Machine-Embroider Allover Lace
Photo: Peter Sakas
My favorite ways to use this allover lace are either as an overlay over another garment or for an all-lace garment. When using the lace as an overlay, I incorporate the edges where it will be attached into the garment's appropriate seam allowances and join the two with a conventional seam. I find it helpful to hand-baste the lace to the other garment fabric within the seam allowances before sewing.
To invisibly sew lace to lace, let the motifs extend beyond the seamlines. Hand-sew a marking line along each seamline with long straight stitches, then overlap the sections, matching the seamlines. Baste the sections together with a contrasting thread and remove the marking stitches. Thread your sewing machine and bobbin with embroidery thread, and sew along the edges of the most prominent motifs using a zigzag stitch that's 1.5mm wide and 1.5mm long. Trim the top layer close to the stitching. Turn the piece over, and stitch along the edge of the same motif from the wrong side. Then trim the underlayer close to the stitching.
I think making lace is one of the more exciting things you can do with a home-embroidery machine. Whether you use the lace in a garment or an accessory for your home, it looks so great that it's hard to believe you made it yourself.
Barbara Skimin sews in Huntington Woods, Mich., and teaches at a local machine dealership. She is the author of My Custom Stitch (Sew Spectacular Press, 1999), which is available from Brother dealers.
Photos: Sloan Howard and Mary Ray; drawings: Karen Meyer and Carol Ruzicka
Threads Magazine, editor Posted on Nov 11th, 2008 in embroidery, embroidery, lace
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