Whimsical Hot Air Balloon (Hooped Applique with Lace)

And a whimsical touch to your decor with this pretty hot air balloon! Stitch the balloon design using your choice of applique fabric, then hoop in a hand embroidery hoop and create a little freestanding lace "basket" to hang underneath. We'll show you how!

When you download the Hot Air Balloon design, you'll find three files. Two are embroidery files, and the other one is a dieline file, marked with the letters DL. Dielines are used to cut the fabric to the right shape and size.

Open each dieline file with an embroidery software, and print it. If you do not have embroidery software, Wilcom TrueSizer is a free program to use.

Spray the backside of the paper dieline with a small amount of temporary adhesive, and then smooth it onto the right side of the fabric. Then cut a piece of cut-away stabilizer, spray it thoroughly, and smooth it onto the backside of the fabric. It can also be helpful to label the pieces with "right" and "left", so they do not get mixed up.

Then cut out the shapes, and bend back one corner of the paper to make it easier to remove later.

Next, spray a piece of cut-away stabilizer, and smooth it onto the back of the main fabric piece. Then hoop the fabric and stabilizer together tightly.

Attach the hoop onto the machine, and load the file labeled with the letter "a" onto the machine. Begin to embroider the design. The first thing to embroider will be the "left dieline" which stitches out an outline to show where the fabric piece should be placed.

Spray the back side of the left fabric piece with temporary adhesive. Then smooth it inside the sewn shape.

Continue to embroider the design. The next step will sew the "left tackdown". This will adhere the fabric pieces together for the remainder of the design.

Then repeat to embroider the "right dieline", place the fabric piece, and embroider the "right tackdown" step.

Once the two fabric pieces are in place, follow the color change sheet to embroider the rest of the details.

To embroider the lace basket, hoop a piece of water-soluble stabilizer tightly, making sure there are no wrinkles.

As freestanding lace can be seen from both sides, wind a bobbin with the same thread that's being used in the top needle.

Load the lace file (labeled with a "b") onto the machine, and embroider the lace piece.

Once the lace is finished being embroidered, trim away the excess stabilizer from around the design.

Then follow the directions on the water-soluble stabilizers packaging to remove the rest. For Vilene, simply soak the lace piece in water for a few moments.

Allow the lace to air dry. Then press it flat with a pressing cloth and iron.

Now that all of the embroidery is finished, it is time to assemble the hot air balloon. Take the wooden hoop, and line the hand screw up with the bottom center of the design. Hoop the fabric tightly, and tighten the hand screw as much as possible.

Then flip the hoop over, and trim away the extra fabric from the back of the hoop. Make sure to leave about 1/8" sticking out to prevent the fabric from slipping out of the hoop.

Next cut two 5" lengths of ribbon, and tie one onto each of the lace basket loops.

Measure the ribbon now that it is attach, and cut both to the same size. Using a hot glue gun, glue the ends of each ribbon in place on the back of the hoop. For best results, measure 3/4" on either side of the hand screw, and place the ribbon there.

Finally, cut a 7" length of ribbon, and make it into a hoop. Glue it on the backside of the hoop to make a hanger for the hot air balloon.