Multi-piece Ornaments with Fabric (Lace)

Decorate your Christmas tree, gifts, and more with a multi-piece ornament that incorporates lace, fabric, and a little personalization. Customize each ornament completely by changing out thread color, and even adding your own text. Step-by-step project instructions will show you how.

Personalizing this ornament can be done in a couple different ways. One option is to add the text to the file using embroidery software as shown in this tutorial. Make sure to put the text either right before the "back piece tackdown" sews, or as the very last embroidery step (and match the bobbin if at the end).

Another option is to embroider the text separately before embroidering the ornament. To do this, either use one of Embroidery Library's alphabets and embroidery software to arrange the letters on a computer before embroidering (you can use this tutorial as a reference). Or you can use one of the alphabets found in your machine to arrange and embroider the letters. Sew them out onto a piece of cotton with cutaway stabilizer on the back. To fit the smaller size of the ornament the letters must be smaller than 3.15" wide and 0.68" tall. To fit the larger size of the ornament the letters must be smaller than 3.95" wide and 0.85" tall.

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 embroidery software. If you do not have embroidery software, take a look at our helpful video on using dielines.

Spray the backside of the front printed dieline piece with temporary adhesive and smooth it onto the right side of the fabric.

Cut the dieline shape out of the fabric, and repeat to also cut the back piece out of the fabric. If you embroidered your text first, the front fabric piece will have text, and if you text is embroidering in the file with the ornament, the front fabric piece will be blank.

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

There are a couple of different kinds of water-soluble stabilizer. One is clear and plastic - called Sulky Ultra Solvy. The other is soft and fibrous - called Vilene. Both 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.

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

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

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

Attach the hoop to the machine and load file "a". Begin to embroider the first piece. The first things to sew out will be all of the lace details, and the dieline or outline for the front fabric piece. This dieline marks where to place the fabric on top of the embroidery. Stop before embroidering the step that says "front piece tackdown".

After the dieline has sewn, remove the hoop from the machine but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Spray the back side of the front fabric piece with temporary adhesive. Smooth the front fabric piece onto the stabilizer inside of the sewn dieline.

Then place the hoop back onto the machine and embroider the tackdown for the front fabric piece. The tackdown will hold the fabric piece in place for the remainder of the design. Stop again before sewing "the back piece tackdown".

Before sewing the "back piece tackdown" step, remove the hoop from the machine and turn it over so the back side of the embroidery is facing up. Spray the wrong side of the back fabric piece with temporary adhesive and smooth it into place on the back side of the embroidery.

Place the hoop back onto the machine and embroider the "back piece tackdown". This will adhere the back piece in place on the back side of the hooped stabilizer. Then continue to embroider any remaining steps in the design

After the embroidery is finished, trim away the excess stabilizer from around the design.

The stabilizer's packaging should give instructions for removing the excess. For Vilene, soak the embroidered lace for a couple hours.

Allow the lace to air dry and then press it with a pressing cloth on top

Repeat the steps above to embroider the second lace piece of the ornament (file "b"). It will embroider on water-soluble stabilizer with matching bobbins just like the first piece. The second piece simply doesn't have any fabric pieces, so you can just embroider all the way through the file, trim away the excess stabilizer, soak it in water as needed, and then press the lace piece once dry.

Once both lace pieces are complete, layer them as desired. In this example, we simply hot glued them together just under the center of the bow where they overlap. If preferred, you can use fabric glue or hand sew the pieces together instead.

To add a hanger cut a piece of ribbon that is 7" long, and thread it through the loop at the top of the design. Then tie the two ends together to create a loop.