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Transcript:

Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Caroline: Hello and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics and BF Patterns.

Helen: And I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns and Cedar Quilt Co.

Caroline: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew and it’s the only thing worth talking about.

Helen: Today’s episode is all about lace. What it is, how to sew with it, and what to sew with it, plus an overview of the history of lace, the different kinds of lace, and your lace questions answered.

Caroline: If you love to sew, this is your show. Hello, Helen.

Helen: Hi Caroline!

Caroline: How are you?

Helen: I’m doing well, how are you?

Caroline: I am great. It’s a sunny day here in Vancouver. Like, the sun’s out. She’s out, gracing us with her presence.

Helen: That is always a treat, isn’t it? Especially this time of year.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. Yes, this time of year is so gloomy. I’m sure we’ve already talked about it on the show. You probably already heard us complaining about the weather, but now I am not complaining about the weather.

Helen: It’s a sign of things to come. Of brighter days ahead, yes.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. Yeah. How are you?

Helen: I’m doing well, I was just thinking that I should have worn some lace to celebrate our topic for today.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. It’s so true. I do not own many lace garments right now, but I could have put on my wedding dress.

Helen: Yeah, there you go. Missed opportunity to wear that bad boy again.

Caroline: Dang.

Helen: Oh my gosh, did you ever get anybody interested in your wedding dress? I remember you put it out there that you were like, “I’m willing to part with this if anyone wants it.”

Caroline: I don’t think so. No, not that I recall. So if anyone is interested, it’s still up for grabs. It’s sitting in my sewing room closet and I get to peep at it once in a while when I’m in there. I was like, love that thing.

Helen: You know, it’s because our audience is full of sewists and they want to make their own wedding dress, which is totally fair.

Caroline: Totally. Yeah. Are you saying I should list it on, like, marketplace or something?

Helen: Oh, I’m sure somebody would snap it up, like, if you did that, but it wouldn’t have quite the same lovely connection that you’re looking for, I think.

Caroline: I know. I don’t know. I’m still uncertain if I’m even ready to part with it. So we’ll see. I’ll hang on to it for a little while.

Helen: Yeah. I’m excited to talk about lace today. I’ll be honest: not a lace expert over here.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. Okay. Full disclosure: nor am I. We don’t carry a ton of lace at Blackbird and I haven’t worked with it a ton, but it was really fun learning more for this episode and we’ve got lots of great info.

Helen: Yes. And if there are any lace experts out there, feel free to hit us up. Let us know what you think of the episode. And if you have any additional lace tips to share, we want to hear them.

Caroline: Yeah, absolutely. We’re going to start off this episode with a listener question, though, and this one comes from Hannah.

Hannah: Hi Helen and Caroline, my name is Hannah, I’m from Queens, New York. I just finished a podcast episode where you mentioned that you wished you were getting more phone calls. And I thought to myself, “I have a question for them, I can give a call.” So here I am doing so. I have a question about circle skirts. I know that there are wonderful circle skirt calculators all over the internet, but I have a bone to pick with them and a question for you all. Every time I put in measurements of my waist and of the length of fabric that I have and the length of skirt I want it to be, without fail, the calculator comes back saying, “Your sizes are too big for the circle skirt calculator because the typical width of fabric is too narrow, I’m sorry, the skirt won’t fit.” So I never know what I’m supposed to do with that information! I’m working on a maid of honour dress for my sister’s wedding, and I’d like to make it with a pretty fitted tube bodice/bandeau kind of style and then a half- or a quarter-circle skirt flowing from there. And I cannot figure out how to make this because the calculators all kind of stop and say, “Your width of fabric doesn’t work.” I actually got some sandwashed Cupro in a brown colour from Blackbird Fabrics recently to make the wearable toile of this dress and I want to figure out how I can make it out of panels. Whenever I look at tutorials online for circle skirts out of panels, they’re very specific. Something like, “Here’s how to make a full circle skirt out of four panels at this length.” I’m trying to figure out more about the theory behind circle skirts, more about the math so that I can do it myself and play around with how long I want the circle skirt to end up. I don’t even know if I want a half or a quarter yet, I want to play around with the different looks. All that is to say, can you help me beat the circle skirt calculators? Can you tell me a little bit about them so I can understand them? Thanks so much! I’m a huge fan of the show, I’m a patreon, and I appreciate you both so much. Bye!

Helen: Hi, Hannah. Thank you so much for calling us. Really appreciate it. Circle skirt math can seem quite complicated, but we’re going to demystify it a bit here and share a link to a couple of articles for you to reference. Those will be in the show notes. But first, let’s define a few math terms. Oh my gosh. Bringing me back. And what they mean for circle skirts. So first: circumference. This is the distance around the circle. And this is your waist measurement, since you’re measuring around your waist.

Caroline: And diameter is the length of a line that goes from one end of the circle to the other. So you might need to know this to make your circle skirt pattern.

Helen: Radius is half of the diameter, so the length of a line going from the center of the circle to the edge. And you’re definitely going to need this one to make your circle skirt pattern.

Caroline: So it is time to dust off that math that we learned back in the day. And in order to get the radius of your skirt, you’re gonna need to use your waist measurement, which is the circumference of the circle. The formula is: circumference divided by pi equals diameter. So let’s say you have a 40 inch waist. 40 divided by 3.14 equals 12.74. And that’s the diameter. Divide that by two and you get the radius: 6.4. And that’s the number you would use for a full circle skirt.

Helen: You lost me.

Caroline: Honestly, did not think I’d ever be saying “pi” on the podcast.

Helen: All you need is pi.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Okay, but there are lots of calculators online that will do all of this good math for you. You just need your waist measurements, so those can be super useful. You said, Hannah, that you wanted to make a half or a quarter circle skirt, so let’s talk about that too. So, for a half circle skirt, you’ll double your circumference before you divide it by pi. And for a quarter circle skirt, you’re gonna quadruple the circumference.

Caroline: Okay. Now, how do you take your radius and make a paneled skirt out of it? I would recommend drawing out your skirt pattern on paper first, rather than going straight to the fabric. If you have pattern paper with dots or a grid, it’s going to make it extra easy to work with, but this is not absolutely necessary.

Helen: The first step is to make a circle skirt pattern. Don’t worry about the panels or any seam allowances at this point. Take the radius measurement, use it to draw a quarter circle in the corner of your paper, and then use your skirt length measurement plus your radius measurement to draw out the hem. And now you’ve got your circle skirt pattern.

Caroline: And now it’s time to make it into panels. So you can draw a line down your pattern wherever you would like there to be a seam. And if you want the panels to be perfectly equal, you can fold your pattern in half to make it into two panels. That will make a skirt with eight panels in the end. The width of your fabric will probably play a part in how many panels you can make. Cut along the lines you’ve drawn and now you can add seam allowance and hem allowance to the pattern piece. And that’s it! You’re ready to cut it out of fabric. And when you’re placing your pattern remember that the grain of the fabric should go straight down the middle of each panel.

Helen: Yes, very important to put those grain lines on when you’re making the pattern. Circle skirts are a total fabric hog. So get lots of fabric if you’re going to be making one. Paneled skirts are also a fabric hog. I’ve had the same experience as Hannah. They were talking about how, you know, they do the calculator, they put everything in, they’re like, “I want this length of skirt,” and the calculator’s like, “Nope, can’t do it, sorry.” But I do have a tip for getting around this: so, shorten the length of your skirt until the calculator works. So you might have to go for a mini skirt for your size, but at least the calculator will give you your radius so you can get the waist math that you need. And then from there, you just extend out the lines from the hem to make the skirt longer, the length that you want it to be. And I’ve gotten around the fabric width limitations by cutting my skirt on the cross grain. You can get a full length skirt out of a 60 inch wide fabric if you cut it on the cross grain instead of cutting it on the lengthwise grain where you’re more limited. So that’s my little tip for you.

Caroline: Oh, that is a great tip. Thank you. Hannah, I hope your circle skirt adventure goes well. We’re going to link some great blog posts by By Hand London so that you and any of our listeners out there can do this yourself. And I think it’s time to get to the show.

Helen: Yes, we have so much info to share today. And we all have an image in our head when we hear the word lace, but let’s talk about what lace is really.

Caroline: Okay, but lace is actually kind of hard to define. There are a few things that sources agree on, though. First, lace is an openwork fabric, so that means it has a lot of openings or holes in it.

Helen: Secondly, lace is ornamental, so it has designs or motifs in it to make it extra beautiful.

Caroline: And last, it’s made in a variety of ways. Some of the oldest techniques are needle lace, which is made using just a needle and thread, and bobbin lace, which is made with a bunch of bobbins that the lace maker twists loops or plaits into designs. Nowadays, most lace is machine-made, but there are still a lot of different lace types. And not everyone agrees on what counts as lace either. Are embroidered net and eyelet really lace? It kind of depends on who you ask. So in this episode, we’re going to use a pretty wide definition of lace, since the sewing tips and project ideas will stay pretty similar for all the fabrics that fall under the lace umbrella.

Helen: Okay, so today we are going to share a bit about the history of lace and go over some of the different types. We’ll give a ton of tips for sewing lace, including a really cool technique to make your seams invisible. And then we’ll also share some ideas of where you can add lace trim to a project, recommend some indie patterns for sewing a whole lace garment, and answer some listener questions at the end. And also, lace is definitely a lingerie staple. A lot of people might be picturing underwear when they hear the word lace, picturing lingerie. Since lingerie is kind of its own thing, we’re going to focus on other garments in this episode. But if you want to hear more lingerie-specific advice, we have Episode 53: Bra Making with Emerald Erin, Episode 162 on Sewing Undies, and episode 220, which is Bralettes. And with that said, there’s a lot of sewing tips in this episode that will be transferable to lingerie making and vice versa.

Caroline: Yes, I’m excited to get into it, but I want to know, Helen, have you worked with lace a lot? I know you mentioned mostly not, but…

Helen: Yeah, like, you already know the answer. I have not. I have only used lace in the context of bramaking and even then it’s pretty limited. Just a little decorative embellishment here and there. But I’ve always been curious to try making a garment from lace. But I feel like our listeners can relate to this. I don’t have the occasion to necessarily wear a lace garment or the guts to go for it. So this episode is definitely something that I need to push me to try some lace projects and maybe get inspired of how I can wear lace in a more casual way.

Caroline: Oh yeah, I would venture to say that, in this year, 2024, lace in a casual vibe is kind of on-trend. So I feel like we might have some project ideas later on in the episode and I feel like you’re going to come away feeling inspired.

Helen: Oh, I hope so. I have two pieces of lace in my stash. One of which I think I got from you, Blackbird; it’s one of the bridal fabrics. And I wanted to make, like, a Cameron Button Up out of it, like something more casual and just, like, have the lace really shine, but still have it be a wearable casual everyday garment. I thought that could be neat.

Caroline: That sounds beautiful. Gorgeous.

Helen: Yeah, okay. Okay. I’ll put it on my list. Caroline, what about you? Have you made any lace projects?

Caroline: Honestly, I am similar to you. I have not sewn a ton with lace outside of bramaking. I think earlier in my sewing journey, I made a few things. I, if anyone out there remembers when I used to blog on Sewaholic back in the day, I had a few projects on there. Some eyelet things and a couple lace things. I tried for the life of me to dig up a photo of this, like, boxy T-shirt that I made out of guipure lace back in the day and I could not find it. Helen, I even opened, like, this folder on my computer that has, like, old iPhone photos going back to 2009.

Helen: Oh, wow, you were digging.

Caroline: I was digging and I couldn’t find it. So I did pop a couple pictures in here for you to see.

Helen: These are so cute!

Caroline: I know! Back in the day. We’ll put them in the show notes. Back when I lived in the west end of Vancouver and I used to take photos on my rooftop up there. There’s one in particular where I used lace as a panel on the back of a shirt, like a t-shirt vibe. That was a really cute top. And then, of course, my wedding dress, which I think fits under the “lace umbrella.” But that fabric that I used for my wedding dress, I would say is more of an eyelet. So Yeah.

Helen: We’ll throw it in there. Totally counts.

Caroline: I think we’ll count it today. Yeah.

Helen: Yeah, today we’re counting it.

Caroline: But I do really love the look of lace. Like I said, I’ve been seeing it in the trend forecast. I’ve seen some really cool brands making awesome things with lace and I’m inspired. I think I might make a lace pair of pants this year. That’d be crazy.

Helen: I mean it depends on what you’re wearing under them, I suppose.

Caroline: It’s true.

Helen: No, that sounds really cool. I’m excited to talk about patterns and projects at the end of the episode and get inspired. But we are gonna start off here with a brief history of lace. We don’t have a down-to-the-minute or even a down-to-the-year date for when lace was invented, but it most likely started to appear in the early 16th century. And the earliest types of handmade lace were needle lace and bobbin lace.

Caroline: Yeah. So needle lace is made by sewing outlines of thread on a temporary backing and then filling the space with elaborate geometric patterns using just a single needle and thread.

Helen: Bobbin lace, on the other hand, is made by twisting many bobbins of thread around a grid of pins that are stuck onto, like, a pillow form. So it’s made with multiple threads, and it’s a bit quicker to make than needle lace. Side note, Caroline: I am so obsessed with watching people make bobbin lace.

Caroline: Really?

Helen: It’s so beautiful. And you can find lots of reels and videos of it and it is wild how fast they can move the bobbins around and flip them over each other and create this beautiful lace. And like, it just seems like they have this whole other intuition with their hands. I don’t know even how they’re telling the bobbins apart. It’s just like, it’s like friendship bracelet, but to the millionth degree, you know?

Caroline: Wow. Okay. This is cool. I’m going to go check this out after we finish this recording.

Helen: Yeah, you can definitely watch them online and it’s really fun.

Caroline: So niche.

Helen: Right?

Caroline: Okay, so back to the little history lesson. By the late 16th century, lace fabric and trims had exploded in popularity across Europe. Remember those portraits of Queen Elizabeth I in giant lace ruffs? Yes, those were elaborate needle lace. Fashion dictated changes in lace over the years. Softer collars made of narrow bobbin lace were popular in the early 17th century. Raised designs for flat lace trim came into fashion during the later 17th century. And super delicate linen lace was the standard in the 18th century.

Helen: In the 19th century, machine-made lace began to be produced. And a big development was in 1804 when our old friend the Jacquard machine was patented. This uses long cards with holes punched into them as a program that tells the loom what to make. It’s considered a precursor to the modern computer. And another big development was in 1809 when John Heathcote developed a wide net fabric that didn’t unravel when it was cut. Manufacturers found ways to imitate many handmade lace fabrics and created new fabrics, too. By the end of the 19th century, the handmade lace industry had shrunk to a tiny size.

Caroline: The mechanization of lace making made it more affordable than ever. By the 1930s, most people could afford lace, something that had never happened before in history. And styles of lace changed throughout the decades as well. Allover Chantilly lace was popular for party dresses in the 50s. Cotton Cluny lace trimmed peasant dresses in the 70s. And big Guipure collars adorned dresses in the 80s. And today I’m seeing a lot of lingerie-inspired satin slip dresses with lace trim. Chunky 3D lace appliques on sheer illusion netting are a thing too, like Taylor Swift’s flower dress at the Grammys a few years ago. I wonder where lace is going to go next, Helen?

Helen: Ooh. Well, we’re trailblazing today. Handmade lace hasn’t totally disappeared, which is great because it is such a cool art form. There are some amazing artists and makers who are handmaking lace and keeping these skills alive. For example, Maggie Hensel Brown makes beautiful needle lace pieces that illustrate quiet moments from her everyday life, like a zoom call or a bath or sleeping in. We’re going to link her website in the show notes. Honestly, just stunning. Stunning.

Caroline: Okay, let’s go over a few of the different types of lace. So first up, Chantilly lace. This one is a lightweight, airy looking lace that usually has scalloped edges and sometimes little eyelashes along the scallops. Machine-made Chantilly is sometimes called Raschel lace.

Helen: I think this is one of the ones that I have. I’m trying to figure out what I have and I’m pretty sure I have some Chantilly lace.

Caroline: It’s quite, like, light and delicate and it doesn’t have those like raised, almost like cording, on it that some laces will have.

Helen: Yeah, okay, good to know. Cluny lace is made from cotton and it’s a bit coarser because the yarns are thicker than most laces and it typically has more geometric patterns.

Caroline: Guipure lace is a heavier lace that uses braids or cords to raise parts of the design and it has no net backing. Guipure lace tends to feel, like, much chunkier.

Helen: Heavier, right? Like it actually has some weight to it. And then to connect the more decorative elements it’s got like, almost like little strings, right? Instead of the netting. Yeah. Okay, I have definitely seen this before. You’re doing a great job pronouncing these by the way.

Caroline: Oh, thank you.

Helen: I’m going to try this next one. Alençon. Alençon. Is that how it is?

Caroline: I think it’s Alençon. Alençon.

Helen: Alençon? There’s a cute little accent under the C, so that sounds right.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Alençon lace is like Chantilly lace, but it has raised cords outlining some of the motifs.

Caroline: Yeah. I think this one is one of those more common laces that you’ll find in, like, fabric stores and stuff. It’s got that delicate look but it still has some raised cords to it. It’s sort of like, a good best-of-both-worlds-type lace.

Helen: Okay, cool.

Caroline: Crochet lace is handmade by crocheters. And there’s no way to make crochet by machine. Though there are some knitting machine stitches that can imitate crochet. Cluny lace is sometimes called crochet lace in product listings even though it isn’t really crocheted.

Helen: There’s also stretch lace, which has a percentage of spandex in it, and that is usually used for lingerie or for trim on knit fabrics.

Caroline: And stretch lace also tends to be quite light and delicate in look. it doesn’t have those, like, raised cords because that wouldn’t really work with the spandex that it needs to have.

Helen: Yeah, fair.

Caroline: Okay, now for a few fabrics that people tend to disagree about putting under the lace umbrella. Embroidered net is a fine netting that has designs embroidered on it. Eyelet, also called broderie anglaise, is an embroidered fabric, usually a super lightweight woven cotton. It has little holes cut out of it to make, like, a pretty design and each little hole is finished with a satin stitch around it.

Helen: Yes, we love eyelet in the sewing community. I mean, it’s so fun. It’s just got that lovely whimsy. And it’s pretty common. You can find it lots of different places, so it’s a good one. Today, most lace is made of nylon or polyester. The exceptions would be Cluny lace and eyelet, which are usually made of cotton. But you can find silk, rayon, cotton, and blended lace fabrics to buy. They’re just not as abundant as the synthetic options.

Caroline: Yeah. My wedding dress fabric was, I want to say, cotton/rayon.

Helen: Yeah. I remember you telling me it was a rayon blend.

Caroline: Yeah. But it looks like silk to me. So you can find some really interesting compositions in lace fabrics. A couple of things to keep in mind when you’re shopping for lace. Lace can have a scalloped edge or a plain selvage. The scallops can be on one or both sides. And lace with a pretty edge is usually more expensive.

Helen: And you can use that edge to your advantage too, and work it into the hems on your sleeves or on the bottom of your garment. It can be really handy. Lace can come in narrower widths than other fabrics, so be sure to check the listing before you buy it and make sure that you’re getting enough of it.

Caroline: For sure. And you also may need to buy extra yardage to account for the nap cutting layout and choosing the best placement of the lace design. So keep that in mind.

Helen: Okay, let’s take a little break and afterward we’ll start sharing all our tips for working with lace.

Caroline: Love to Sew is made possible by listeners like YOU! We are so grateful for the support of our amazing patrons and subscribers. If you love Love to Sew and you want to help support the pod, we have a new option for you.

Helen: You can now become a paid subscriber on Apple Podcasts! Subscribers get access to our monthly bonus episodes. It’s so convenient; if you already use Apple Podcasts, the episodes are right there in your feed!

Caroline: So, what are the bonus episodes? Well, we do a chatty catch-up on what’s been happening in our lives, share about the realities of running a small business, discuss new indie pattern releases, and talk about what we’re sewing right now! Many of our subscribers say these fun bonus episodes are their favourite, and if you subscribe, you get access to the full back catalogue. That’s over 75 hours of Love to Sew! We also do a mini-episode that deep dives into a specific topic. We get to discuss so many fun sewing techniques and answer specific subscriber questions about sewing!

Helen: And we are still on Patreon! If you subscribe over there you can get access to the bonus episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and a special 15% off discount code at our superfan patron tier. That discount applies at Helen’s Closet, Cedar Quilt Co., Blackbird Fabrics, and BF patterns. If you shop with us regularly, it basically pays for itself!
Head to patreon.com/lovetosew to see all perks and options.

Caroline: If you’d like to try out Patreon or Apple podcast subscriptions and check out our bonus content, you can sign up for a free 7-day trial. And, of course, you can help support the show by listening, just like you are right now. You can also leave a review! Reviews really help our show to get discovered by new listeners. We know that financial support isn’t always possible and we want you to know that we love you for listening!

Helen: Go to patreon.com/lovetosew or visit our show’s page in the apple podcast app to become a paid subscriber. Thank you to all of our listeners, patrons and subscribers – you’re the best! And we’re back! Now let’s talk about sewing with lace. Lace has a nap, so use a nap cutting layout. Or if your pattern doesn’t have one, you’re going to need to make your own custom layout. Make sure you’re cutting all your pieces in the same direction.

Caroline: You also want to cut in a single layer. Put a layer of tissue paper on your cutting surface to keep it from shifting around.

Helen: And think about how you’re placing your pattern pieces. If the lace has large motifs or stripes, you may want to center them. Check to make sure that the design doesn’t hit you in awkward places. And this is good advice for all large prints. We’ve all had that moment where we finish the garment and there’s a big flower on the boob or a weird circle right on the butt.

Caroline: A seam that just creates a shape that you just don’t want on your clothes.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: You can cut on the cross grain in order to use the pretty scalloped edge if your fabric has one. Plan for it by drawing out the hem folds on your paper pattern pieces. And then when you’re placing your pattern on the fabric, make sure those lines are laying evenly across the scalloped edge.

Helen: The vast majority of lace is not going to fray. So if you want to cut around the lace at the hems to make your own decorative edge, you can totally do that. You can also carefully cut around the motifs of your lace to make appliques. You can sew them onto the garment you’re working on to increase the drama, or you can sew them onto a totally different garment just to add a little extra whimsy. I mean imagine, like, a denim jacket with some lace applique on the shoulders. That’d be so cool.

Caroline: Yeah, and I love the idea of using your lace scraps in different projects to kind of extend the life of that lace. Most lace fabrics will not do well being ironed, so steam them instead. And if you absolutely must press, use a low iron and a press cloth.

Helen: There’s a really cool technique for sewing lace seams that makes them practically invisible. So during the cutting phase, you want to mark out the edges of your pattern pieces along the seams, so where the stitching is going to be. The best way to do that is to use long basting stitches in a contrasting thread colour so you can easily see them and you’re not going to lose the, like, chalk mark or anything. They’re just always going to be there. And then you cut around the lace motifs to make the seam allowance. When you’re ready to sew the seam, you overlap the pieces so the thread markings are sitting right on top of each other. And then you can sew along the edge of the top piece with a small zig zag stitch. So instead of sewing a traditional seam, you’re doing an overlap. After that’s finished, you can cut away the bottom piece near the seam that you just sewed. It’s kind of magical how good it looks, honestly. You can do the same technique with darts so you don’t have that extra, like, triangle flapping around on the inside. So we’ll link a few resources in the show notes so you can learn how to do this. And obviously you’re going to remove your basting stitches later.

Caroline: This is such a cool technique. It almost feels like too good to be true to have such a beautiful finish that doesn’t show those, like, seam lines. So definitely go check out these links if you’re interested in seeing it in action.

Helen: Yeah, you can make it look seamless because if you’re sewing right along the edge of where the lace naturally moves and you’re attaching it together, you can basically get it to look like there is no seam there and it’s just continuing across the seam which is really cool.

Caroline: I guess the key would be a really good thread match.

Helen: Yes, that’s true.

Caroline: If it’s not, like, black or white, you know.

Helen: Yeah, and hand sewing too. You could totally do hand sewing to have a little bit more control and to hide your stitches better.

Caroline: Yeah! Love that. If your lace is very fine and doesn’t have big motifs, it might not make sense to do the applique seams. So in that case, you do have a few options. You can sew French seams. These are going to strengthen your seams and finish them at the same time.

Helen: You can also underline your lace. This means you would baste your lining fabric to the lace and then treat that fabric as one piece. And then you don’t have to worry about making a pretty finish on your seams because they won’t be visible through the lining.

Caroline: You can bind your seams with bias binding. You could use strips of your lining fabric to make it less visible or you could choose a fabric that matches your skin tone if your garment isn’t lined.

Helen: Depending on the type of lace you’re sewing, you might want to stabilize your seams. So, for shoulder seams and waist seams, you can use stay tape, you could use straight grain binding, or a small strip of organza so that they keep their shape.

Caroline: If you only want to stabilize a seam so it doesn’t stretch out while you’re sewing it, you can use tear-away stabilizer or tissue paper. And if you’re sewing a zigzag stitch, use wash-away stabilizer. This is also going to keep the lace from getting sucked down into your machine.

Helen: You also want to avoid stretching your lace as you sew, and check your machine settings on scraps to make sure they’re not creating wavy seams. Really depends on the lace you’re working with, but the last thing you want is for things to get all stretched out of shape, so that’s why we’re talking about stabilizing those seams, maybe stay stitching, checking your settings, all that good stuff before you start sewing your project.

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. Most lace has some amount of sheerness, so here’s how to deal with that. You can line your garment. A traditional lining is best for thicker or more opaque laces. This is going to make the inside of your garment look super neat. You might want to choose a different method if your lace is super sheer, though. It would look messy on the outside because you’d be able to see the seam allowance of both your lining and your sheer lace.

Helen: Yeah, that’s where underlining your garment might be the way you wanna go. It conceals all of the seam allowances inside the lining. The risk with underlining is that the fabrics can bunch or wrinkle as they slide over each other. So underlining is a good choice for more structured pieces like fitted bodices. But if you have something that’s a little more swingy, there’s always a risk that the underlining is not gonna hang the same as the outer fabric. And then you end up with some weird things happening in your seams.

Caroline: Yeah, that’s where testing would be really helpful as well.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: You can create a separate slip or shell to put under your lace garment. This is a good option for drapey garments like dresses or tops that hang from the shoulders rather than ones that are anchored at the waist.

Helen: Yeah, true. I mean, if you were doing something like a lace pant, Caroline, you could wear some kind of cute little boxer briefs or like, bike short kind of things, or even like, some sexier underwear under there. You definitely don’t have to line your lace garment. You can go without any kind of lining. Sheer clothing is definitely in. I have a little mesh top, Jackson Tee, that I made that I absolutely love. And I wear just, like, a little plain black bralette under it. It’s just the right amount of sexy for me and it’s so fun to wear. So definitely experiment a little bit with the sheer.

Caroline: Oh, yeah. Mesh is in too. Like, it’s so 90s and so cute. I love it. Closures might need some special consideration here. So buttonholes might not work at all in some lace fabrics because of all the openings. So consider using button loops instead. Or attach a separate button placket in a complementary fabric.

Helen: If you want to insert a zipper into a lined lace garment, you might need to treat the lace and lining pieces as one instead of trying to sandwich the zipper in between them. That way, you won’t see the zipper tape through the lace.

Caroline: And if you don’t have a pretty edge on your lace or you don’t want to cut along the motifs at the hem, you can do a single turn hem. If your lace has big openings, just reinforce it with a thin strip of mesh or tulle that matches your skin tone or your lining fabric.

Helen: And of course, there’s the question of how to care for your lace garment. Most lace fabrics will do okay on a gentle cold cycle. Don’t quote me on that. Obviously, with special fabrics like this, you need to test it beforehand to make sure you’re not going to ruin it. But if you put your lace in a mesh bag so it doesn’t get snagged and then you air dry it afterwards, I think you’re probably okay to put it on that gentle cycle.

Caroline: Oh yeah. And I feel like if you’re hanging your lace garment to dry…all those holes…it’ll dry really fast.

Helen: That’s true. It’s probably going to come out dry.

Caroline: So much aeration.

Helen: Especially with poly lace, right? Those fabrics, yeah.

Caroline: Yeah, it’ll practically come out of your washing machine dry.

Helen: Yeah. It’s not going to hold water really.

Caroline: All right, let’s move on to some project ideas. First up, we have some things that you can make with lace yardage. So, simple shell tops look amazing in lace. One of the samples for Cashmerette’s Montrose Top is made in a chunky blue guipure lace and it’s so pretty worn over a simple camisole. I think the cropped view of the Ashton Top would look really pretty in lace, too. And you could pair it with, like, a midi skirt for a dressy look.

Helen: Ooh, I love this idea. Maybe this is what I should do with my guipure. Guipure lace.

Caroline: Guipure.

Helen: Guipure. Yeah, I think that would be amazing. I’d love to try the seamless finish along the side seam and the dart. And there is a whole article on Cashmerette’s website about how they did that on the Montrose Top and they have pictures and everything. So it’s a great resource. Shift dresses and swing dresses would work well in lace. The Style Arc Lena is a short sleeveless swing dress that would look great with a spaghetti strap slip underneath.

Caroline: You could really take advantage of the scalloped edge of the lace fabric by making a dress or skirt that has lots of ruffles. The Fibre Mood Trix dress has layers of ruffles going from the bodice down to the hem. It would be easy to make a simple skirt using the same technique and all those pretty scalloped edges would look so good. And bonus: no hemming.

Helen: Oh, I love this idea. I feel like for this one you’d probably want to use a lighter weight lace to get all those ruffles and have it not weigh so much when you’re done.

Caroline: Imagine! You’re like, this is so see-through but it’s so heavy.

Helen: It’s so heavy. I also love the idea of a tea dress made out of a lightweight lace or an embroidered net. I think the Taika Blouse by Named would be a really great option. It reminds me of dresses from the early aughties, and adding the lace would just give it extra whimsy. It’d be so cute.

Caroline: Yes, and lace button-ups are so cool. it would take a bit of extra work to figure out the interfacing situation, but it can definitely be done, especially with sturdier lace fabrics. I think you could use organza that matches your skin tone or you could match the colour of the lace so that it makes a statement; like, the collar and button plackets could be opaque while the rest of it is sheer. This isn’t a button up, but Donny Q made, like, a slouchy guipure lace top as a layering piece, and it looks so good. He paired it with linen pants and Birkenstocks. I feel like that’s a great way to dress down a lace look, and I know you have Birks, Helen, so.

Helen: And linen pants. I’ll look just like Donny Q. No, I mean, I can never look as cool as Donny Q, but he’s totally pulling this off and it’s really cute. I love this idea. And I also really like the idea of a button up, like I was saying at the top of the show, and the suggestion to make elements of it opaque like the collar and the cuffs and the button placket because obviously those need to be secured anyways with a little bit of interfacing or something. And that would just make them pop on the shirt while the rest of it is sheer. So cool.

Caroline: Totally. Okay, there are a bunch of ways that you can incorporate lace into your makes. Lace insertion is actually so much easier than it looks. Basically, you sew lace trim onto the fabric with a small zigzag stitch over both edges, and then you carefully cut the fabric down the middle on the wrong side and press it outwards. And then you can sew over the folded edges with a small zigzag and then trim away the excess. This leaves you with a sheer strip of lace down the middle of your fabric. Jessica Quirk on Instagram is so good at this. We’ll link a couple of the tops she’s made for inspo, plus a tutorial for how to do lace insertion on your own makes. And by the way, ladder lace is a really nice choice for lace insertion. It’s a little less frilly than some of the other options.

Helen: Yeah. Ladder lace is so cool. I mean, it looks like a ladder.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Try to imagine it. No, it does look really modern and cool if you’re not into the florals. It’s a good option. You can also sandwich lace trim into your seams. Narrow lace can go around the edge of a collar or along the edges of a button placket. You can put gathered lace trim at your sleeve cap seams or at the seam where you attach a ruffle to a skirt. So many options here. Basically anywhere where there’s a seam you could be putting lace trim. So just think about that.

Caroline: Just think about it.

Helen: Just think about it.

Caroline: You can use a small amount of lace as an accent as well. Yokes or bibs are a great place for this. If your lace has a decorative edge, you can layer it over the fabric underneath and stitch it down, leaving the decorative edge hanging free.

Helen: You can add a cool lace-up detail with certain Cluny lace trims. The kind that you’re looking for is narrow with points that have little holes in them. You can sandwich the lace in the center fronts between the main fabric and the lining and then when you turn it out only the points and the holes will be visible. And you can take ribbon or cord and lace it through the holes. This was a really popular closure on the Gunne Sax dresses in the 70s.

Caroline: Flat lace appliques or trims look great on satin slip dresses and camisoles, or even on the hem of a bias cut satin skirt. Can you imagine the Simone Slip by Closet Core with some eyelash lace along the top edges? I feel like that would be so good. Seamwork also has a tutorial for sewing lace flat along a hem. We’re going to link all of this for you in the show notes.

Helen: I do love the look of an eyelash lace. There’s something just so romantic about it.

Caroline: It’s so pretty.

Helen: So pretty. Ooh, I am definitely feeling inspired, Caroline. I’m gonna go look at my lace.

Caroline: Oh good.

Helen: Okay, before we go, we have a few listener questions about lace. Melissa wrote, “I want to dupe the Wanda Top from Reformation. What kind of lace is used in it and what would I look for to order? Bonus: any pattern recommendations to hack to make it?”

Caroline: Ooh, you know, our creative assistant Lisa came through for us on this one. This is such a pretty top. I love everything from Reformation. This is no exception. It’s so cute. It has a square neck with a narrow yoke made from lace trim. And then below the yoke, the body of the top is gathered. It has puff sleeves and the cuffs are made from that same lace trim. At first glance, the trim looks like a flat eyelet, kind of like a broderie anglaise. But when I zoom in, I think it’s actually a woven lace trim that’s kind of made to look like eyelet. I definitely think you could get the look by using eyelet trim though. Choose a trim that’s, like, at least 2.5-3 inches wide so you have room for seam allowance. And you could hack this look with the Champagne Field Dress and Top by Matchy Matchy Sewing Club. Skip cutting out the yoke pattern piece and make your yoke out of that lace trim instead. And then add a strip of the main fabric that you put pin tucks into. And if you end up making this dupe, please do send us a pic. I feel like it would be so cute. I would love to see how it turns out.

Helen: Yeah, I do love this idea. It’s so cute with the little mitered corner on that square neck.

Caroline: Yeah, that’s great.

Helen: Claudine wrote, “I love lace, but it screams special occasion and I have such a casual life. I would love to hear ideas on how to use lace in more casual garments.” Same.

Caroline: Helen, this is, like, exactly what you were asking earlier.

Helen: Yes. Okay. Lisa has also come through on this one. You can definitely wear lace in casual garments. Part of the issue is maybe the sheen that lace has. It gives it that special occasion glow. If you search for cotton lace, Cluny lace, or crochet lace online, you’ll find a bunch of options that look great as trim on more casual cotton tops or dresses. You can also experiment with adding smaller amounts of lace or embroidered net by colour blocking, which sounds really cool.

Caroline: Yeah, I think bright coloured laces could also work really well to, like, casual-fy, casual-ize a garment, Like, using lace in, kind of like, a non-traditional way. I love the brand A Bronze Age. We pick up some of their deadstock sometimes and they’re a local fashion brand here in Vancouver. And they made these really cool kind of like, layered, gathered skirts and just, like, loose pants in lace and they look so good. And the way that they style them, like, I’ve seen the owner on TikTok styling some of their lace pieces with just, like, a t-shirt and a pair of sneakers and it looks so cool and casual. I feel like you can totally do it.

Helen: Yeah. I’m looking at this product listing here that we linked up and oh my gosh, these are gorgeous. Like, I love the idea of a lace pajama set, but, like, that you wear outside.

Caroline: I know. And like, think about, okay, I linked up some of their pants here. Think about these pants with, like, a pair of sneakers and, like, a t-shirt. Come on.

Helen: Very cute. Very cute. You know, I can totally picture that in a place like Vancouver, like in a city, but I’m imagining myself wearing it around my small town. Like, it’s a different vibe. I would get so many looks. So many looks.

Caroline: I know, here in Vancouver, you can be like, “I’m on my way to this, like, tapas bar with my friends. What are you looking at?” And you’re like, “I’m going to the grocery store.”

Helen: Yeah, wandering around Costco or, like, walking my dog on the beach.

Caroline: Oh my gosh, I would love to see, like…you need to make, like, a reaction compilation video. Like, get, like, Sam to secretly film people. I would pay money to see that. Oh my goodness.

Helen: I would totally check out somebody wearing lace pants. So I wouldn’t blame them, you know?

Caroline: But you wouldn’t be judging. You’d be like, “Ooh-wee!”

Helen: Yeah, I’d be like, “Who are you and can we be friends?”

Caroline: Yeah, exactly. Oh my gosh. Madison wrote, “How the heck do you sew lace onto knit fabrics?”

Helen: Well, if you’re sewing lace onto a knit, you’re going to want to use stretch lace. It should stretch at least as much as the main fabric that you’re using. You can attach it with a zigzag or a twin needle. The flattest, most comfortable way to do it is to layer the lace over the edge of the knit fabric and sew it down with a zigzag stitch. If your lace has a scalloped edge, you can follow the scallop with your stitching and then trim away the excess knit fabric close to the stitching for that really beautiful finish. You could also do this method with a twin needle. And if you don’t need the seam to be flat, you could serge or zigzag the lace and the fabric with right sides together. I think just experimentation is needed here if you’re trying to embellish a t-shirt or something like that. Get a lace that stretches and then just see what happens when you try to put it on there.

Caroline: Yeah. Stephanie wrote, “Please can you provide a good resource for modern lace/fewer flowers? I’m in the UK.” So I think it just takes a bit of digging to find the right one. If you’re searching online, here are some terms you can use: you can look up geometric lace, medallion lace, cluny lace, crochet lace, and of course, modern lace. I think Etsy would be a really good place to start and you can change the settings so that it only shows you shops that ship to the UK.

Helen: Oh yes, good tip. Nancy asks, “Can you make lace on an embroidery machine?” And you can! It’s called freestanding lace and it looks really beautiful, kind of like guipure. Wonderfil has a beginner’s tutorial that looks really good. You use a 40 to 80 weight thread and a pattern that is made for freestanding lace The piece is embroidered onto a water soluble stabilizer, like Wet N Gone by Floriani. And after you’ve finished, you dissolve the stabilizer in water and then air dry the lace. Easy peasy.

Caroline: It’s as easy as that.

Helen: It’s as easy as that. You just need an embroidery machine and special thread and water soluble stabilizer and you can have freestanding lace.

Caroline: There you go. All right. That is all we have for today’s episode. We want to see your lacy me-mades on social media. So please do tag us. We would love to check them out and get inspired. And if you are a lace expert and you want to school us, send us an email or better yet, send us a voice memo because we want to hear you tell us all the things that we forgot about lace.

Helen: Yes, please do help us educate folks out there about lace. We should do a hashtag for this episode. #LoveToSewLace?

Caroline: Yeah, why not.

Helen: #LoveToSewLace.

Caroline: #LoveToSewLace.

Helen: Do it. Show us your makes.

Caroline: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me, Caroline, at Blackbird Fabrics and BF Patterns, and Helen at Helen’s Closet Patterns and Cedar Quilt Co. We are recording in beautiful, sunny British Columbia, Canada.

Helen: You can support Love to Sew and get access to bonus content by subscribing on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. You even get access to the back catalogue of bonus episodes, which is over 75 hours of Love to Sew. So go to patreon.com/lovetosew or check out our podcast page on Apple Podcasts for more info.

Caroline: You can head to lovetosewpodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. And if you’d like to get in touch with us, please leave us a message at 1-844-SEW-WHAT. That’s 1-844-739-9428. Or you can send us an email at hello@lovetosewpodcast.com.

Helen: Thanks to our amazing podcast team! Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant, Jordan Moore of the Pod Cabin is our editor. And thank you for listening. We will talk to you next week.

Caroline: Buh Bye!

Helen: Bye! …onto a water soluble stabulizer. Stabulizer?

Caroline: I feel like we need, can we just put a PSA in this episode? Um, please forgive us if we’ve mispronounced any of these words.

Helen: Right? I know.

Caroline: I’m like, I think it’s guipure, but I actually think it might be not that. I don’t know.

Helen: Maybe it’s G Pure.

Caroline: Maybe it’s guipure.

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