As promised, in honor of the new 1910s Blouse and Guimpe pattern, here is the basic lace insertion tutorial!
Lace insertion is a wonderful technique to have under your belt. When I personally think of lace insertion, I think of the gorgeous Edwardian garments and undergarments that were literally festooned with lace and trimmings, yet still retained a simplicity and elegance. This technique is not limited to that era alone, however, and you can see it on garments from many time periods. It gained a resurgence of sorts in the late 1930s to early 1940s, as the “Gibson Girl” mode came back in style, and we saw it again on garments- especially blouses and evening gowns. This continued to be in fashion off and on, and today it is mostly used for children’s wear, as shown often by the heirloom sewing aficionado, Martha Pullen, and her magazine Sew Beautiful (which, I might add, is fantastic as inspiration for adults as well. Most images and projects are for babies and children but the techniques can move into adult wear easily, especially when used for historic or vintage dress.)
Heirloom sewing can be quite addictive, and after you master the basic techniques you may find yourself wondering what other projects you can add lace and embellishment to, and be on the hunt for trims to use.
I am sharing here the methods that I personally use for lace insertion by machine. There are many different methods out there. For me the most important factor is how well something will launder and how often I am going to launder it.
Basic Pointers and Tools Needed
You will need the following tools:
- A method of marking which will come out of your finished garment. I used a special pencil I bought at an heirloom sewing supply store, but you may find you want to use a special sewing pen or other mode of marking. Test it on a scrap of your fabric first to make sure it will come out when laundered.
- Fine pins. I use silk pins.
- Scissors
- Insertion style lace (with two straight edges, called “headers”). I find those with a high cotton content work best. A standard for heirloom quality laces are 90% cotton, 10% nylon. Many are imported from places like France or Switzerland.
- Your fabric. I am using Swiss batiste, but cotton lawn or handkerchief linen also work well.
- Spray starch
- Good quality thread (I use Gutermann)
- Fine sewing machine needles. Use a new, sharp one to prevent snags in your fabrics or laces.
- A sewing machine with a zig zag stitch.
- A pattern you plan on using (of course, I recommend my new blouse pattern. I specifically designed it to use used with heirloom sewing techniques!
)
Before Sewing
- Test your marking method (as mentioned above) on a scrap fabric.
- Pre-wash your laces and fabrics on a gentle cycle and with a gentle soap to prevent future puckering or stretching when cleaning your finished garment. Lay them flat and let them air dry.
- Spray starch your fabric and lace after it has dried. This is an important step, as when these fine laces and fabrics are washed they loose body which is necessary to keep them smooth and not puckering while sewing.
- Test your tension on your sewing machine using your zigzag stitch. Sewing machine tension plays a huge factor in successful heirloom sewing. If your machine needs to be serviced or is due for a tune up, you may consider getting it before trying this, especially if using expensive laces and fabrics.
- Make a sample of your insertion and test it in your method you will wash the finished garment to be sure it will not fray and cause the lace to separate from the garment. Always hand wash with a mild soap or dry clean heirloom garments. They will not stand up to a normal machine washing and do not throw them in a dryer- make sure they air dry flat. Doing a test sample also helps you learn techniques before you start your final garment so your final garment will be your best work.
How to Plan Your Design
Plan the design of your garment and draw your guides on your fabric. Insertion lace is sort of like patchwork- you are building a design from the bottom up- if edges need to be finished take into account what needs to go first, second, etc, to make sure all edges are finished properly and will not fray. The example above is a close up of the work I did on one of the samples of the 1910s blouse pattern, which I based on an illustration from a period catalog. You can see that I added the horizontal insertion pieces first, then added the vertical pieces which finished the edge of the horizontal piece. The horizontal pieces had an extra “tail” which extended into where the vertical piece was placed. I clipped off the “tail” when I clipped away the backing of the vertical piece, in order to have a finished edge (no hole at the ending, as would happen if I cut it right where it was to end design-wise). This will make more sense as you keep reading the basic technique below.
How to Sew Insertion Lace by Machine
Since we’re doing basic technique, I’m going to assume we’re just doing a vertical insertion from either the shoulder to hem or from the center front to hem. This tutorial only covers insertion lace that is straight- curved lace insertion requires an additional technique. I find it usually is best to do insertion lace before constructing a garment, unless that garment is going to have lace which travels, say, around a neckline- and in that case I’ll do it after attaching the shoulder seams.
1- Draw your design lines using your water soluble marking and a clear ruler. Keep in mind the grain of the fabric as it relates to your design. I have drawn two lines here that are the width of my insertion lace.
2- Pin your lace to your design. I’m kind of haphazardly pinned my lace here- use as many pins as you need to get your lace lined up on your fabric and be sure you don’t create tension between the lace and fabric as this will cause puckers. They should lay smoothly together.
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