Twist on Freestanding lace-Machine Embroidery

When I started to digitize freestanding laces, I wanted something that would be durable and long lasting. Not something which you would barely wash out the stabilizer and when pulled…would come apart. With that in mind, I set upon creating simple methods which were logical and yet would create designs that when the stabilizer is taken away would withstand washing, handling over years and years. I will discuss the concept of creating freestanding laces some other time though.

Always wanting to have a bit of twist on all traditional items, I happened to think of combining freestanding laces with fabric joined at one go. Rather than first stitching out the laces and then attaching to the fabric, I wanted somehow that the laces would be attached to the fabric at the same time. The task is not so very difficult however I wanted flimsy type of freestanding laces, not the Kanta Lace which is a heavy Brussels type lace. When I started the Vintage lace collections, this was in the back of my mind. In Vintage II I created an edging (corner and straight) but with a bit of twist I was able to create blocks of fabric within the lace itself. All it was is that I took two of the corners and combined them together to create a block of fabric within with lace edging all around. With several of these stitched together the result is absolutely stunning and can be used for garment piecing, home decor etc. The laces are very light yet very strong and in the case of Carmen’s Veil (above) I used red faux suede with black embroidrey thread giving it a very striking look. This has given me several ideas though and a Christmas table cloth is popping up in my head.