Tips on Working with FSL

Working with FSL - meaning Free Standing Lace can seem scary at first, but really, once you get the hang of it the sky is the limit. Suddenly you can create whatever your mind imagines without having to rely on what is available at your local fabric shop. 

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When I discovered FSL I started to create 3D items like flowers and bows and together with ribbons and feathers they made wonderful, original hairpieces for special occasions. The best part of it is that since I own spools of all shades of colours it was easy to find the colour that matched my outfit perfectly. Yes, my life became brighter with FSL :)

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So how do you master Free Standing Lace?

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You need to buy Water Soluble Stabiliser to work on. This is not the same as that flimsy type of stabiliser that we put on top of the design to keep the threads out of the knits. The kind of stabiliser that you need for this project looks like a tissue. It is very thin, and if you push in your finger when it is tightly hooped you might get a hole in it. So pay attention to how you handle it. What is magical about this stabiliser is that, like its name implies, it is water soluble. As soon as you touch it with water it magically disappears leaving behind it your beautiful lace design. 

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Problems hooping it?

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I have problems hooping it. Probably because my hoop has seen loads and loads of fabric clipped between it, it has gone kind of loose, and this stabiliser is so thin that the hoop can't hold it tight. So I solved this using paper towels (kitchen towels). I cut one of them in strips, and put them around the inner hoop. Then I hoop them (stabiliser and strips) altogether and pin the strips back so that they don't get caught in the stitching area.

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