Freestanding Multi-Piece Doilies (Lace)

Delicate pieces of free-standing lace are stitched together to form an elegant doily!

Stitch in a variety of colors for a rainbow of vintage-style lace. Use to decorate side tables, dressers, and vanities. They're also beautiful as centerpieces to kitchen and dining room tables!

Supplies & Materials:

Project Materials or Supplies
- Water-soluble stabilizer (WSS - we use Sulky Ultra Solvy)

- Paper towels

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

- X5300, Vibrant Daisies Doily (Lace)
- X5299, Floral Doily (Lace)

We also recommend trying other combinations of the lace doily designs:

- X5301, Vibrant Daisies Doily (Lace)

- X5298, Floral Doily (Lace)

- X5296, Butterflies Doily (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 find Coats and Clark cotton thread at JoAnn's. 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.

Finished Size:

The finished size of the large doily is 10 1/2 inches in diameter; the finished sizeof the small doily is 7 1/2 inches in diameter.

Gather Materials:

When you download a lace doily design you'll find two files. The round center piece (labeled with the letter a) should be stitched once; the outer side (labeled with the letter b) should be stitched five times.

Hoop a piece of WSS. We use Sulky Ultra Solvy, but other brands work well, too.

Gray rectangular embroidery hoop with adjustable screw and sliding component, resting on a wooden surface. Plastic bag beneath the hoop.

Because freestanding lace is two-sided, we'll use the same thread in the bobbin and the top.

Wind a bobbin with the same thread that you're using in the top. Freestanding lace designs have a high number of stitches, so you may need to wind several bobbins during this project.

Close-up of a hand holding a clear bobbin with green thread near the sewing machine needle area and presser foot, on a white surface.

Start Embroidering:

Embroider the design. We use a size 11 sharp needle when stitching freestanding lace. A sharp needle has a very fine point, which makes the smallest perforations in the WSS.

Close-up of a sewing machine embroidering a green lace doily in a square hoop, with intricate floral and geometric patterns forming on white fabric.

Stitch one center piece, and five side pieces. After each design has finished, trim the excess WSS away. Don't soak any of the stabilizer away yet; we found that it's easier to stitch the pieces together with the WSS intact.

Hand-held orange scissors cutting open a clear plastic bag containing a green lace doily with a floral pattern on a wood surface.

Now that all the pieces are embroidered, arrange them together in a doily shape.

Several transparent lace doilies with intricate floral embroidery in light green thread are displayed on a brown wooden surface; a hand holds one.

With the right pieces facing up, align the curved edge of the side piece with the edge of the center piece. Arrange the pieces so the edges are adjacent, but not overlapping.

Close-up of two round lace doilies with floral patterns on a wooden surface, one being held by a hand wearing a silver ring.

Using a zigzag stitch, sew the pieces together. Use the same color thread in the top and bottom to match the lace.

Light green lace doilies with floral and geometric patterns being stitched on a sewing machine with white surface background.

Align the second piece right next to the first piece. Use a zigzag stitch to attach that piece to the center. Repeat for the remaining pieces.

Three round lace doilies with intricate floral patterns in light olive green on a wooden surface, one held by a hand with silver ring.

Get Inspired:

If you're working with the Floral or Butterfly doilies, the side pieces will need to be stitched together, too.

Sew the first side piece to the center piece as previously shown. Then, align the second side piece next to the first side piece.

Light pink freestanding lace pieces on a dark wood surface, featuring floral and geometric patterns, with a hand pointing at the top right section.

Using a zigzag stitch, sew the second piece to the center piece and to the first side piece. Repeat this process with all five of the side pieces all the way around the center piece.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching pink lace fabric with floral and circular doily patterns on a white surface.

Soak the WSS away according to the package instructions. If using Sulky Ultra Solvy, soak in hot water from the tap for about 10 - 15 minutes.

A hand holds one green, lace-like doily above a clear plastic container filled with water, containing six other similar green lace doilies.

Blot the lace with paper towels and allow it to dry. When it's dry, press with a warm iron.

Hand with ring wiping a green crocheted lace doily on white fabric; doily has floral and circular patterns; background is a wooden surface.

Stitch these doilies in a variety of different colors! Choose pastels for spring, bold greens and reds for summer, and vibrant golds, oranges, and browns for autumn.

They're beautiful everywhere -- on table tops, dressers, night stands, and vanities.

Enjoy bringing the look of vintage lace to your home!

Several round, lace doilies in purple, pink, and green arranged overlapping on a white surface, with a small green succulent plant in a square gray pot placed on the green doilies.