Battenburg lace designs are embroidered onto water-soluble stabilizer. When the stabilizer is soaked away, beautiful lace  remains behind.

Battenburg lace is digitized for  30-35 weight cotton thread. This thread brings a classic, hearty, and traditional look to the lace pieces.

30-35 weight cotton thread is found under different names, such as mercerized cotton or
all-purpose cotton.

You will use the same thread in both the top and the bobbin. Wind a bobbin with the cotton thread.

Two kinds of water-soluble stabilizer can be used when embroidering freestanding lace. One is clear and plastic-like, known as Sulky Ultra Solvy.

The other is soft and fibrous, called Vilene. Both kinds will work very well. This example uses Sulky Ultra Solvy.

Embroider the design onto one piece of water-soluble stabilizer, using a sharp sewing needle (size 11 or 75/11).

A sharp sewing needle has a smaller, finer point than an embroidery needle. That means it will make smaller holes in the stabilizer.

At each color stop, stop the machine and change the bobbin to match the top thread.

After embroidering, trim the excess stabilizer away.

Soak the remaining stabilizer away according to packaging instructions.

Allow to air dry completely. Then, press. Use a pressing cloth over the lace to prevent scorching.

Using the above steps, embroider the heart design four times.

With right sides facing up, align  the side edges of two of the heart shapes together as shown.

Zigzag stitch the pieces together along the side edges where the lace pieces touch. Use the same color thread in the bobbin and top that you used to embroider the designs.

Add the remaining two pieces by repeating this process: align the side edges of the hearts together and zigzag stitch in place.

There will be a small space left at the center of the doily when complete, as shown left.

Spread cheer around your home with this heart-shaped Battenburg lace doily. It's the perfect addition to your home decor, plus makes a great gift, too!