Sewing my luxurious ivory lace dress inspired me to create more of these elegant and festive garments. Luckily I already had one lace fabric in my stash literally for years, so I finally got to use it.

I had this cotton blend lace in my stash for well over 8 years. I didn’t have a project in mind when I got it, so it was waiting patiently until now. I wanted a simple design, with a pencil skirt, preferably with a belt so I have a quick and easy project. I picked #107 Burda Style 10/2010 because it ticked all of the boxes. It’s the dress that’s designed for lace fabrics, which makes it easier already. It has beautiful 3/4 pleated sleeves, bodice with princess seams (perfect for lace) and a straight skirt. And it starts with size 34, which is quite rare for Burda, but makes life so much easier since it’s my size and I don’t have to downgrade. After hand basting and trying the garment on, the only change I did was the length of the skirt. 

I must say I wanted the dress to be a quick project, so I finished the seams with a zigzag stitch (instead of the fancy techniques I usually do). As you're supposed to for the lace garments, I treated the lining and main fabric as one. To do that I hand basted all of the pieces all around the edges (and the darts) before sewing the dress. 

I also should say that despite the straight skirt, this garment required some hemming. It’s all because of the very slippery lining fabric, that’s been attached to the slightly more stable lace.

Speaking of lining - it also came from my stash. It’s a coat weight viscose lining, which ended up being the perfect colour for my dress. The weight is great too, since it’s slightly thicker than a regular lining fabric. So my dress is not see-through at all!

At first I wanted to finish the dress as it was advised in the magazine - with a belt made of a grosgrain ribbon. I couldn’t find a ribbon of the desired colour and width, so I picked a velvet one. And I’m 100% satisfied with my choice! I think it gives a nice eveningwear vibe, which is exactly how I want my dress to be.

I can highly recommend this pattern for classy lace dresses. It’s straightforward, nicely designed and allows for a nice result with minimum time.