I used this technique for the hem of the lining of a skirt I made this weekend. It’s really easy to do, it looks really pretty, and it adds no bulk to the hem. It adds a charming vintage look, and I think it would be great on just about any dress or skirt lining hem, or use a nice silk lace for the hem of a gorgeous silk charmeuse slip or nightgown. Most recently I used this technique to finish the hem of the lining of this skirt. The best part of this technique is that the lace edge is so soft, you don’t notice as much if the hem is a bit crooked.

What You’ll Need

• Something lightweight that needs hemming (like a skirt lining or slip)
• Enough ½ inch to 1 inch wide lightweight lace to go all the way around the hem, plus 1 inch
• Scissors
• Thread to match the colour of your lace

Click on any thumbnail to zoom in

Step 1Pin the Lace to the Hem

You should have at least a ½–1 inch hem allowance, and it’s easiest if your hem allowance exactly matches the width of your lace (that way you can just pin the lace all around with the bottom edge matching the bottom of your hem allowance). Otherwise just pin the lace keeping in mind that the bottom edge of the lace will be the bottom of your hem. When you get back to the beginning, overlap the lace by about 1 inch.

If you’re making this hem for a skirt or dress lining, it’s usually best to make the lining about ½ inch shorter than the dress hem, just to make it look neat and tidy from the outside.

Step 2Sew on the Lace

Using a short and narrow zigzag stitch, sew the lace to the hem along the top edge all the way around.

Step 3Trim the Hem

Fold the lace back along the zigzag stitching, and cut as close as possible along that line without cutting the stitching or lace. When you’re done, stitch over both ends of the overlap with the same narrow zigzag stitch.