Snowflake Tea Light Holder (Battenburg Lace)

Even in the midst of winter, create a warm glow with this snowflake tea light holder! Just stitch each freestanding lace piece in cotton thread on water-soluble stabilizer, then rinse, dry, and assemble. We'll show you how!

Supplies & Materials:

Project Needs & Notes:

Heavy duty water-soluble stabilizer (such as Vilene or Sulky Ultra Solvy)
Hand sewing needle
Battery powered tea light

The design featured in this tutorial is:

Snowflake Tea Light Holder (Battenburg Lace)

Gather Materials:

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

White, intricately patterned lace piece shaped like a six-pointed snowflake, placed on a dark wooden surface.

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.

Two square sheets laid on a wooden surface: one is a translucent white non-woven fabric, the other is a crinkled clear plastic film. No text or logos visible.

This design has been digitized for 30-35 weight cotton thread. It can be found under different names such as mercerized cotton or all-purpose cotton.

Two spools of thread on a wooden surface: one small spool of light blue Coats Cotton thread with a yellow top, and one larger spool of red mercerized cotton thread with a blue top.

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

This design has two colors, so two different matching bobbins will be used.

Close-up of a white sewing machine bobbin filled with white thread, placed in the bobbin case area of a beige sewing machine. The background is out of focus.

Start Embroidering:

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

Embroidery hoop clamped with white fabric stretched tightly, resting on a dark wooden surface; hoop is plastic with a rounded rectangular shape.

Place the matching bobbin into the machine, and load the first embroidery file for the doily (file "a").

Begin to embroider the design. The first thing to sew will be the main color of the doily.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching a white, intricate lace snowflake pattern on a translucent fabric held in an embroidery hoop.

Then change out the bobbin again, and sew the second color. This will embroider the "decorative placement border" which will help with placement later on, and will eventually be covered up by the battery powered candle.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching black thread in a spiral pattern on a piece of white lace fabric with intricate floral designs beneath the presser foot.

After the design is finished embroidering, trim away the excess stabilizer.

Orange-handled scissors rest on a dark wooden surface next to a white embroidered lace snowflake with a hexagonal border on translucent fabric.

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

Hand holding a white lace snowflake with a circular center above a clear ribbed glass bowl on a wooden surface.

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

Close-up of a blue and black iron pressing a white lace snowflake design on a white fabric edge, set on a patterned beige tablecloth.

Repeat the steps above to embroider, soak, and press the candle wrap piece (file "b").

White lace snowflake with intricate openwork and leaf-like patterns, and a separate narrow lace strip above it, placed on a dark wooden surface.

Then take the candle wrap, and match up the two short ends to make it into a loop.

To be the correct size, the two ends need to overlap 1/8" or less. Make sure the right side is facing out, and sew the ends together with a hand sewing needle and thread.

Close-up of a hand holding white lace shaped into a circular band with a sewing needle and white thread stitching the lace ends together on a brown wooden surface.

Then line up the bottom edge of the candle wrap with the outer edge of the sewn "decorative placement border". This way the border will be hidden inside of the loop and under the tea light.

Hand sew the candle wrap in place along the bottom edge. Stitching every other small scallop to the doily base will hold it in place securely.

Close-up of a hand holding a delicate white lace piece with a snowflake design, featuring intricate Battenburg lace patterns on a wooden surface.

Get Inspired:

Place a battery powered tea light inside of the wrap to finish this as a beautiful gift or piece of decor.

White Battenburg lace snowflake shaped tea light holder with a white LED candle in the center, placed on a dark wooden surface.