More lace on things--shorts?

More lace on things--shorts?

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• 7.29.2010

Greetings from South Dakota!
I'm still on vacation at my family reunion, but I have some downtime and wanted to share with you another pretty-eclectic-vintagey-westerney-funky project, something that I did recently and was thinking would look nice out here in this beautiful country (without being too cowboyish).
I've talked before about putting lace on things (here and here), and here's another fun project you can do with just a little bit of pretty lace (I used a mail order fabric company's swatch).  This one is really super easy, and doesn't take more than a little bit of sewing, machine or by hand!
I got the idea from these Joie shorts--they're a tan silk with lace cutout, and super duper expensive.  Here's a scan of my Lucky magazine from a couple months ago:

I thought it was a nice idea, adding some pretty romance to the preppiness of tan pleated shorts.  I had a pair that I thought would lend itself nicely--they're lightweight cotton broadcloth, from Target clearance last summer. Pleats and everything!
I recommend doing this with a fairly lightweight fabric, not something heavy like stiff khakis.

They were a weird length, actually, so I got rid of the cuff and shortened them a little--this made them work perfectly for the lace applique on top.

Ready for the tutorial??

• Get some lace--this is a nice nylon one from one of my mom's fabric wholesalers.  Cut the lace into shapes that follow the general pattern in the lace.  I cut out some flower-ey shapes with a little extra room around them for buffer.

• Position your lace where you want it, on the outside side seams on the shorts.  Pin or use spray adhesive (I pinned this time, since there was enough friction of the lace on the cotton).

• You can handsew if you want, but I recommend machine zig-zagging the lace on, just right on top of it.  Go all the way around the design from hem to hem, leaving the little bit of excess on hanging below the hem.

• Trim the excess lace that was left over after you zig-zagged, if there is any.
• Turn the extra lace over the hem and hand-sew it down.  Trim the excess if you like, leaving a seam allowance so your stitches stay in.

Ta-da!!

So easy!
I thought about trimming away the fabric under the lace, which would be more like the Joie originals, but I think that would only work with a sturdier lace and a thinner short fabric.  If you make your own shorts and do this, maybe you can trim away the fabric under the lace and have a pretty cut-out look on the sides!
I think these will look nice with soft colors and lightweight, simple tops without too much detail themselves.  It's a fun, unexpected detail on an otherwise basic garment!