Shake your tailfeathers with this light-and-lacy project!
Three-dimensional lace birds are fun to stitch and hang in windows and on light fixtures.
Use a variety of colors to stitch an entire flock of sweet, lacy birds for colorful and creative decor.

Supplies needed:
**Water-soluble stabilizer
**Paper towels
**Craft thread
**Tapestry needle
**Fabric Glue

Hoop one piece of water-soluble stabilizer (WSS). We used Sulky Ultra Solvy.
(Kenny tested different brands of WSS to see which works best with freestanding lace.

Because freestanding lace is two-sided, we’ll use the same thread in the top and the bobbin.
Wind a bobbin with the same thread that you’ll be using in the top. Designs are digitized for 40 weight thread (either polyester or rayon); you can also use 50 weight cotton thread.

Embroider the design. We use a size 11 sharp sewing needle when embroidering lace designs onto water-soluble stabilizer.

A sharp needle has a finer point than an embroidery, ballpoint, or universal needle. That means that smaller perforations are left in the stabilizer, making the embroidery look crisp and neat, and preventing the stabilizer from tearing during the embroidery.

After the design has finished, trim the excess WSS away.

Soak the stabilizer according to the WSS instructions. For Sulky Ultra Solvy, soak in water that’s hot from the tap for 15 minutes.

Remove the embroidery from the water and blot dry with paper towels.
Follow this process for the bird design as well as the wing and tail files.

While the lace is still wet, form the short ends of the wings by folding them over just slightly. This will create a tab on each wing which will be used to glue the wing onto the body.
Allow the lace to dry completely.

Add a few drops of glue to the inside notch on the tail piece.

Hold the body piece straight up and turn the tail piece so it is flat. Insert the tail into the body piece by sliding the notches together.

Next, add the wings. Add glue to the tab that you created on one of the wings.

Add the wing to the side of the body with the tip of the wing facing the front of the bird. We placed the wing about 1/2″ from the top edge of the bird.
Hold the wing in place until the glue sets.

Repeat for the other wing. Add glue to the tab that you created on the wing. Place the wing on the other side of the bird with the tab aligned with the first wing. Hold in place until the glue sets.

To add a loop for hanging, thread the tapestry needle with the craft thread. Starting at the back of the bird, right where the head slopes to the back, bring the thread through the lace just under the outer border.

Bring the threads together leaving about a 7 inch tail (adjust this for the length that you’ll need to hang the bird). Tie a knot at the lace border, and at the ends of the thread.

Then repeat in a variety of colors of threads until you have a colorful variety of light-and-lacy birds!
By: emblibrary