The Essential Guide to Sewing With Lace

Class Preview

Sew any type of lace with finesse to create stunning projects. Learn speciality skills that highlight openwork lace fabrics, borders, motifs and more.

Choosing & Cutting Lace

Meet your instructor and sewing expert Alison Smith as she helps you choose the best type of lace for your project. Whether your fabric is a guipure, Chantilly, beaded or eyelash lace, Alison has tips for sewing each kind. Then you’ll learn how to work with a lace motif and carefully cut beaded lace.

Seam Construction for Lace

Explore various underlinings to match your lace type and pattern perfectly. You’ll also review a few different types of seam finishes best suited for everyday lace garments. Alison also provides helpful techniques for pressing lace fabrics as you sew.

Couture Seam Construction

Alison demonstrates a couture seam finish for lace as she shows you how to construct a lace bodice with virtually invisible princess seams. You’ll start with marking and matching the lace motif, then you’ll carefully place the lace and stitch on the shaped seam to hide the edges.

Lace Overlays for Bodices

Learn how to cut and shape two styles of lace bodices: a free-hanging lace overlay and a strapless bodice with a full lace overlay. Alison will demonstrate how to match the construction in each layer and how to finish the bodice back and inside. Up next, sewing zippers in lace!

Zippers for Lace

Alison makes sewing zippers into lace easy! Just follow her as she demonstrates a lapped zipper with a hand-sewn prick stitch. She’ll also show you how to sew an invisible zipper into a lace garment. Finally, you’ll review options for seam finishes in lace.

Hemlines & Necklines

Save all your extra pieces of lace for this lesson as Alison shows you what you can do with lace borders. You’ll learn how to attach a trimmed border to the neckline of a finished edge and press it. Then you’ll review different ways you can play with lace edges along the hemline for your desired look.

Appliqués & Insets

Learn to use lace appliqués and insets for gorgeous designer details on your projects. Alison teaches you how to use ready-made appliqués as well as leftover lace from previous projects. You’ll also learn different ways to attach and sew a lace inset to your garment.