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Hemlock Tee: How to Sew a Deconstructed Jersey Neckline Finish

07/24/15

Not really a secret that I love the Hemlock Tee pattern from Grainline Studio. If you follow me on Instagram you’ll have seen a few of these pop up recently that haven’t yet been blogged. One you will have seen in my previous post. This one is just a simple grey jersey…

This would not be particularly noteworthy apart from the fact I wanted to let you know this jerseyÂ from Minerva Crafts is frikkin gorgeous! So soft. So drapey. Not too flimsy. Need more in my life!

I also wanted to share my favourite jersey neckline finish of the moment! I’m not a massive fan of conventional ribbed neck bands . I like my tees to look a little more deconstructed and I really like the raw edge of jersey fabric. The way it curls Â when you stretch it! But obviously Â a neckline still needs some stability. So recently I’ve been opting for this neckline finish…

It’s applied in exactly the same way as the pattern describes, with one exception. Instead of the folded edge of the neck band edging your neckline…you flip the band the other way round before applying it, Â and have the raw edge exposed instead!

Here’s a quick step by step. If you’ve never applied a jersey neckband before you may also find this useful as it covers the whole process…at least this is how I do it!

Take your neckband pattern piece and press it with some spray starch (helps stop the edges curling too much as you work); sew together the ends to form a loop then fold in half.

Taking the join as your centre back marker, mark your centre front point using a pin. Do this by folding the band in half with the join smack band in the middle. Mark the CF point with a pin on the opposite side.

Mark the sides with of the neckband with a pin too..

Have your tee right side out…

Pin the CF of your neckband to the CF of your neckline. I’m going for that raw edge finish on mine remember. So I’m lining up the foldedÂ edge of my neckband with the raw edge of my neckline. If you want the clean/folded edge finish to your neckline, then line up the raw edges of your neck band with the raw edge of your neckline. Savvy?

Pin the sides of your neck band to your shoulder seams and the CB of your neck band to the Â CB of your neckline. So your neckband is now pinned at both shoulders seams, the BB, and the CF of the right side of your neckline.

Serge to join. I work in 1/4 sections at a time. ie from pin to pin. Hold the layers of fabric under just enough tension for the neckband to match the length of the neckline. It will be drafted ever so slightly smaller than the neckline circumference which enables it to naturally want to turn to the insideÂ . Â So pull on it juuuust enough as it runs through the serger, but be careful not to stretch it out.

Press! Seam allowance/serged edge downwards…

Top/Edge stitch around the neckline to secure the seam allowance. So you now have a finished neckline with a raw edge detail (or if you attached the band the other way, a finished neckline with a clean folded edge!).Â If you want it a bit narrower you can start with a narrower band in the first place OR trim it down at this stage….

Make a notch/snip to the depth you want…

And trim!

I went evenÂ narrower on this one and part of me wishes I’d Â restrained myself a little, lol! After laundering, the edges will soften, and depending on how long you’ve left them, (ahem) curl a little too.

You might ask what the point is in lining up the folded edge of the band with the raw edge of the neckline in the first place. You could just attach the band as normal, trim, and you still end up with a raw edge. I just prefer to do it this way because I find it easier to line up aÂ folded edge with one raw edge, than it is to align 3 raw edges; and I find the inside finish cleaner this way too. Either way would work and it’s one of those cases of personal preference.

I’ve done a variation withÂ a twist Â of this on the hemlock in my previous post. The one I’ve yet to blog about! Then there’s one more that I’ve made; (and two more that I’m about to make). Plus my first stab at Suzy Pants and 3 completed Maya variations that are also unblogged!

I literally have too many blog posts to squeeze in before the launch of The Refashioners 2015.

Oh yeah, and I ought to refashion a shirt too, gasp!!

DIY, Dressmaking, fabric, jersey, knits, minerva, self drafted, Sewing, Tips and Tricks, Tutorials

Asymmetric Pleated Tunic

03/12/15

This mustard knit has been sat in my stash since a few months before we moved last year. I recovered it from storage last week. It is soooooo stretchy and since I didn’t have the right colour cones for my overlocker, I opted to sew this on my standard machine. One word. Aaaargh! But hey…with the aid of a walking foot and a bit of coaxing I got there. The finish isn’t perfect. But in truth this is very much a toile/prototype of an idea I wanted to try out. So in the context of that…I’m content.

Content enough to want to share, because I think in principle, this idea works. Â The concept is essentially an easy way to give a shapeless garment definition through simple gathering. So I started by making a shapeless garment! Two simple rectangles sewn together across the top and sides with holes left open for the head and the arms. Not dissimilar to my pashmina refashion…but with less chalking (!) and plenty of width to play with…literally two rectangles…then neckline and armholes finished then hemmed…

Then I simply pinched out pleats, gathering the excess fabric into one point. Eventually settling on four pleats set off centre just on the lower bust curve. The problem I sometimes have with overly loose tops is that, because I have a largish bust, they have a tendency to hang from the bust point, disguising any shape below the bust and well…just looking a bit “tenty”. Once I’d settled on my arrangement of pleats I simply hand stitched them in place. It provides juuuust enough shaping whilst still allowing me to indulge my love of loose tops!

I could see this being useful for refashioning oversized tops and shirts…..don’t be surprised if you see this technique pop up again basically!

finished garments, hemlock tee, jersey, minerva

FO: My Hemlock Dress

09/27/13

So I had a step by step all photographed for this make. Unfortunately someone, who shall rename nameless, managed to delete all the photos from our SD card. So when I came to write up this post….erm….no photos! Aaaargh! But, I’m sure you’ll get the gist. Let me explain….

This is yet another incarnation of the fabulously versatile and free Hemlock Tee pattern. The fabric is a lovely medium weight jersey with a fine fleecy underside from Minerva Crafts. It’s from their clearance section & priced at Â£5.99/m. In fact they have a whole heap of jersey on clearance at the moment from as little as Â£1.99/m. You may have also noticed from my sidebar ads that they are one of my new sponsors….which means if you use the code PORTIA10 at checkout, you’ll get a further 10% off. So if you wanted to recreate a jersey Hemlock dress of your own….hop over there if you fancy a bargain 😉 With a free pattern and discounted fabric, what’s not to love! I would recommend medium to heavy weight jersey for this make. Perhaps even a ponte?

On the subject of how this little number was created, clearly I made a few adjustments:

I used the back pattern piece to cut both the front and back pieces of this dress. It makes for a higher, slash neck effect at the front.
I lengthened my main pattern piece by several inches.
I shortened the sleeve pattern piece so the sleeves are elbow length (I always pull ’em up anyway so why not!)
I also shaped the dress so it followed the curve of my body. Not snugly, but it made for a subtly more flattering silhouette in this dress version.

Because of the way the Hemlock Tee is constructed, it is perfect for “pinning to shape”. Â The shoulder seams are sewn first. Then the sleeves are attached whilst the fabric is flat (rather than inserted into an armhole). THEN, the sleeves and side seams are sewn in one continuous line. So at THIS stage, rather than stitching as per the instructions, I pinned it to fit me the way I wanted (yes I am a contortionist at weekends) then removed the dress (yes I did stab myself with pins in the process) and used the pins as a guide to draw in my new, more shapely, side seams. Does that make sense?! You could of course pin it so it was much more body con than I have done. Jersey’s great like that!

Man I’m so bummed I don’t have the step by step photos. I was all set to show you the difference between the original seam and the new curvier one AND how I managed to draw in the new seam lines symmetrically on both sides. Also how I achieve a finish similar to an overlocker on my standard machine! But alas, there is no use crying over spilt milk! I shall just have to make another, and next time, guard the SD card with my life!!

BTW, I don’t normally wear dresses. But I can officially confirm HOW comfy this is. I can definitely see a few more of these on the horizon. Quite liberating not having to match seperates! I feel as if I’ve been missing a trick all this time….