How to Sew Lace Trim
A band of lace trim adds a feminine touch to clothing, pillows or even napkins, and store-bought lace trim is easy to attach once you understand the basic principles of sewing with lace. The biggest problem when it comes to sewing lace is that the fabric is not a solid sheet because lace designs feature small or large holes. These holes can create gaps your seams where the lace trim is not properly attached to the fabric.
Instructions
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Finish the edge of the fabric before you begin to attach the lace trim. Fold the edge of the fabric where you want to attach the lace under twice and stitch it in place with a sewing machine to create a finished edge. This will simplify the process of attaching the lace trim.
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2
Arrange your lace trim on the fabric until you are satisfied with it's appearance.
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Pin or tape the lace to the fabric. If you are attaching the lace to a fabric such as cotton, use pins. If you are sewing on a delicate fabric that will show pin holes, such as silk, use clear tape to hold the lace in place.
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Set your sewing machine to a narrow zigzag stitch. This setting may be labeled "stitch width" and usually features a picture of the stitch.
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Set the stitch length selector of your sewing machine to one. The stitch length selector usually features settings from zero to five. Stitching on the zero setting means that the fabric does not move and you would stitch continuously in the same spot. The five setting creates extremely wide stitches.
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Sew the edge of the lace trim to the fabric slowly. The zigzag motion and tight stitches ensure that the lace will be firmly attached even though the needle may occasionally encounter a bare spot in the trim due to the open design of the lace.
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Snip any loose threads and examine your lace trim. You may need to sew the top and bottom of the trim to the fabric to properly secure the trim. Use the same sewing machine settings and sew an additional seam on the lace if necessary.
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Tips & Warnings
Some types of lace trim feature a solid band along one side of the lace. Apply these by placing the solid band underneath the finished edge of the fabric so that only the lace is visible on the right side of the fabric. Sew the lace to the fabric through the solid band using a straight stitch with the stitch length selector set to one.
Choose a thread that matches the lace rather than the fabric, as it will be visible on the finished item.
Sew slowly and keep your seams as straight as possible so that a jagged or crooked line of stitching will not detract from the design of the lace trim.
References
- Photo Credit handkerchifs with blue crocheted lace image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
