Hellebore (Freestanding Fabric)

Grow a dark and lovely garden of stitches with this freestanding fabric hellebore design! Stitch each piece onto your choice of felt fabric, then cut out and assemble. These step-by-step project instructions will show you how!

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

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

When you download the design, you will find multiple embroidery files containing all the pieces.

As the freestanding fabric 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 scissors, carefully cut along the inner edge of the "cut line".

Cutting 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.

Repeat the steps above to embroider and cut the rest of the felt pieces.

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, and that brand is Sulky Ultra Solvy. The other 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.

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

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

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

Attach the hoop to the machine and load the embroidery file. Follow the color change sheet, and embroider the design using a matching bobbin.

After embroidering, trim away the excess stabilizer.

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

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

After the lace piece is embroidered and ready to go, locate the triangle shaped darts on the piece. These are found around the inner corner (or the hole) of the lace piece. This lace piece has 8 darts total.

Take the finished lace piece and fold 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 right 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 lace piece until all 8 darts folded are sewn.

To assemble the full flower you should have sewn out 1 each of the four petals (files "a-d") and 1 of the lace (file "e").

Please note that the petal files for "a" and "b" look very similar, but they are not the same as the "b" file is smaller.

Start constructing the flower by taking files "a" and "b". Lay "b" on top of "a" with right sides up and the petals slightly askew for a more realistic, overlapping effect. Hand-stitch the two pieces together.

Next attach file "c", which has only four petals and lay it right side up on top of the previously joined "a" and "b" files. Hand-sew it in place.

For the last of the petals (file "d") place it on top file "c" with the two petal end between the larger gap. Make sure the right side is facing up, and sew it in place to the other petals.

Now take the lace piece, and with its right side up, center the lace on the petals. Hand-stitch in place.

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