We are almost there - just this post and one more! All of the Working with Guipure Lace posts can be found here. Sewing seams and inserting a zipper are simple when you are sewing with Guipure Lace. Just as with darts, it is too bulky to include the lace in the seam.
When sewing with Guipure Lace, only the fashion fabric and the underlining (which is treated as one) are seamed.
Pin the lace out of the way, and sew the seam.
See how bulky the area around the seam is with the lace and how flat the seam is!
Press Seams Open & Catch Stitch in Place.
To finish the seams, finger press them open, as in the picture below, and catch stitch them in place, catching only the interlining/fashion fabric sandwich and not the lace.
On the outside of the dress, lap the lace motifs over the seam.
Trim the Motifs to Eliminate Bulk.
Now it is time to start trimming to eliminate the bulk. Again there is no need to follow the seam. Instead follow the motifs and keep standing back and surveying your work. The goal is for the lace to flow with no visible break in the design. Although it is scary, it is better to over trim than under trim. Don't be afraid of the hole! Below is the trimmed lace.
Insert a piece of a motif to cover a hole.
Here you can see that I inserted an extra stem piece to cover the hole.
For zippers, insert an invisible zipper in the side seam, keeping the lace free.
Then trim the lace trying to have only a few motifs overlapping the seam.
Add covered snaps to hold the motifs in place.
Instead of sewing the motifs in place (you wouldn't be able to open the zipper), sew covered snaps to the overlapping motifs. To wear the dress, zip up the zipper (yes, there is a zipper in that seam) and snap the motifs in place!