For neat internal finishes, enclose your neckline facing with these simple steps!
Create your own enclosed neckline facing on your Pōhutukawa Dress, Rātā Top, and any other sewing patterns that require a neckline facing!
A facing is a great way to finish the neckline seam without a full lining or bias binding. Usually the edge is left zig zagged or overlocked (as this is supposed to be the “quick” neckline finish), but you can easily enclose them for a neat finish.
Enclosed Neckline Facing Tutorial
1.
Join the Front Facing and Back Facing together.
Because we will enclose the seams there is no need to serge/zig zag the edges as the Pōhutukawa Dress + Rātā Top tutorials instruct to do.
2.
Sew around the outer edge a 10mm (3/8″) straight stitch to mark the seam allowance (or, use whatever seam allowance your chosen pattern uses).
3.
Use the stitch line on the outer edge as a guide to fold under the seam allowance towards the wrong side. Use an iron to press in place as you move around the facing.
The stitch line should -just- be on the inside of the fold, not visible from the right side.
Stitching first creates an easy curve to press under – use this method in your future sewing!
Attach Facing to Garment
4.
Follow the tutorial to attach the facing to the neckline:
Place the inside curve of the facing right sides together with your neckline.
Sew up the back edge, around the neckline and back down again.
Snip into your seam allowance to release the tension around the curved neckline.
5.
Use a needle and thread to and sew the facing to the dress / top.
You can use a sewing machine here and top stitch it down, this can create a nice wide band design effect around the neckline. I prefer to hand sew so the stitching is invisible.
a) Slide the needle through the folded edge of the facing approximately 10mm (3/8″) in length, come out of the facing. (As shown in photo above)
b) Slip the needle under 2 threads of the main fabric, avoid pushing right through to the front. The needle should just pick up the stitches on the wrong side of the fabric.
c) Slide back into the fold of the facing and continue around, dipping into the main fabric ever centimetre (3/8″) or so.
6.
When hand sewn, the stitching should be invisible from the front. This make take an extra 10 – 30 minutes depending on the garment, but creates such a lovely finish!
Carry on sewing your garment as per the tutorial!
Congratulations!
This “quick and easy” neckline is now fully enclosed and invisible from the outside, yaas!
Show us a picture of your garment guts in our VIP Community or on Instagram, and check out our sewing pattern collection for beginner friendly garments for adults and children!
Love and happy sewing,
Sophie x