FSL Angels with Tips for Saving Stabilizer Embroidery Project

Hoop two layers of FWSS in your embroidery hoop. Make sure it is taut in the hoop. Load White Polyester thread in the top of your machine and 60 wt bobbin thread in the bobbin.

Run the design.  

Trim around the design leaving ¼” to 1/2” of stabilizer around the design.

Hold the design under running hot water to remove the stabilizer. Just rinse it long enough to remove the stabilizer from around the edges and holes in the work. You want to leave some stabilizer in the project to provide stiffness.

Place the FSL on a woven cotton dish towel to dry. Leave the lace alone while it dries. Picking it up prematurely can distort the lace design.

We will always tell you to only run one FSL design in a hoop at a time. You might be tempted to hoop a larger hoop and run one angel at the top and one angel at the bottom of the hoop to reduce the amount of water soluble stabilizer. The stitching of the first angel will loosen the FWSS in the hoop. This can result in the second angel being out of registration and not holding together as she should. So instead of running two angels in a single hooping we suggest that you fold over a larger amount of stabilizer to make two layers. In this picture I folded over 26” of stabilizer for a total of 52” of stabilizer used. Place the hoop so that at least 1” is out the left side and at the top of the hoop.

Load the desired angel design in your embroidery machine and with the “Up” arrows move the design to the top of the hoop. 

The machine should stop or beep when you have reached the top height at which it will sew the design. Stitch the angel in the upmost position.

Do not cut out the first angel. Move the hoop to the right side of the stabilizer. Load the design in your machine for the second angel. With the “Up” arrows on your machine move the second design to the top of the hoop and stitch it out. Do not cut these angles away from the stabilizer yet.

Place the hoop about 1” below the 1st angel on the left side of the stabilizer.

Load the design for the 3rd angel and move the design up in the hoop as before. Stitch the angel.

Repeat Step 10 and 11 on the right side of the stabilizer for the 4th angel.

When you only have enough stabilizer at the bottom for the last hooping you know longer have to move the designs up in the hoop as there is nothing to be gained from it.

You have just sewn 6 angels in less than 1 ½ yards of water soluble stabilizer. It takes approximately 20” of stabilizer to sew them one at a time. So, it would take 3 1/3 yards of stabilizer to sew 6 angels. By cutting longer strips of the stabilizer and using it as described above you will save over ½ of the cost of making these FSL designs. Furthermore you can save all your scraps cut away from around the angels. If you ever need to re-stiffen a FSL piece you can melt it in a shallow bowl with a little water and lay the limp lace in it for a minute to re-stiffen it.

Cut out all of the angels, rinse in hot water and lay on the smooth cotton towel to dry.

Cut 15” lengths of 1/8” ribbon and put through the loops on the angels heads. I usually use anything that is handy and round to tie the ends of the loops into bows as it keeps all my hanging ribbons about the same length. Tie the ribbon into a bow and trim the ends as desired. Pearls and rhinestones can also be glued or hot fixed to the angels in desired.

Congratulations your FSL Angels are complete!