I am officially lace-obsessed.
I've done a lot of experimenting, laying this black cotton lace on top of a wide range of fabrics in my stash (I showed you some of the results on Tuesday). There are many possibilities, but if this shirt is going to be my April Mood Sewing Network project (or part of it) then the shirting has to be from Mood. Of course, I have enough lace to make a dozen shirts with lace in them, so I can experiment to my heart's content down the road.
I also need shirting for my final Menswear Sewing class shirt, which I suppose I'll need to complete by mid-May. So, not feeling like I had exactly the right fabric in my stash, I returned to the fabric store today and purchased this paisley. At least I think it's a paisley.
Mint green and gray are both good colors for me. And it's light enough that you can still read the lace design if it's placed over the print.
I did like the red gingham with the lace, but there's currently no red gingham for sale at Mood. Plus red and black and lace always makes me think of the Battle of the Carmens -- anybody remember that?
Naturally, I could hold off on the lace, or use it with another fabric, but I think this minty print is a good match. Another strong contender is the lavender dotted swiss. But the dotted swiss fabric is a little coarse and informal for black lace, I think.
Next I need to figure out how to lay out these patterns. I'm pretty sure this design needs to go like this, forming heart-like shapes. (It reminds me a lot of this Liberty of London print, "Kitty Grace" -- one might even call it a near-identical knock-off.)
As for the lace, I think it can be cut perpendicular to the selvage or parallel.
This is perpendicular:
This is parallel:
I don't think it really matters, do you? Can lace have a grainline? I don't think so.
So that's it. I hope to get started soon. Again, I'm not married to the idea of the using the lace with this delicate Liberty-esque print, but it seems like my best option.
Thoughts?
Have a great day, everybody!
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I love that mint green print, my husband would adore that... I like perpendicular too because you can see more of the print verse parallel... cant wait to see your creation either with the lace or without
ReplyDeleteI think the Liberty-esque print is beautiful, and I feel like you're going to lose it under the lace, which makes me tend towards the lilac swiss dot; on the other hand, if you're only using the lace overlay on part of the shirt, so some parts will just be the cotton, then I think the lace pattern and the print will play beautifully off each other, so in that case, I'd be inclined to go with the print!
ReplyDeleteI really like that lace. I would probably use a lightweight solid cotton/rayon fabric underneath the lace, like a rayon challis fabric.
ReplyDeleteAlso, a cotton double gauze fabric may also be appropriate as double gauze and rayon challis are not sheer like voile or batiste are.
DeleteI think the paisley print is too pretty to hide under the lace!
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DeleteI sure do like the paisley print by itself.
DeleteI thought I recognised that print instantly as Liberty of London - I have some in other colours - so if it isn't, it is definitely a cheeky copy. However, copy or not, it's a beautiful print and I think it would be a shame to hide it under the lace.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone else - it seems a shame to hide such a gorgeous print under the lace. Personally I'd go for a plainer fabric underneath - what about a plain mint colour or something similar?
ReplyDeleteI like the lace perpendicular. I think it looks good over that fabric, but you are going to only do lace on either the sleeves or the body, is that right? it would be nice to see some of the fabric. and I LOVE that the comics are still making an appearance :)
ReplyDeleteThe paisley fabric is gorgeous, seems a shame to lose sight of it under the lace. But then the lace is gorgeous too...
ReplyDeleteI like that paisley print, and I;m hoping at least part of the shirt will have it showing?
ReplyDeleteSleeves and collar at the very least!
Deletethe lavender print is lovely, but it's wasted under the lace and I am not sure that it will work as collar and cuffs either. It's a very complicated print with a complicated print since the lace is going to read as a print as well.
ReplyDeleteLace doesn't have a grainline,but it does have a direction so I'd lay everything out in the same direction.
I love the Liberty-type print. And perpendicular works better than parallel. I agree with others that I hope some of it will be showing. It's such a nice print, it's a shame to hide it completely.
ReplyDeleteI'm still fond of the lavender dotted swiss with the lace, at least visually. Perhaps the two together are too heavy for a shirt.
I wasn't excited about the red and black. To me, the combination is far to common, and just...*yawn*. I prefer to pair red with navy (another classic), dark brown, or charcoal grey. I also love navy with various shades of green.
I'm excited to see how this will come out.
Peter, I'm obsessed with lace too. ;-) Yours is gorgeous and I like it perpendicular. The paisley is pretty too.
ReplyDeleteI am opposed to the lace over the print, Peter. I love that Liberty print, and I think using them together takes away from BOTH. I could see doing and architectural sorta thing, with a lace insert somewhere - what's the word?... Okay - here's what I'm thinking in my weird world... a western shirt, using the Liberty print. Very cowboy. Then, where the suede or leather appliques would be (chest, upper arm?, elbow patches, corners of collar), you defy the look by placing lace instead.
ReplyDeleteI would never have thought of layering lace over a fabric with a busy print but seeing what your show, and reading that you don't plan to use the lace all over the shirt, it works.
ReplyDeleteThere's just one thing I wanted to point out. I do have an opinion about how to place your lace: When it's placed perpendicular to the selvage, it looks busy, but lovely and organic. When it's parallel, the big roses form rows and squares which dominate the motive. For me, the choice would be clear, go with the natural look.
Now I have an earworm of that Fleetwood Mac song where Stevie Nicks is hollerin' "take from me my lace..." Nooooo!
ReplyDeleteAs I said before...I am coveting that mint paisley of yours and I think I will cry myself to sleep and call you a HORRIBLE MAN if you put it under the lace!
ReplyDeleteI'm adding another voice saying hiding the print is a shame. It's just... I don't know, the lace is beautiful, the print is beautiful, but they don't quite work together for me, more like against each other (and the lace is winning), which is a shame.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, maybe Oona would tell you the exact opposite... Maybe you should get her opinion. She's the queen of busy prints.
Yummy lace . . . can't wait to see what you do with it!
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