This top had a grease stain on it that I couldn’t get rid of, so rather than throwing it away, I thought I’d pretty it up and hide the mark at the same time. I’ve been wanting to do something like this for ages and I’m really happy with how it turned out.

I started by hand basting a line down the middle in contrasting thread. Then I worked from the centre out sewing on lengths of different pieces of lace, working symmetrically. I finished off by sewing a single strip down the middle and attaching the buttons to make it look like a tuxedo shirt.

Tips I discovered along the way are:
– Cut the lace strips about 3 cms longer than you want and fold the lace over the top of the neckline. You can then sew it down as you sew the strips from the front. This gives a nicer finish than trying to keep the original edging showing.
– Go nice and slow when you’re sewing so that the strips are straight.
– Once you have sewn a strip, iron it over the wrong way so you can put on the next one. You wouldn’t have to do this if you started from the outside and worked in, but I was worried I would put the lace on crooked this way.
– Remember that the top will stretch when you’re wearing it, so put the lace closer together than you think you need it. Once I had finished I ended up putting another two lots of lace on so there weren’t any gaps.
– Because the strips are attached vertically, you can use a regular straight stitch. No need to worry about the stitches stretching when you wear it.