How much lace do you need for a suit?

A worked example, edge by edge

Take a straight kameez whose hem measures 61 cm across when laid flat, with 40 cm side slits, full sleeves, a round neck and straight trousers.

• Daman: 61 cm across the front and the same across the back, so about 1.2 metres all the way round.
• Side slits: two slits, each with a front edge and a back edge of 40 cm. Four edges make 1.6 metres.
• Sleeve ends: about 30 cm round each wrist opening, so 0.6 metres for the pair.
• Neckline: about 65 cm round the edge of a medium round neck.
• Trouser hems: about 40 cm round each ankle opening, so 0.8 metres for the pair.

Adding the allowance for joins and corners

Those five figures come to 4.85 metres of edge. Add about a tenth and you reach roughly 5.3 metres, so 5.5 metres is the sensible amount to buy. The extra tenth is not padding; it is used up in three places.

• Joins: wherever a length of lace meets itself, at a side seam of the hem, the sleeve seam or the back of the neck, the two ends overlap or are seamed. Allow a few centimetres for each.
• Corners: where lace turns from the hem up a slit, it is folded into a mitre or eased round the corner. Each turn uses roughly twice the width of the lace, and a kameez with two slits has four turns.
• Pattern repeats: scalloped and motif laces look right when a scallop sits at the centre front and both sleeves start at the same point in the pattern. One spare repeat per join covers it.

When your total will be different

The example is one suit. These are the changes that move the figure most.

• Plain slits: leaving the slits untrimmed removes the largest single figure, 1.6 metres in the example. Our side slits page shows both finishes.
• A-line and flared cuts: the hem is wider than the body, and a panelled kalidar frock can have several metres of hem on its own.
• Wide trousers: a palazzo hem can be nearly twice as far round as a straight one.
• Wide lace: an 8 cm lace uses about 16 cm at every corner, so add the corners up separately instead of relying on a tenth.
• The dupatta: it is a separate sum, set out in how much lace a dupatta needs.

Measuring your own edges

Lay a kameez that fits you flat on a table. Measure straight across the hem and double it. Measure one slit from its top to the hem and multiply by four. Measure across a sleeve end and across a trouser hem, double each for the opening, then double again for the pair. For the neckline, stand the tape on its edge and walk it round the curve.

Many fabric shops sell lace by the yard, and a metre is about 1.1 yards, so 5.5 metres is roughly 6 yards. Cotton lace can shrink, which is one more reason to round up; see our pre-wash guide.

Lace on a suit we stitch

Lace and borders are added to outfits we are stitching, planned with the cut and set out in your written quote. With Fabric + Stitching, describe the lace you have in mind or send a photo, and we confirm what is possible on that fabric and design. With Stitching Only, you can ask to send your own lace with your fabric: tell us its width and how many metres you have, and we check that it covers the edges you want before you post anything.

The daman with lace and sleeves with lace pages show the placements, and the custom embroidery page explains how lace, borders and embroidery are quoted together. Lace is not added to clothes you already own. When you have your figures, put them in the notes on the stitching quote form.