Lately I’ve been all distracted and have let my blog fall by the wayside, but I’m still here and I even have a project to show off!
A week or so ago, when I was a bit adrift about what to sew, I read this post on Carolyn’s blog about her project using a lace print fabric. I thought the original and Carolyn’s version are both lovely, so I looked at my own fabric collection and came up with some silk duchesse satin and some lace that would work together nicely. I tried to place the lace from shoulder to waist in the way that Carolyn’s print runs, but my lace is very geometric, while hers is a bit more random. I did not like the effect with the geometric lace.
I thought a bit, and remembered that I have been wanting to make a tunic top with trim of the sort that the designer Tory Burch has been showing for a while, and the whole thing clicked for me. I appliqued the lace onto the satin. Originally, I hand-stitched, but then realized that it actually looks OK to machine stitch the lace, so most of it is machine stitched on. I Hong Kong finished the seams, and put an invisible zip in the back.
To make the whole thing look more dimensional, I hand-stitched some lace medallion cutouts on top of the appliqued lace.
3/4 view
back view. There’s an invisible zip in the center back seam
side view
vent embellishment
Here’s a work-in-progress photo. It is the sleeve hem with the lace appliqued on. You can see where I layered some lace medallions in the middle row to add some dimension.
The wrong side of the previous photo. You can see my machine and hand stitches.
lace detail
lace detail
this is what the lace yardage looks like.
Rolling in Cloth 
12 Comments
I knew your version would be amazing! As usual though, you exceed my expectations! I absolutely adore this especially since you actually appliqued your lace onto the fabric, while my fabric came preprinted that way. Please riff on my choices any time. It only inspires me to do better!
Thanks! I will certainly continue to be inspired by your work.
I adore this! I recently tried adding lace to a make and my results were not so well planned as yours- this is inspired. Happy wearing to you!
Thanks. Keep trying! You’ll get it.
Wow! I really admire your work here. Thanks for showing how you did it.
Thanks for noticing my how-it’s-done photos. Sometimes it’s hard to put down the needle and pick up the camera, so it’s nice to know that people appreciate it.
Gorgeous! It reminds me of blackwork.
Thanks! It does look a little like blackwork, but much less labor-intensive.
How does it look with the silk gazar skirt? On my screen, the photo of the blouse/tunic hovers tantalizingly just above the finished black and red skirt. Don’t know if you’d ever wear them together, but at my house, I’d try on both pieces at the same time just to see if it works.
Hmm, I could try that, but the silk skirt is actually navy. There might be just a bit too much going on there. I was actually thinking that it would look nice with this skirt, but I have not tried that yet, either. Or with some to-be-constructed black shorts.
Oh, you’re right, the Tudors skirt is a much better match, in style as well as in color. Just ignore me, lol.
This is beautiful, and looks fantastic on you! Just saw you in it in one of Jeanette’s photos from PR. Hope you are all having a grand time!
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[…] lace trimmed tunic; and shorts that I made but did not blog about. And my new cowboy boots. Photo at Pattern Review Weekend in Austin. […]