DIY Vintage Lace Trim - Upcycle Your Lace Tablecloth or Curtains!

Once upon a time, 26 years ago, HUBBY and I were newlyweds.  We were blessed to have some incredible friends, BH and KH.  BH did me the honor of serving as a  bridesmaid for me and her husband KH was a groomsman for HUBBY.  She also hosted our wedding reception at a vacation resort in east Texas.  This included getting access to the areas where the wedding and reception was held, feeding dinner to all our guests, hosting a wonderful party, and providing overnight accommodations - furnished condos - for all our wedding guests.  A few months later, she and KH invited us to stay with them at their vacation condo in Cancun,  Mexico for a beautiful, belated honeymoon.  The atmosphere was perfect and the markets were amazing.  We returned home with our luggage full of wonderful mementos of our trip.  One item we treasured was a beach sand colored lace tablecloth.

Our lovely tablecloth incurred damage over the years, it's sweet lace pattern broken and scarred with a rip and a pull here and there.  Still, I couldn't part with it because it held such sentimental value to us.  What to do?  Upcycle!!  

Some trim was needed for the kitchen curtains I was making.  The lace tablecloth was perfect! But how would I get a roll of lace trim from a big oval tablecloth?  Crocheted cotton or linen tablecloths can be quite stretchy.  Plus, the oval shape provided no 90 degree angles to use as reference points to make nice, straight, clean cuts and seams.  

My prudent yet unscientific method is as follows:

Supplies

Lace Fabric (tablecloth, curtain panels, etc.)

Scissors

Sewing Machine or Serger

Directions

1. Iron tablecloth fabric if necessary.  Lay out fabric on large flat surface.  Determine where you want to cut the first strip.  Cut along weave of fabric.  This may not be a perfectly straight cut if your lace is crocheted cotton or linen lace, as it tends to shrink unevenly. 

2. After the first strip of lace is cut, lay it atop the next place where you wish to cut a strip, and use the first as a template.  This will help the width of the strips be as uniform as possible.  Cut the next strip and repeat the process, cutting as many strips as you need.

3. Sew the narrow end of one strip to the narrow end of another strip, making one long strip.  If you use a serger the process is faster.  However, you could certainly use a regular sewing machine.  If so, make sure you zig zag stitch over the edges of the seam after you've straight-stitched it to ensure the lace fabric doesn't unravel.

4. When finished sewing all the strips of lace together, the result is one really long strip of lace trim with unfinished edges.  Trim if necessary to ensure uniform width throughout the long strip. Serge or straight stitch and zig-zag over all of your unfinished edges (see #3 above)

The lace trim is ready to roll up and use for your next project.
 

The vintage lace trim was perfect for the valance I was constructing.

To see how this lovely lace looks on the curtains, check out Kitchen Curtains Tutorial - Give Your Kitchen Curtains a Fresh New Look FYI, I had no dishtowels to match my new curtains, so it was time for new ones.  Yep, a few of them have the vintage lace, too.  I'll be sharing that post soon.

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