A Slip for the Lace Skirt

All Lace Skirt Photos Here

I've been waiting for the lace skirt to quit "growing". Every time I pin up the hem and hang it up, the next time I come back to it, it's a little longer. It's definitely slowing down, but I want to make sure it's completely finished before I actually do the hem. It's been a unique experience. I've never had anything lengthen quite this much. There are lots of holes in the lace though, so I suppose I should have expected it. I'm really glad I didn't mount it to the organza first thing. That would have been an exercise in futility.

So, I decided I would hold up on the skirt for another day and make the slip to go under it while I was waiting. I used the darker gunmetal tricot rather than the very silvery tricot. It seems to almost disappear behind the lace and organza, which is just what I wanted. I thought of putting a lace edging around the hem, from the skirt lace, but decided plain would be better, and much stretchier. I wanted some kind of subtly decorative hem. Since I have a new machine with all new decorative stitches, I checked out a few of them. I ended up using the Greek Key stitch, which is one of the 9mm wide stitches on offer. I like the way it just looks textural. The thread is a pale gray-green, and is what I used to do the organza seams. I like the way it almost disappears into the fabric, although you can see it better in the photo below than in real life. It makes an interesting touch, but isn't going to try to be the star of the show.



I really like using decorative stitches in this type of situation. On lingerie and on linings, I think they're just perfect. Otherwise, it's kind of rare to find a use for them on serious garment construction. Excuse the wrinkles in the photo. I've been needing a new half-slip, so I wore this one this morning since it was done. I think I'll make a couple more while I'm in the mood. I'd like one a little bit longer than this, but not much.

The other thing I did last night was to cut out some individual lace motifs to apply to the skirt. I think these turned out very nicely. They look a little like round goldfish with long fins and tails. I'm not sure how many I might need, but I don't think a huge number is called for.