Freestanding Lace Jewelry Box

An elegant freestanding lace box is the perfect way to display special items. Give it to a ring bearer to walk down the aisle, or use to hold your favorite jewelry!

Supplies & Materials:

Project Materials or Supplies
- Water-soluble stabilizer

- Small piece of white felt

- Fabric glue or a hand sewing needle

The designs used in this tutorial include:

- X13366, Elegant Box in 3D (Lace)

Gather Materials:

Freestanding lace designs have been specially digitized for watersoluble stabilizer. After the stabilizer is removed, beautiful lace remains behind. When you download the design, you will find a total of 4 files. The file labeled with the letter "a" is the top of the lid of the box, and the file labeled with the letter "b" is the side piece for the lid. The file labeled with the letter "c" is the bottom of the box, and the file labeled with the letter "d" is the side piece for the box.

Four white lace cutouts with floral and leaf patterns on a pink background: two pentagon shapes with overlapping flowers, one square shape, and one small rectangle.

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.

Hand holding a clear, flexible plastic sheet above a textured white fabric square on a wooden surface.

Freestanding lace is seen from both sides, so wind a bobbin with the same thread that you're using in the needle.

Close-up of a sewing machine bobbin wound with white thread, seated in the bobbin case within the machine, with a gray plastic lever nearby on a white surface.

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

Embroidery hoop with white fabric hooped and stabilizer underneath, placed on a white surface with hoop parts detached and set to the left.

Start Embroidering:

Load the first file (piece "a") onto your machine. Use 40 weight rayon or polyester thread. You can also use 30 weight cotton or metallic thread for most freestanding lace designs. Embroider the design.

Close-up of sewing machine needle and presser foot stitching white lace fabric with a curved floral embroidery pattern on a light surface.

After embroidering, trim away the excess stabilizer.

Orange-handled scissors next to a white lace embroidery piece in a pentagon shape on a plain white background.

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

Close-up of a hand holding a small piece of white lace fabric with floral embroidery over a clear glass plate with concentric circles.

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

Close-up of a white freestanding lace embroidery piece with floral and leaf patterns, next to the tip of a black iron on a beige surface.

Repeat the steps above to embroider the rest of the lace pieces. See the special notes above to know how many of each lace piece to embroider to make a jewelry box. Starch the lace pieces flat to make a sturdier jewelry box.

Eleven small white lace embroidery patches in various shapes, including pentagon, rectangle, and square, arranged on a plain light background.

First, make the hinge for the jewelry box. Cut a piece of felt into a rectangle:
- 2 1/8" x 1" for the larger box
- 1 3/8" x 3/4" for the smaller box.

Orange-handled scissors, a small white rectangular fabric piece, and a clear ruler with yellow numbering on a white background.

Take the top of the lid (piece "a"), and lay it on the table with the wrong side of the lace facing up. Lay the piece of felt over the back side of the lace lid, so that is overlaps about half way onto the lace piece.

White freestanding lace piece with floral and swirl patterns, featuring a solid white fabric band at the base, on a plain light background.

Using the same thread as used in the embroidery and matching bobbin, zigzag stitch along the satin edge of the piece to attach it to the felt. For best results, take the lace lid and overlapped felt and turn them over before sewing. This way you can see the edge of the piece and sew directly onto the satin border of the lace.

Close-up of white lace fabric with floral patterns being stitched on a sewing machine with a metal presser foot and needle, set against a blurred neutral background.

Next, take one side piece for the box (piece "d"), and line up its top edge with the edge of the lid sewn to the felt. Make sure the wrong side of the lace is against the felt, and zigzag stitch along the satin border to connect it to the felt hinge. Make sure that the two lace pieces do not overlap, and that you are sewing them to the felt and not each other for best results.

White freestanding lace embroidery piece with floral and scroll patterns, shaped in two connected pentagons, set against a plain light background.

Once you've sewn the lace piece to the felt, trim along the zigzag stitch to remove the excess felt.

Pair of metal scissors with turquoise plastic handles partially inserted into white lace fabric featuring swirls and flower patterns, on a white background.

Take the bottom piece (piece "c"), and line it up with the opposite side of the box side piece that is attached to the felt. Zigzag stitch the two adjacent edges together, and make sure they do not overlap.

White embroidered freestanding lace piece with symmetrical floral and looping patterns, featuring two larger hexagonal sections connected by a narrower rectangular section.

Take all four lid side pieces (piece "b"), and line them up with the edges of the top lid piece (piece "a"). Make sure the wrong sides of all the lace pieces are facing the same direction, and that the top of each side lid piece is resting against the edge of the lid.

White lace pieces with floral and geometric patterns arranged on a white background, including one larger rectangular piece and six smaller rectangular strips.

Zigzag stitch the two side pieces onto the lid, and make sure they do not overlap.

White lace pieces with floral and scroll embroidery arranged on a light surface, featuring a honeycomb mesh pattern and scalloped edges.

Repeat to add the other four side pieces (piece "d") to the bottom of the box. Make sure all the bottoms of the sides (the side with the flower) are resting against the edges of the bottom piece, and that the wrong sides of the lace are facing the same direction.

White lace pieces with floral and geometric embroidery patterns, arranged flat on a light surface, likely intended to be assembled into a box shape.

Fold in and crease all the sewn side bends of the jewelry box.

Hand holding a white embroidered lace jewelry box in an unfolded position, showing intricate floral and geometric lace patterns on a plain white background.

Bend up two sides of the box, and hand stitch or glue them together. If using glue, hold each seam in place and wait for it to completely dry before moving on to the next.

Close-up of a hand holding white lace fabric with a needle pulling white thread through a fine edge, against a blurred light background.

Get Inspired:

Repeat to assemble all the other sides of the box.

Then repeat again to fold and sew the sides of the lid.

White lace jewelry box with open lid on a white plate, surrounded by pink and purple flowers. Inside and around the box are rings, a black stone pendant on a gold chain, and a bracelet.