How to transform: boring to sassy DIY lace skirt

Lace to the rescue!

Pretty Ombre Shirt

It all began with my pretty, sheer ombre shirt. I bought it almost two years ago. But I’ve never worn it! That is, until today. Because I finally created a skirt to match. I am happy!

How did I do it?

See, I had this Banana Republic skirt that was of a nice material (after all, Banana is a good quality brand). But the skirt was not sitting properly; it was too long, etc.

I had previously taken off a stretch of the length of the skirt so that it was a bit more spunky and not so conservative. But, still….. tttt….

It still was one of those skirts you put on because you think it will be comfy and that you then take off when you look in the mirror.

Beyond this, it did not really match in style to that ombre shirt either….

Until today.

Wholeport Lace

Remember I wrote a little while ago about receiving this gorgeous lace from Wholeport.

Well, after taking it around the house pondering what to make with it, I realized that it was the perfect color match to ‘that ombre shirt’. And I decided that I would use this lace to create an outfit from the top and the Banana skirt, and to give the skirt a style-upgrade while I’m at it.

My design: I created a rather smooth band of lace to transform this skirt into one a ‘shorter at the front’- skirts. The variance in skirt length between the front and the back of the skirt is almost an entire lace width’ worth (19 cm).

I love the result. Very flattering and feminine.

Lace Skirt Pattern

In my experimentation of how to add the lace to the skirt, I learned quite a bit. In the end, I decided on the following method:

1. I applied the lace flat rather than ruffles, otherwise it looked like I would have a curtain hanging from my skirt.

2. To be consistent with the skirt shape and allow myself to be able to walk in the skirt, I needed to add 4 pleads, which I added at strategic intervals.

3. You must make all pleads the same way/in symmetrical fashion: i.e. they all fold over in to the right, or to the left or half/half.

4. You must pin your work thoroughly first when working with lace. a) to see how it looks, and b) to keep the lace in place so you will attach it right.

5. I love working with lace because I did not needed to finish the lace. No hemming for this girl… (and I am all smiles about that).

6. Initially I wanted to keep the striped Banana Republic skirt’s hem horizontal, but by taking pictures of it, I realized that the fabric really shone through the lace, and that the fabric hem line should really be parallel to the lace hem line.

7. Lace is a bit of a challenge to photograph, and I dare say that the lace and the skirt looks better in person than in the picture.

I sew project by hand, because I wanted to work on it, while waiting for people etc./doing something else, but if you are a whiz with your sewing machine, by all means, get it out and use that instead. Be finished in no time.

Materials Needed for this Lace Skirt

A) a skirt you want to alter & upgrade
B) one of Wholeport’s fabulous 1,000+ laces
This is the exact lace I have used: Pink Floral Gauze Lace Trim 19cm
You’ll need 2x the width of the skirt + a bit more to allow for the ‘shorter at the front’-angle of the usage of the lace + a few cm to tuck away at the beginning and end of the skirt. Here is a coupon for you: Click the above product link and use code WP100MINUS10 to get $10 OFF with purchase of $100 on all the crafting supplies.
C) Needle & thread of a matching color (or a sewing machine) + scissors.

:: lace ~ a touch of elegance ::

What’s Next? More Lace Projects Coming up!!!

I ended up having a stretch of the lace left over and intend to make a fancy little shoulder bag from it. … So, stay tuned,

Learn how to Sew a Skirt & Other Classes

Meanwhile, check out some sewing classes by Craftsy. Like this one, for example: Sew Ready: Garment Basics with Brett Bara. Craftsy classes tend to be fabulous, well-priced and I have heard nothing but praise about ‘m.