Sick of flimsy neckline facings? I know I am! So I decided to try to make a neat neckline instead on my new Burdastyle dress. I feel a little embarrassed admitting that this is the first time I do this, even though I’ve been sewing for over 30 years. I guess it is because I learned sewing the old school way, where the facings were attached by hand using blind stitches. But it is never to late trying out new things and hopefully my tutorial can be useful for others too.
I decided to use the stitch, fold and press method which I use all the time for making narrow hems on thin fabrics and it worked surprisingly well for facings too. But since this was a facing I only needed to fold the fabric one time.
1. Interface the facing and the neckline
Always super important, especially since the v-neck creates a bias, thus the neckline will grow just by looking at it. Not shown is that I also reinforced the v-neck with staystitching, just as an extra measure.
2. Stitch and fold
Folding using a seam as a guide is such a simple way of creating an even hem. Here the seam is 5 mm wide (approx 0.2 inches). All you need to do is folding at the seam line and press.
3. Attach the facing
Again I used a 5 mm wide seam to attach the facing. This is my preferred width for all neckline sewing as it shapes easily and is doesn’t create any unsightly bulk.
4. Baste and topstitch
I always baste before I topstitch delicate fabrics. Also when sewing on the machine it is important to not stretch the fabric and make sure the feed is even to avoid wrinkles. Hence why I think basting is so important as it eliminates much of these issues.
The finished neckline and a sneak peak of the dress that is almost done. Just have a few more things to do.
