Peek-a-boo lacework tutorial

Ever wondered how they get that gorgeous peek-a-boo effect with lace? It's a kind of applique, traditionally done as part of French hand sewing. But guess what? The options go far beyond heirloom sewing --- and even better, it's really easy!

For this tutorial I'm adding lace down the shoulder of a tee. This technique is super versatile though -- you could do it around the hem of a sleeve, make reverse 'patches' on the knees of jeans, or use it to make polka dots or stripes on an overskirt. So many options... so let's get started!

We're building this tee from scratch, once again using our trusty, free Liberty Jane trendy tee. But you can use this technique on already-finished clothes, provided you can lay the area to be embellished out flat.

Here, I've stopped sewing just before getting to the underarm and side seams. See how the embellishment area is laid out flat?

Pin your lace where you want it to go.

Next, set your sewing machine to a narrow, closely-spaced zig zag stitch. Practice first on a scrap of fabric to be sure you get the stitch set up just the way you want it, and use a thread color to match the lace. Here I'm using black.

Zig zag over the edges of the lace to attach it permanently to the fabric. (For this project, that means sewing down both sides of the lace strip. If you were using a round motif, you'd just zig-zag around the whole thing.)

Flip your garment over, and carefully cut away the fabric from behind the lace. Sharp scissors help!

And that's it! (well, except for finishing up the garment.... unless of course you're using a pre-made garment :D )

--Melinda