Craft a beautiful in-the-hoop embroidered table center, trimmed with freestanding lace. Add as many sections as you like to create the perfect length!
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These designs have been specially digitized for water-soluble stabilizer. After the stabilizer is removed, beautiful fabric, lace, and embroidery remain.
When you download the design, you will find multiple files. Some are the embroidery files, and the others are dieline files marked with the letters "DL". Dielines are used to cut the fabric to the correct shape and size.
Open and print each dieline file using an embroidery software. If you do not have an embroidery software, take a look at our helpful video on using dielines.
We also recommend Wilcom's Hatch software which comes in different levels depending on what you'd like to use the software for. Hatch Organizer works well to view your designs, print dielines and templates, change design colors, and create basic design layouts. (This is an affiliate link. We may earn commission on purchases made with this link.)
Spray the back of the paper dieline and smooth it onto the right side of a fabric piece. Also spray a piece of cutaway stabilizer and smooth it onto the wrong side of the fabric piece.
Cut out the fabric and stabilizer following the dieline shape. Remove the paper dieline.
Repeat to cut both the front and back pieces out of fabric with cutaway stabilizer on the wrong side.
There are different kinds of heavy weight 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.
Hoop a piece of water-soluble stabilizer tightly.
Wind a bobbin to match the lace thread color as both sides of the embroidery will be seen.
Attach the hoop onto the machine and load the first embroidery file "a" (not the dieline files). Use a 75/11 sharp sewing needle instead of an embroidery needle as it has a finer point and will make smaller perforations in the stabilizer.
Begin by embroidering the lace with a matching bobbin.
After the lace sews, a "dieline" will embroider. This marks the area on the stabilizer where the fabric piece will be placed.
After the dieline has sewn, spray the stabilizer side of the front fabric piece with temporary adhesive and smooth it into place inside of the sewn dieline on the front side of the hoop.
Then embroider the "tackdown" for the fabric piece. The tackdown will hold the fabric piece in place on the stabilizer.
Continue to embroider the design. Stop before sewing the "back piece tackdown".
Before sewing the back piece tackdown, remove the hoop from the machine and flip it over so the back side is facing up.
Spray the stabilizer side of the back piece with temporary adhesive and smooth it in place over the back side of the embroidery.
Wind a bobbin to match each of the remaining thread colors as both sides of the embroidery will be seen for the rest of the design.
Place the hoop on the machine and embroider the rest of the design. A tackdown will embroider to hold the back piece in place and then the "finishing border" will embroider.
For the "a" file, the finishing border will not sew along one edge leaving a raw, unfinished side.
Once the embroidery is finished, cut away the excess water-soluble stabilizer from around the first piece. Carefully cut as close to the raw edge as possible where the finishing border did not embroider.
For the center file (labeled with a "b"), cut the front and back fabric pieces out of adhered fabric and stabilizer using the printed dielines.
Then repeat to hoop a piece of water-soluble stabilizer, load the next file on the machine, embroider the lace with a matching bobbin, embroider the dieline, place the front fabric piece, and embroider the tackdown.
Embroider the inner details of the design. Then embroider the "left side placement guide" in an embroidery color that you can see easily on your chosen fabric.
Stop before sewing the "left side tackdown".
Pick up the end piece (embroidered in file "a") and spray temporary adhesive along the raw edge on the back side. Line up the raw edge with the left placement guide and press it into place.
Also tape the end piece to the hooped stabilizer to help it stay in place.
Embroider the left side tackdown. Stop before sewing the back piece tackdown.
Remove the hoop from the machine and flip it over so the back side is facing up.
Spray the stabilizer side of the back piece with temporary adhesive and smooth it in place over the back side of the embroidery.
Wind a bobbin to match each of the remaining thread colors as both sides of the embroidery will be seen for the rest of the design.
Embroider the rest of the design with matching bobbins. A back piece tackdown will sew first followed by the finishing borders.
For the "b" file, the finishing border will not sew along one edge leaving a raw, unfinished side.
Once the embroidery is finished, cut away the excess water-soluble stabilizer from around the pieces. Carefully cut as close to the raw edge as possible.
The table center can be as long as you want by repeating the steps above and embroidering the center file "b" multiple times.
For example, here is a tan table center where we embroidered the center file three times next to a blue table center where we only embroidered it once.
Each time you embroider file "b", you will simply line up the raw edge of the previously embroidered center piece with the left placement guide of the center you are currently embroidering.
Repeat the above steps to embroider the center file "b" as many times as you would like.
Once you have embroidered as many center pieces as you want, load the second end file (file "c") onto the machine. This file will finish off the table center and leave no raw edges.
Repeat the previous steps to cut out the fabric pieces, hoop water-soluble stabilizer, embroider the lace with a matching bobbin, embroider the dieline, place the front fabric piece, embroider the front piece tackdown, and embroider the inner details.
Embroider the left side placement guide in a color you can see easily. Stop to place the table center before sewing the left side tackdown.
Spray temporary adhesive along the raw edge on the back side. Line up the raw edge with the left placement guide and press it into place. Also tape the end piece to the hooped stabilizer to help it stay in place.
Embroider the left side tackdown.
Before sewing the back piece tackdown, remove the hoop from the machine and flip it over so the back side is facing up.
Spray the stabilizer side of the back piece with temporary adhesive and smooth it in place over the back side of the embroidery.
Using matching bobbins, embroider the rest of the design.
Now that all the pieces of the table center are connected and finished embroidering, trim away all of the excess stabilizer from around the table center.
Follow the instructions to remove the water-soluble stabilizer. For example, we soaked the entire table center in water for 30-45 minutes.
Allow the table center to air dry. Then press it flat using an iron and pressing cloth.
This completes the lace edge table center. Create table centers of different lengths and sizes to decorate entryways, dining rooms, or even coffee and end tables.
