Make any outfit a little more regal with a lovely lace crown! Available in sizes from tiny to grand, these freestanding lace crown designs will make majestic accessories for kids and adults alike -- as part of a costume, as a dress-up toy, or for any occasion where you want to feel like a king or a queen for a day. Stitch your lace, assemble it into a circular crown or a tiara, and make it shine with optional spray paint and gems. We'll show you how to create your own unique crown!
Supplies & Materials:
To assemble and decorate your lace crown, you will need:
- Your freestanding lace crown pieces, all stitched out, rinsed, and dried. Check out this tutorial for to learn how to stitch freestanding lace.
- Hand-sewing needle and thread to match your lace
- Spray starch
- Hot glue gun and glue
- A stiff headband, if you're making a tiara-style crown
- Spray paint (optional, but fun)
- Heat set crystals and setting tool, also optional but fun (or you can just use the hot glue)
The designs used in this tutorial include:
- Snowflake Crown (Lace), UTZ1319
- Tiny Crown (Lace), UTZ2122
Gather Materials:
You'll start by stitching out each piece of your chosen freestanding lace crown design.
Once each piece is rinsed and dried, line them up in order, and then sew them end-to-end. You can do this by hand (which will hide the stitches a little better) or with a zigzag stitch on your sewing machine.
Make sure you are lining up the pieces correctly as you stitch them together!
When you're done, you should have a flat strip of lace.
Now it's time to decorate your crown as you please! One way to add a little sparkle is with spray paint. I wouldn't recommend spray painting regular fabric, but on lace it works quite well. I gave this snowflake tiara a light coating, getting heavier as I worked down so the top still had some of its icy blue color.
For an even more shiny and solid look that would work great for crowns, check out this Metallic Dipped Lace tutorial!
Another option for adding sparkle to your crown is crystals! You can just buy regular rhinestones and hot glue them on, or you can buy these cool heat set crystals.
All you need to do is carefully lay them out where you want them, then hold the head set gun over them for a few seconds each. It will melt the glue on the back and adhere the crystals. Take care not to use too much heat -- rayon and polyester thread are easily meltable!
Glue enough crystals on to add some real sparkle and shine to your crown. I used some of the swirls on the snowflake of this crown as a guide to help me place the crystals.
Once your crown is embellished to your heart's content, you're ready to complete the construction!
If you're making a circular crown, you can now hand-sew the free ends together to complete the circle.
If you choose not to spray paint your crown, you may notice that your pieces are a little floppy. To stiffen them, roll up a piece of thicker paper, such as cardstock, then tape it to the size of your crown.
Slide your crown onto the roll of paper and spray it with starch to help hold the shape. Let it sit to dry. You may need to do this more than once.
If you're making a tiara out of your snowflake crown , or smaller tiny crown , grab your trusty headband and your hot glue gun.
I found this pretty sparkle band at a local accessory store, but you can find something similar at a craft store. Some may have small combs on the side to help keep the piece in place.
In order to keep your tiara centered, find the middle of the headband and the middle of your lace crown, and glue that spot in place first.
Once your center is glued, you can begin to work outwards towards the ends, gluing as you go along. I found it best to add the glue to the thicker areas of lace; it holds the band better.
Be sure to hold you lace firmly to the band until it dries. You can glue it all the way to the back of the band.
That's it! Easy-peasy, and now you have a beautiful new lace tiara that sparkles and shines.
Get Inspired:
In a few easy steps, I've created a crown fit for a Nordic princess. I may not actually be one, but living in cold climates, you learn to find the beauty in all seasons, and adapt to your environment.
That's right, when life gives you snow, you grab sparkles and celebrate in style!
For a more masculine edge, leave off the headband and sparkle, and stitch your crown in muted hues.
You can also attach your tiny crown to a clip or headband for an accessory to complete your royal look!
Whatever your style or occasion, from playtime to costumes, you can craft a lace crown to add a bit of regal flair!
