To fashion a bow using Lace and Tulle creates a great three dimensional look bringing lots of color and softness to the costume. It is a great look on the back of the skirt or the front of the top.
Supplies:
- Lace material
- Tulle
- Ruler
- Pins
- Needle
- Thread to match the lace
- Scissors
- Hair clip or pin mechanism, optional
Directions:
- Choosing Your Materials
First, of course, is to choose the lace you want to use. Next, choose the tulle. In our example, we are using a very nice piece of stretch lace that had been used in the top of the costume. This particular piece is about 16 inches long and about 5 inches wide. The costume is in blue and black so we are using blue lace and black tulle.
- Assembling the Bow
Lay the lace flat on the table and then lay the tulle on top of the lace. The tulle needs to be folded in half so that there are two layers of tulle. The tulle should peek out just a little bit on the top and the bottom of the lace. To find the center of the tulle, fold it in half with the tulle inside keeping your finger on the inside at that half point. Then, with your finger still in place, unfold the lace and tulle.
Next, fold both end pieces in to where your finger so that both end pieces meet in the center and pull one end a little so that it slightly overlaps the other. At this point, you can use a ruler to verify that this is definitely the center.
- Sewing the Flower
Pin the overlapping edges and then using thread that matches the lace, start sewing the width of this piece catching each layer including the overlapping piece. Weave your stitches in and out across the middle of the piece, gathering up the material as you go. We suggest you use a long needle with a large eye for two reasons. First, it is a good idea to double thread the needle so that you basically have four strands of thread. Second, with a long needle you can weave it in and out in one long stitch instead of lots of little stitches. Pull the thread ice and tight. Then, pull the needle and thread back into the bow the way it came. Once you have pulled the thread nice and tight through the bow, wind the thread around the center of the bow. Feed the thread into the bow and out the middle and tie a knot. The tulle is needed to keep the bow stiff. As you can see in our example, the tulle sticks out a little bit. If you do not want to see the tulle, cut it a little smaller so that it is not wider than the lace.
The second step is to make the long ends of the bow. Cut a piece of the lace with the ends cut at an angle. Fold the bow in half and pinch the bow in the center. Now, you have the choice of points down or points in the center. We usually choose the points in the center. We just like the look of that better. If you want a clean looking bow, it is important to make sure that the points are even. Gather the lace strip in the middle with your fingers. The top and bottom parts of the ruffle face towards the back. Take your needle and sew through those gathers and then wind it around a few times. Match the center of the lace strip to the center of the bow and sew the strip to the bow. You can leave it the way it is if you want, but we prefer to finish it off.
Take a very small piece of lace and fold it in thirds. Place this strip on the back of the bow and sew the strip securely to the bow. Wind the piece around the bow tightly but not so tight that the strip is bunched up.
To finish the bow off, puff it up and pull the tulle out a little to your preference. You can then sew a hair clip to the back, sew a pin backing to the back or sew it directly to the dance costume.
