good question hard to answer lol i guess fsl looks like it has latice fencing look does that make sense or you can look at it by stitch type in your software

jjjj, most designers will label them FSL or freestanding - if they say lace - they may not be FSL - but the design has to have interconnecting lines - one upon the other - so that it is free standing - without the need of material to stay connected - interlocking threads - without stitching them out - as test - there is really no way for you to totally be sure that they are FSL over lace - unless you can view it and you almost have to train your eye to see the stitches are on top of each other. I know that sounds rough and not giving you the answer that you want to hear. The best bet - is to label them - with the designer's name as well and you can always drop them a note and ask. Good luck!

I have decided that I will open a new folder in each designers folder and label it FSL that should solve the problem in the furtue. I now 'only' have to sort the ones already downloaded. Never a dull moment!

Just a tip on a technique that work for me is when I download the design if is freestanding I add FSL to the end to the original name of the file just in case I might move it arround by mistake.

When in doubt and you really want to use the design, put a piece of organza or tulle (bridal netting) between the 2 pieces of WSS and then it will be the same as FSL. Also if you have software such as embird that has a stitch simulator you can watch how it stitches out and see if it is stitching the base stitches that overlap. Hope this helps *