Add lace to a blouse's sleeves and create a beautiful, classic look

Do you have a blouse that fits you well and looks cute, but is just a bit boring? Take that blouse and turn it into a fancier and more exciting piece of clothing by adding just a little bit of lace to the sleeves. This is a good project for people who don't want to make too many changes to an already beloved blouse, but think it needs a little enhancement.

You can wear this blouse to nighttime or daytime events, depending on how you dress it up. You can also wear it to the office as it is completely appropriate for the workplace. Giving this piece extra excitement and mystery will make you feel special, and you can impress friends when you tell them that, yes, you added the lace yourself.

Materials
- Blouse
- Lace that will look good with the color of the blouse
- Fabric pencil
- Ruler
- Pair of scissors
- Pincushion with several pins
- Serger or sewing machine

1. Arrange the blouse so it lies flat on a counter or table. Put the lace where you want it to appear on the blouse. This tutorial shows the lace positioned halfway up the sleeve.

2. Mark where the lace will go, measuring to make sure the distance from the shoulder is the same. Draw a line connecting the dots against the ruler so it's straight. Repeat for the other edge of the lace.

3. Cut the sleeve along those lines.

4. Cut across the strip in the middle so it is no longer a circle and lay it out flat. Place the lace against the fabric strip to figure out how much lace you will need, pin it at one end, and cut it to match that length.

4. Sew the ends of the lace together using your sewing or serger machine, so you still have one long strip but with neat ends. Let the serger create a little bit of an extra seam at the end and cut it off with your scissors so there's no hole in the seam.

5. Start pinning the lace to the sleeve. It can help to turn the sleeve slightly inside out to find where the piece ends and to pin the edge of the lace to the edge of the sleeve.

6. Sew the lace to the sleeve, carefully removing pins as you go. Repeat the same step of allowing for a longer seam and cutting it with scissors.

7. Pin the other side of the lace to the rest of the blouse. It can be helpful to put the sleeve on your hand, pull the arm of the blouse through slightly, and turn the whole thing inside out so you can easily find where the edge of the lace meets the edge of the arm. Pin there.

8. Serge the lace to the arm of the blouse, removing pins as you go. Once again, allow for a longer seam and cut it.

9. Repeat steps 2 through 8 for the other sleeve to create a matching lace insert.