Let these lovely freestanding lace butterflies bring natural beauty to your decor! Double-layered wings make these designs unique, adding interest and texture. Let them land on pillows and more, or set them free in a window to fly!
Supplies
To craft your freestanding lace butterfly you will need:
- Layered Butterfly (Lace) embroidery design
- Heavy duty water-soluble stabilizer, such as Vilene or Sulky Ultra Solvy
- 40 wt. rayon thread for your embroidery
- 30 wt. cotton thread for your embroidery
- Hand sewing needle
- Scissors
Note: the double layered lace butterfly is hand sewn together in this tutorial, but it can also be glued together if desired.
Designs Used
Begin by stitching the three pieces of freestanding lace onto heavy duty water-soluble stabilizer using 40 wt. rayon and 30 wt. cotton thread -- see the design's color change sheet for details. (Here's more on stitching freestanding lace.)
Once you're done stitching, rinse and dry each piece completely. For a sturdier butterfly you can also starch the lace pieces flat before assembling.
When assembling the layered butterfly, match up the top of the wing's connecting stitches to the neck on the body. Doing this with both pairs of wings will help to keep them lined up with each other.
Take the smaller pair of wings (piece B) and the body (piece C), and layer them with the body on top and the right sides of both lace pieces facing upwards. Line them up until the body sits right between the two wings, and the top of the connecting stitches lands at the neck. Match up the edges on either side of the body (it is okay if the body slightly overlaps the wings), and use a hand sewing needle to sew the edges together.
Then repeat to match up the bigger pair of wings underneath the smaller pair, making sure the right sides of all the lace pieces are facing the same way. Using a hand sewing needle, stitch through all three layers to attach the bigger set of wings to the body.
Once finished sewing, fold up the smaller wings, and crease them along where they meet their body to enhance the layered 3D effect.
Stitch as many butterflies as you like, and let them soar!
