Oh, the allusive neckline… you can always tell if someone really knows how to sew by their necklines –especially on knit wear. It is hard to find directions on how to do it so it looks professional using sewing machines for the home user. You do not need industrial machines to get a professional result.

When I learn a new neckline, I actually do a practice neckline. The result looks something like a dicky (you know, those fake turtle necks the men wore in the 60s and 70s under their sweaters? If you don’t know what I’m talking about ask your mom!). Basically I practice on samples until I get the technique right, then I try it on a final garment.

Trust me, you won’t want to do the sample work, but you will be thrilled once you get the technique down.

Follow and read each step carefully.  You can do it!

Pin mark the front, back, and sides. You want the same distance between each pin. Get your tape measurer out and check.

Measure the neckline.

Making the binding:

Make a note of the measurement of the neckline. Now you want to make a strip such that the length (width) has the most stretch.

The length of this strip is ¾ of the final garment neckline plus ½ inch for seam allowance.

The width of the binding is the height doubled plus ½ inch seam allowance.

So here is an example: Let’s say the neckline on the garment before the binding is 22” around. We would make a strip that is 16.5” plus 0.5” for seam allowance (17” wide). Since we want a 1” high binding, we double the 1 inch plus 0.5” seam allowance for a height of 2.5”. So in this example, we cut out a strip that is 17” x 2.5”.

Since we are sewing “in the round”, we join edges, using our presser foot for our seam allowance.

Fold in half length-wise and divide into fourths.  Pin mark these spots and ensure the same distance is between each pin.

Match pin marks on the neckline matching the binding seam to the center back pin. Since the binding is ¾ smaller than the neckline you will need to stretch the binding to match the pins.

Pin down binding on to neckline carefully.

Using stretch stitch (and your presser foot for seam allowance), stitch the binding to the neckline. Stretch the binding slightly as you go to make sure there is no puckering and everything lies down nicely. Remove pins.

Personally, I like the look of this neckline. If it is done well, I really don’t think you need topstitching. But if you would like to add topstitching you certainly can. Just make sure that the topstitching is a stretch stitch so that you can pull this over your head.

In this example, I used a cover stitch machine. You can get the same effect with a double needle. You can have fun with decorator stitches here. Again, practice topstitching with a sample first!

See… you can get a professional looking neckline with home sewing machines! Please bookmark our site because I will add other knit necklines to our website soon!

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