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Hello! I'm Suzannah, a serious DIYer and mom of two little ones. Follow along with my DIY fixer upper house renovations, sewing and crafty projects, real food recipes, and de-stressing goals.
I believe you can love your home just the way it is, AND have the power to design and make big changes to make it better.
I'm also the author of DIY Wardrobe Makeovers!

More lace on things--shorts?

Greetings from South Dakota!
I'm still on vacation at my family reunion, but I have some downtime and wanted to share with you another pretty-eclectic-vintagey-westerney-funky project, something that I did recently and was thinking would look nice out here in this beautiful country (without being too cowboyish).
I've talked before about putting lace on things (here and here), and here's another fun project you can do with just a little bit of pretty lace (I used a mail order fabric company's swatch).  This one is really super easy, and doesn't take more than a little bit of sewing, machine or by hand!
I got the idea from these Joie shorts--they're a tan silk with lace cutout, and super duper expensive.  Here's a scan of my Lucky magazine from a couple months ago:
I thought it was a nice idea, adding some pretty romance to the preppiness of tan pleated shorts.  I had a pair that I thought would lend itself nicely--they're lightweight cotton broadcloth, from Target clearance last summer. Pleats and everything!
I recommend doing this with a fairly lightweight fabric, not something heavy like stiff khakis.
They were a weird length, actually, so I got rid of the cuff and shortened them a little--this made them work perfectly for the lace applique on top.
Ready for the tutorial??
  • Get some lace--this is a nice nylon one from one of my mom's fabric wholesalers.  Cut the lace into shapes that follow the general pattern in the lace.  I cut out some flower-ey shapes with a little extra room around them for buffer.
  • Position your lace where you want it, on the outside side seams on the shorts.  Pin or use spray adhesive (I pinned this time, since there was enough friction of the lace on the cotton).
  • You can handsew if you want, but I recommend machine zig-zagging the lace on, just right on top of it.  Go all the way around the design from hem to hem, leaving the little bit of excess on hanging below the hem.
  • Trim the excess lace that was left over after you zig-zagged, if there is any.
  • Turn the extra lace over the hem and hand-sew it down.  Trim the excess if you like, leaving a seam allowance so your stitches stay in.

    Ta-da!!
    So easy!
    I thought about trimming away the fabric under the lace, which would be more like the Joie originals, but I think that would only work with a sturdier lace and a thinner short fabric.  If you make your own shorts and do this, maybe you can trim away the fabric under the lace and have a pretty cut-out look on the sides!
    I think these will look nice with soft colors and lightweight, simple tops without too much detail themselves.  It's a fun, unexpected detail on an otherwise basic garment!

    13 comments

    1. That turned out really cute.

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    2. Very cute. It's so weird how everything looks lime green in one of the pictures.

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    3. What a pretty idea!

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    4. I like your shorts better than the Joie ones! The designer ones look way to much like lingerie - I would never wear them in the daytime.

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    5. Great tutorial-thank you! I can't wait to do this next time I feel defeated by sewing and just want to make something pretty and fast! <3

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    6. I adore the "pretty-eclectic-vintagey-westerney-funky" shorts. Thanks for the tutorial. I wish I wore more shorts so I can try this out... I might need to just do it for someone! Awesome job! Happy Vacationing!

      -Nicole
      www.craftmysoul.blogspot.com

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    7. Welcome to South Dakota! I live in Sioux Falls!
      Have fun while you're here!

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    8. SO glad i just found your blog! i'm a dress lover myself and love all your diy projects, i'm really going to have to try putting lace on something :]

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    9. I don't usually comment. . . but I must say (write) that you have the cutest ideas! I am a creative person, and I love to see what others are creating, too. I've gotten quite a few ideas from your site. Thank you!

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    10. cute! the lace would be cute in the pockets too...like in the back part...does that make sense? i'm delirious...

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    11. This is such a cute idea. Great Tutorial!

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    12. Anonymous8/06/2010

      Great ideia.

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    13. Pretty good post. I just came across your site and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I'll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon.

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