Chantilly & Fine Lace

What is Chantilly lace?

• Delicate motifs on a fine net. Flowers and leaves on a soft, fine net ground.
• Light and sheer. It drapes beautifully, so it suits sleeves, overlays and soft gowns.
• Finished edges. Many of our fine laces have an eyelash or scalloped edge you can use as a ready-made hem.
• Fine lace too. This page also includes our other fine laces, some with a fine cord, beads or glitter.

Lace types side by side

Buying lace

Most of our lace isn't woven in long bolts like our other fabrics. Each lace panel is made about 3 metres long, so it's sold in whole-metre pieces. Because it's made in pieces, if you order more than the length of one panel, it may come in more than one piece.

Our Schiffli-style fine lace 1599 isn't made in panels, so it comes in longer lengths.

What to make with it

• Sheer sleeves, yokes and overlays
• Soft bridal gowns and full lace skirts
• Tops and dresses with a scalloped hem
• Motifs cut out and sewn onto a veil or gown

Cutting

• Always cut the lace flat on the table as a single layer: don't fold it and cut double.
• Lay it right side up, so you can see the pattern.
• Place the scalloped edge along hems, necklines and sleeve ends before you cut.
• Line up the main motifs across the front, back and sleeves, and allow extra for matching.

Sewing

• Use a fresh, fine needle (size 70) and a slightly shorter stitch.
• Sew over tissue paper if the fine net catches, then tear it away.
• For invisible joins, overlap two pieces, stitch around the outline of a motif, then trim away the extra lace.
• Lace panels on a fitted dress or jacket: lay the lace over each garment piece before you sew. Pin it well in from the edges, trim it back to the seam allowance plus about 1 cm, tack the two layers together by hand, then sew them as one. The seams frame the lace. This works best on structured shapes like a sheath dress or fitted jacket, with a base fabric that has enough body to hold the lace.

What to put under it

Most lace is worn over another layer. Silk organza gives it body, silk satin adds a soft glow, and a soft tulle in a skin tone gives a barely-there look.

Edges

With an eyelash or scalloped edge there's nothing to hem: just use the finished edge. Where you need a scallop somewhere else, cut one from the edge of the lace and stitch it on along the motif outline.

Pressing

Press face down on a thick, clean towel, on a low setting, through a pressing cloth, so the motifs sink in rather than flatten. Test on a scrap first.

Questions