running them along the edges; or put scraps in a spray bottle and add water to make spray starch.

Scissors cutting clear plastic sheet next to a finished white freestanding lace inset piece on a wood grain surface.

Soak in water, hot from the tap, for about 15 minutes, or until the stabilizer is soaked away.

Hand holding a scalloped-edge lace inset with fan-shaped patterns over a clear plastic container filled with water.

Blot any excess water from the lace with a paper towel, and then allow to it dry.


Press the lace with an iron.

Three white freestanding lace insets with scalloped edges display different intricate patterns, placed horizontally on a wood grain surface.

Now we will sew the lace borders together. Place each piece end to end and sew the ends together using a zigzag stitch. Use the same color thread as the lace.

Close-up of a sewing machine foot stitching beige freestanding lace fabric with floral patterns on a white sewing machine bed.

Once we've sewn the lace pieces together, it's time to determine where the lace will be inset into the towel.

Position the lace onto the towel where you would like the it to be. Using an air-erase pen, mark on one side of the towel in the center of the lace strip. Then, measure the distance between the center of the strip and the bottom edge of the towel.

Close-up of a green towel with a beige freestanding lace inset pinned along one edge; a hand marks fabric with a pen using a black ruler on a wooden surface.

Mark the other side of the towel with that measurement and connect the two marks by drawing a line across the towel.

Close-up of a light green towel on a wooden table with a black ruler placed along one edge and a hand marking the towel's edge with a blue pen.

Cut the towel into two pieces by cutting along the edge

Hand holding orange scissors cutting the edge of a folded light green towel with a white fabric band sewn along one side on a wooden surface.


Next, hem each "raw" edge of the towel pieces by folding a 1/4 inch hem to the back sides and sewing a straight stitch along the edge.

Close-up of a sewing machine needle and presser foot stitching white fabric with a textured, terry cloth towel beneath the foot.

Next, we will sew the lace to the towel. Align the lace along one of the hemmed edges with the lace and the towel right side up.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching beige freestanding lace trim onto a light green towel. The lace features fan and geometric patterns.

Sew the remaining piece of towel to the opposite side of the lace as you did the first piece.

Light green towel hanging on a beige wall rod against a tiled wall, featuring a horizontal beige lace inset near the bottom edge.

Now, let's add lace to the corner of a washcloth to make a matching set. The washcloth we chose had a wide band on two sides.

To even the sides, which will give the washcloth a more finished look, we hemmed each of the bands by folding each one to the back and stitching them in place.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching dark thread onto light green towel fabric, focusing on the needle and presser foot area.

Next, embroider the lace corner as you did the for the lace borders. When the lace is dry, align it onto one of the corners of the washcloth. Pin in place.

Corner of a light blue towel with a pinned off-white freestanding lace inset featuring a floral and geometric pattern, on a wooden surface.

Attach the lace to the washcloth by using a straight stitch. Sew just inside the lace border form corner to corner.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching a delicate beige lace inset onto a green towel, with detailed lace patterns visible under the presser foot.

Finally, turn the washcloth over and carefully trim the corner away by cutting right next to the stitching. 

Close-up of a hand holding small orange scissors trimming a pale green towel corner to fit intricate cream lace inset on a wooden surface.

And there you have it -- a simple, yet elegant set for your bathroom or even a house-warming gift.

Natasha, Kenny's kitty, gives this project two paws up!

Light green towel with beige lace inset near the bottom and a lace corner attached on the top portion, next to a dark brown and black cat sniffing the towel.