Lace Fabric, Explained

Lace is openwork fabric whose decorative pattern is built from the threads themselves — there is no background cloth, just motif and net. That is what separates lace from embroidered or printed fabric: hold it to the light and the design is the structure.

Once handmade at a pace of square inches per day, nearly all lace today is machine-made, which is why a fabric of pure ornament became affordable enough for everyday sewing.

The types worth knowing

Chantilly — fine net ground with delicate floral motifs, often with defined scalloped borders. The classic bridal and eveningwear lace.
Guipure (Venise) — no net at all: dense motifs connected by bars. Heavier, sculptural, holds its shape.
Stretch (raschel) lace — knit with spandex, stretches and recovers. The lingerie and fitted-garment lace.
Eyelash lace — chantilly-style with fringed motif edges that feather off the border.
Corded lace — motifs outlined in a raised cord for dimension.

What lace feels like

Depends on the family: chantilly is soft and nearly weightless, guipure firm and textured, stretch lace smooth and elastic. All lace is transparent by nature — designing with it means deciding where skin shows and where a lining stops the eye.

What to sew with lace

Bridal and evening wear — bodices, sleeves, overlays
Lingerie, trims and edgings in stretch lace
Blouses and camis with lace panels
Veils and accessories

Use the fabric's own edge: a scalloped selvage placed at a hem or sleeve edge finishes the garment with zero sewing and looks intentional in a way a cut edge never can.

How to sew lace

Cut single-layer over a contrasting surface so you can see the motifs, and plan motif placement the way you would plan a plaid match. Sew with a fine needle and narrow zigzag; seams disappear best when you cut along motif edges and overlap them (an appliqué seam). Line with something worth seeing: soft tulle keeps the look airy, charmeuse or crepe adds opacity and glide. Stretch lace wants a ballpoint needle and a stretch stitch.

Common questions

Is lace stretchy?

Woven-construction laces like chantilly and guipure are stable. Raschel-knit lace with spandex stretches — that is the lace in lingerie. The listing's stretch rating settles it for any specific fabric.

What should I line lace with?

Tulle preserves transparency while taming the open structure; crepe, charmeuse or jersey adds opacity. Nude tones make the lace read as floating on skin; matching tones make it read as solid texture.

How do I hem lace?

Best answer: do not. Place the scalloped border at the hemline when cutting. If you must cut through the body, a narrow zigzag along a motif line, trimming the excess close, keeps the edge invisible.

What is guipure lace?

Lace with no net ground — dense embroidered motifs linked by bars. It is heavier and more structured than chantilly and reads modern and graphic rather than romantic.

Shop 275 lace styles by the yard →