Sewing with beaded fabric will required more delicate work and will take a bit more energy than working with palin fabrics but of course, it will be worth it as you will create a luxury garment that will stand out!
Calculating fabric yardage
Before starting a project it is important to figure out exactly how much fabric you need. Because these fabrics are kind of expensive it’s better to prepare the patterns in advance.
Sewing by machine
You have to remove first the sequins, beads or any hard materials before stitching your fabric pieces together. You want to have a clean seam area along each edge. This will allow your presser feet to fit normal and work smoothly. Removing the materials along the seam allowances should be done manually by hand. After that we suggest to put those beads back in along the edges and where needed.
This way will allow you to sew it by machine, however you should still be careful and work slowly to make sure that your needle will not break.
There are times you can break the beads by hammer. First trace your pattern onto your fabric and then place a tape along the edges of the pattern piece. Add another layer on it in order to protect the fabric and hammer along the tape to break the beads.
We suggest you do not sew by machine directly on top of the beads because the result will be bulky and not lay flat. However there might be cases like fabrics with flat sequins and rare beads that can allow you to sew on them with no problems.
Sewing by hand
Another approach for sewing beaded lace is to sew all the parts together by hand, although it will be more time-consuming task. In some cases, sewing by hand will be unavoidable.
Lining
After years of selling couture fabric we believe the cotton-like stretch lining is the best for the net couture lace fabrics. It is a lightweight soft touch lining with about 40% stretch.
Dont use iron
As you can’t use an iron, you can use a slip stitch to keep the seam allowance layers flat and pointing in the desired direction. While it can be time consuming, slip stitching the seam allowance down will provide smooth, flat seams and a more comfortable, long lasting fit.
This guide was written based on our experience and DOINA ALEXEI guide. You may find more of it here