a hint of lace

Yesterday, I dug out some lace fabric from the bottom of my sewing box. There wasn't enough lace to make anything substantial, but I've been seeing a lot of these bandeaus being sold at American Apparel, Urban Outfitters, Aritzia and the like. They're perfect for a layering piece (a little scandalous to wear on its own, no?), but not much else... which doesn't justify the $15 price tag. So I thought I'd make my own thrifty version with some sewing box leftovers!

Time: less than 1 hour Cost: $0!
A step by step guide...

1. Measure the amount of lace required to cover the bust by wrapping the lace around your front torso. Add 1" to each side, to account for seams. Using these measurements, cut 2 rectangles (one will be for the front, and one for the back). For myself, I cut two 11" by 5" rectangles.

2. Mark the midline on one of your rectangles - this will be the front of the bandeau. On your sewing machine (or alternatively, you can do this by hand), make wide stitches along the midline. DO NOT REVERSE STITCH - you want to be able to pull the end threads to scrunch up the centre of the rectangle.

3. Pull the loose threads to scrunch up the midline of the bandeau. When the scrunching is even, tie up the loose ends and clip any excess thread.

4. Sew the left and right sides of the front piece to the second rectangle (back piece). Make sure to reinforce the stitching!

The finished product

Happy Sewing!