Holding down the....lace?

[Casey July]

So tonight in The Shattered Silk Studio I was determined to make something for myself. I wanted something functional and pretty so I decided to make a blouse with added lace accents. I started with a pretty light blue tshirt knit.

I wanted to add a thin vintage lace as an accent, but anyone who sews knows it is so hard to keep it in a straight line, so I use a stabilizer. There is this amazing glue stabilizer that comes like a roll of tape and it works wonders. It sticks, and it helps you keep it in a straight line.

The worse part about it is getting glue everywhere. What I do is cut my pieces out and apply all the lace accents at once. Then when I am finished I clean my iron by turning it as hot as it will go and wipe it off. Be careful, it is hot!

I will make sure and post a picture of my finished project, and feel free to let me know if you ever have questions about working with stabilizers.....

Keep sewing steamy!

Casey July

[Casey July]

[Casey July]

A picture of my beautiful vintage lace and the tape stabilizer I used...

[Casey July]

[Casey July]

Detail of the machine embroidery I am doing on the lace to hold it down. If not, the lace will come off when I wash the shirt and the stabilizer releases...

[Lady Brielle Serra]

I've done hand stitching with lace and ribbon to make a headband, this would have been super helpful even for that!! Also, at some point soon, Alex and I plan on getting our sewing machines working and playing around a bit. Something like this would be wonderful for new, unsteady hands as we get used to dealing with all of that fabric!

If we go to a sewing or craft store with a good sewing section, and ask for a sewing stabilizer? and then find the version that is in a tape?(it seems really easy to use!!) :)

[Casey July]

Yes! It is great for all kinds of projects. Just make sure to be careful with the heat element and that you don't get it on your iron or it will be sticky!