Chandelier (Lace)

Looking to get a little gothic glam out of your embroidery machine? Well, as the nights get longer and the air gets brisker, there’s no better time to stitch up some elegant and spooky decor. Freestanding lace lets us stitch up a 3D chandelier that just needs a little love and maybe a bit of sparkle to come to life at our next party.

So, once you’ve stitched and soaked your lace, you should have two lace pieces that look like this. You’ll notice one has a slit at the top, and one has a slit on the bottom.

What you need to do to put them together is slide the piece with the slit on the bottom over the piece with the slit at the top. The two pieces should slide in place until they are even top and bottom.

Now we just need to secure them together! I started at the top with my needle and thread.

To try and encourage the two sides to open up (instead of laying flat against each other) try stitching along the seam that wants to lay flat. Stitching that edge with a nice tight stitch will help your two pieces of lace hold out their shape.

Here are my two pieces stitched together.

Now just add a string for hanging. You can keep it simple and invisible with some thread, or get more decorative with ribbons and such.

At this point, hold up your chandelier by its thread. If it’s holding a nice shape, you can move on. If you think it needs a little help keeping “open,” spray it with some starch and leave it propped open to dry.

Ready to make it fabulous? If you’re going to have a chandelier it might as well sparkle, that’s what I say.

Start by spraying your whole piece lightly with spray adhesive. Don’t do crazy, or this stuff will gunk up all your beautiful lace detail.

While your spray adhesive is still sticky, pour some of your fine glitter all over it. Make sure you get it to cover all the areas you got with the adhesive.

It’s pretty crucial here that you have very fine glitter, as regular glitter will just cover up all the lace shapes. I’m not a paid advocate, but goodness, Martha sure does make some nice glitter. Good thing I’m such a fan, because after a project like this I’m usually covered in it.

Even with fine glitter, the combination of adhesive and sparkle might hide some of your beautiful lace. Once it’s all covered, rub your lace with your fingers, removing the excess and bringing out the satin shapes again.

This will also help keep your chandelier from shedding too much of its glorious sparkle later all over your floor.

And your lace chandelier is done! Sparkly and gorgeous, it’s quick to make and easy to give it a little bling. Whip up a whole bunch of these to make a spooky hanging ensemble right over a buffet table or entryway. It’s sure to add a little glam to your party decor.

Not feeling in the Halloween mood? These can suit any occasion, just stitch them in different colors and douse liberally with glitter. Parties, New Year's Eve, even Christmas. No time is a bad time for a little class, and ANY occasion is a good reason to douse things liberally in glitter. So says I.

Enjoy your party!