Decorative Stitch “Art Lace”: In Circles

This technique and many others can be found on my fabulous instructional dvd Titivations. You can find it in the Instructional DVD Section of the store.

In an earlier tutorial I showed you how to make “Decorative Stitch Art Lace” using the decorative stitches on your sewing machine and water soluble stabilizer. “Decorative Stitch Art Lace” has an irregular shape and a contemporary appearance and can be used in art quilts as focus or background pieces.

This tutorial explains how to make this lace using the circular sewing attachment.

Supplies

• Thread of choice for top
• A fine thread of similar color for the bobbin
• Water soluble stabilizer
• Circular sewing attachment or similar

About The Circular Sewing Attachment

Sewing in circles is easy and fun, and allows you to create interesting textural or three dimensional pieces for use in art quilts and garments.

Tools designed to help you sew in circles are a much better option and provide better accuracy than simply drawing a line and stitching over it.

The circular sewing attachment is a special tool that fits onto your sewing machine, however a simple tool can also be made using a thumb tack, some masking tape and small pencil eraser.

Setting Up Your Circle Tool

• Decide on the diameter of your circle and divide by two; this is your radius.
• Using the radius measurement, measure from your sewing machine needle along the left hand side of your sewing machine bed.
• Using a piece of masking tape, tape the tack to the bed of your sewing machine, aligning it with your sewing machine needle.
• The pencil eraser is used to cover the point of the tack to secure your fabric and to ensure your safety.

Basic Instructions

• Set up your sewing machine for circular sewing:
  Note: a foot with a metal surface such as a standard sewing foot works best with the circular sewing attachment as it tends to slide more easily in a circular direction.
  • standard machine foot
  • decorative stitch
  • your choice of top thread
  • fine bobbin thread of similar color
  • slightly loosen the top tension
• set the slide ruler on the circular sewing attachment at the 1” mark (this will sew a 2” diameter circle)
• Cut a piece of water soluble stabilizer approx 8” x 8”.
• Using a marking pen draw dissecting lines into 16 equal sections.

• Place the center point of the stabilizer over the needle point of the circular sewing attachment and press.
• Place the cap firmly on the needle point and stitch the first circle.
• Stitch the next circle 1/2” from the first row.

• Continue sewing rows of decorative stitch circles 1/2” apart until you run out of stabilizer.

• Set up your sewing machine for straight stitch and sew circular rows of straight stitch in between the rows of decorative stitches.

• Remove the circular sewing attachment and replace your bobbin case cover.
• Sew rows of straight stitch in between the pencil marked lines.

• Set up again for decorative stitching and sew rows of decorative stitch on top of the straight marked lines.

• Wash away the stabilizer following the manufacture’s recommendations and allow the sample to dry.