Freestanding Fabric and Lace Flower (In-the-Hoop)

Craft naturally lovely decor, accessories, and more with this lovely fabric and lace bloom! Stitch the base of the flower on soft felt, then embroider and ruffle freestanding lace to layer on top. A button of your choice adds the perfect finishing touch, making each flower unique. Follow along below to stitch your own!

Freestanding felt designs have been specially digitized to sew on only a hooped piece of felt, so there is no stabilizer used of any kind.

After the pieces are embroidered and cut out, only the embroidery and felt remains, allowing for the pieces to look pretty on both sides.

When you download a freestanding felt and lace design, you will find multiple embroidery files containing all the pieces.

As the freestanding felt will be seen from both sides, wind a bobbin to match every thread color used in the design.

Hoop the piece of felt firmly. Make sure it is nice and tight with no wrinkles.

Attach the hoop to the machine and load file "a". Embroider the design.

The first thing to embroider will be the "cut line". This marks the area on the felt where the piece will be cut out later.

Follow the color change sheet, and embroider the rest of the design, changing out the bobbins to match every thread color.

After the embroidery has finished, unhoop the felt. Then using a scissor, carefully cut along the inner edge of the "cut line".

Cutting right along the inner edge will remove the cut line from the edge of the felt piece, leaving a clean felt edge after the piece is cut out.

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

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

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

There are a couple different kinds of water soluble stabilizer. One is clear and plastic, and that brand is Sulky Ultra Solvy. The other brand 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.

Hoop the water-soluble stabilizer firmly. Make sure its nice and tight with no wrinkles.

Attach the hoop onto the machine, and load file "b" (the larger of the two lace embroidery files), and embroider the design.

Once the lace is finished being embroidered, unhoop the design and trim away the excess stabilizer. The stabilizers packaging should give instructions for removing the excess. For Vilene, soak the design to remove the rest of the stabilizer.

Then allow the piece to air dry before pressing it flat with an iron.

Repeat for the smaller piece of lace (file "c").

After the lace pieces are embroidered and ready to go, locate the triangle shaped darts on both pieces. These are found around the inner circle (or the hole) of each piece. Both lace pieces have 8 darts.

Take the larger piece (file "b") first, and fold the lace piece along one of the darts with the right sides together. Match up the straight edges of the dart, and hand stitch the two edges together to close the dart.

Then move to the next dart that is left, next to the previously sewn one. Alternating the direction you fold each dart is very important. This time, fold it with the wrong sides of the lace together before sewing it closed.

Alternating folding the darts with the right and wrong sides together will create the ruffle effect. Continue around the larger lace piece until all 8 darts folded are sewn.

Then repeat these steps to sew the eight darts on the smaller lace piece. Again remember to alternate the direction you sew each dart (so it goes right sides together, then wrong sides together, then right sides together, etc.).

Once all the darts are sewn, take the free standing felt piece and center the larger lace piece on top of the felt piece with the right sides of both pieces facing up.

Using a hand sewing needle, stitch them together.

Next center the smaller lace piece on top of the larger one. Make sure that the right side of the smaller piece is facing up. Again, hand sew this in place.

Take a decorative button, and sew it in the center of the lace pieces to complete the flower.