5 Easy Steps to Sew a Lace Overlay: Sewing Tutorial

I can’t get enough of the lace trend, who’s with me? I think it adds such a feminine and pretty touch to projects and can transform a more casual look instantly. The best part is, this is a very simple sewing technique. I am going to show you how to use 5 simple steps to create a lace overlay on a knit dress or top. In this tutorial, I am using the Youth Boundless Dress from Patterns for Pirates. However, this technique can be applied to most knit tops and dresses.

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Supplies:

-Sewing Pattern for a knit top or dress- I used the Boundless Dress from Patterns for Pirates in this tutorial

-Knit fabric for top or dress

-Stretch Lace fabric for overlay

-Sewing machine, scissors, thread, Clear Elastic or preferred shoulder stabilizer

Sewing Tutorial:

Step 1: Cut all your bodice pieces according to your pattern PLUS a stretch lace bodice front and back. The lace you cut needs to have stretch. Without it, you will lose the ability to use a pattern created for knits. It will not fit and will not work.

Step 2: Next, take one front and back bodice piece (the maroon rayon spandex in this picture) and lay them RIGHT side up, facing you. Now take one stretch lace piece and lay it on top of each bodice piece. Make sure both RIGHT sides of the fabric are facing you.

Step 3: Take this piece to your machine and use a long basting stitch to sew all around the bodice. Make sure to use a 1/4 inch seam allowance so that it will not be seen after stitching the seam together. The lace will sometimes shift around. Either pin the layers together first or slowly stitch and adjust as you sew. Pick whichever method works best for you. Be careful not to stretch the pieces while sewing. In order to avoid bunching in the corners, you may want to sew each line separately. For example, sew all the way across the bottom, pull off the machine and clip the threads. Then sew the side seam, pull off the machine, and clip the threads. Then repeat this process for each section that needs to be basted. Now that it is attached on all sides, you will treat this as one piece.

Step 4: Sew your top together at the shoulder seams for both the lining and the bodice. Make sure you stabilize the shoulder seams using Clear Elastic, bias, or your preferred method to avoid stretching during wash and wear.

Step 5: Finish sewing your top or dress together per your pattern’s instructions.

See how simple this was? I love when you can use easy tricks to take your sewing to the next level. Try it on your next dress or top to elevate the look.

The dress pictured above is the tank option. The green dress below is the short sleeve option. I simply repeated the same steps for the lace overlay but continued with the sleeve pieces. Then attached per the pattern once I had the lace basted on all the way around the sleeve piece.

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There are so many great looks with this technique. Try it out today and see just how easy it is to add a lace overlay to your next sewing project. Here is another dress I made for myself using this same lace overlay tutorial.

Until next time- Happy Sewing