This is how it looked embroidering the edging,, the hoop size is 150x240,, I think I got 5 or 6 pieces on each hooping, then moved the stabilizer and rehooped...
It was a little trial and error,, but I figured out the best way for me to sew the pieces together,,, at first,, I just left the stabilizer on the designs,, (after cutting as close to the edges as possible),, then I tried putting the pieces together,,, but as I lapped the one piece over the other,, the stabilizer got in the way, and I couldn't see where to sew them together well enough,, so, I wet just the edge of the lace,, the dense edge that curves,, well some of the pieces may have gotten a little more wet than others,, but , next pic
this is what I was intending,, you see how leaving the stabilizer on the "bottom" piece allows for more stability,,, this way, I just match up the lines, and sew,,,
I wanted to use a contrasting thread to show the exact way I stitched,,,
This is after I have sewed the edging all up,, I sewed a loose running stitch (about 4mm) in the upper edge,, I re-wet the lace down,, to make it more pliable,, and easier to gather,, if you look close, you can see the pins in the outside edge,, I simply, but carefully pulled the threads up enough to make the lace lay flat,, then gently steam pressed it, then I starched it,, and layed it on the material..
This is after the lace is sewed down,, no, it isn't quite circular,, but I was getting tired, and just wanted to get it done,, and yes,, I sewed down both outside and inside,,
You know how when after you have started a project,, and it is already taking a while,, and you realize you still have a lot left to do.. you start wondering if it is going to be worth it,, well this placemat is where I started thinking that,,,I forgot to take pix of how I embroidered it out,, but it was a lot like the edging,, any piece of wss I could find that had some room on it,, I used it,,,
In the placemat,, there are 28 pieces,, 10 half pieces,,(these are the 3 on top, and bottom, and 2 on each side) 6 circles, and 12 I guess you would call them square pieces,, although they aren't literally square,, they do have 4 corners,,, 4 of them actually make up the corners,,my biggest concern was stability,, I mean, this is not a dense set,, the digitizer made it that way,, but I was concerned about how well it would hold up,, but when I got all the pieces together,, I was really supprised, and happy,, it was holing up pretty good,, I did also starch it some,, but,, the designs are tacked together about every 1/2,, or everywhere the two piece meet closely,,,and at first,, i trimmed the threads,,(on samples that I did) but on this mat,, I left them,, I didn't want the tacks comming out,,,oh,, the color variations are because the darker places are still wet.
This pic was taken by my DH,, he has a much better camera that my simple digital,, plus he took it into Adobe,, and took out the glare,, now you can really see what it looks like,,, :) Update,, well I thought you could see a closeup,, I will try to get this figured out,, cause DH said I should be able to click on it and make it larger,, if anyone has any ideas, let me know......
The finished tablecloth,, I didn't realize until I loaded the pic, that my feet were showing,,, oops,,and yes, I am fully dressed,,although it may look like I am trying to cover something,,, lol....
This is the table setting we put together at G-Mothers house,, she really likes it,,,
