​Two Ways To Finish A Lace Garment's Hem

If you are sewing a lace garment, you may feel a bit perplexed when arriving at the hemline. Luckily, there are two completely different techniques you can use to finish a lace garment's hem. Your choice should be based on desired style and type of lace fabric used.

Trim-finishing is a technique that works great when the lace pattern has a defined, repetitive motif. The beauty of lace fabrics is that they are resistant to fraying when cut. Use this to your advantage in the garment construction process!

To trim-finish a lace hemline, cut around a defined pattern along the garment's bottom edge being careful not to cut through the desired hem outline.

The newly formed edge will not only provide an easy and fast way to efficiently finish the garment's hem, it will also add an interesting design element along the garment's bottom edge. ​

If the lace does not have a defined pattern for the final hemline, a trim can be used to cover the hem's cut edge. This technique is considered a conventional way to finish a lace garment's hem, especially in eveningwear and bridal.

Unless designed to be machine stitched, lace trims are attached by hand using a blind stitch (like slipstitching) or a surface prickstitch. In the example pictured above, the trim has be prickstitched using matching color thread (white) which helps the thread blend into the lace's texture, disappearing along its surface. 

Many trims are designed specifically to be used along the hemline- you'll spot an intentional design difference between the two lengthwise edges. In this case, it is up to you and your design eye how the trim is aligned as long it fully encloses/covers the garment's cut edge. ​