Lace appliqués are an easy way to transform a simple garment, add detail to a sewing project, or create the look of intricate embroidery without embroidering the entire design yourself.
But not all lace appliqués are made the same way. In our collection, you'll find three main types: embroidered lace appliqués, water-soluble lace appliqués, and lace trims. Here's how they differ and where you can use them.
1. Embroidered Lace Appliqués
Embroidered appliqués are usually created by stitching a decorative design onto a fine mesh or tulle base.
The mesh connects all the elements of the design and makes the appliqué easy to position on your project.
These appliqués are particularly versatile and can be used on dresses, blouses, jackets, corsets, costumes, bags, and accessories. Floral embroidered appliqués are also popular for bridal and eveningwear.
Some designs are delicate and subtle, while others feature large flowers, metallic threads, sequins, beads, or dimensional details.
2. Water-Soluble Lace Appliqués
Water-soluble lace is made differently.
The design is embroidered onto a special water-soluble stabilizer. Once the embroidery is finished, the stabilizer is washed away, leaving the embroidered elements connected only by thread.
As a result, there is no visible mesh backing, giving these appliqués a particularly delicate, lace-like appearance.
They're beautiful for wedding and evening dresses, sleeves, necklines, corsets, veils, costumes, and decorative accents where you want the embroidery to blend naturally into the garment.
3. Lace Trims
Lace trims are continuous decorative lace elements designed to follow an edge, seam, neckline, cuff, hem, or other part of a garment.
Unlike individual appliqué motifs, trims make it easy to decorate a longer area with a repeating design.
They can be used for dresses, skirts, sleeves, lingerie, veils, costumes, accessories, and many other sewing and craft projects.
You can use a trim exactly as it is or cut individual decorative elements from some designs to create your own custom placement.
Sew-On or Iron-On?
The type of lace and the way it attaches to fabric are two different things.
Depending on the particular design, lace appliqués can be sew-on or iron-on.
Sew-on appliqués are positioned on the fabric and secured by hand or machine stitching. This gives you maximum control over placement and is especially useful for delicate fabrics, curved areas, and garments that will be worn frequently.
Iron-on appliqués have a heat-activated adhesive backing. They can be attached using an iron, making them a quick and convenient option for many projects.
Always check the individual product description before applying your lace, as the recommended attachment method may vary.
Which Lace Appliqué Should You Choose?
There isn't one "best" type—it depends on the effect you want to create.
Choose embroidered mesh appliqués when you want easy positioning and a wide variety of decorative designs.
Choose water-soluble lace when you want detailed embroidery without a visible mesh background.
Choose lace trim when you need a continuous decorative element for an edge, neckline, sleeve, hem, or larger area.
And whether you choose sew-on or iron-on, even a small lace detail can completely change the look of your project.