Shoulder seams have a lot of stretch. It is a good idea to add some stabilizer to this seam. Some of the best sewing tricks I’ve picked up have involved simply looking in my closet and taking note of my off-the-rack garments. Some of the better name brands use clear elastic for the shoulder seam stabilizer, so this is what I am showing you here. You can also use bias strips, ribbon with some stretch, or some knit interfacing instead.

Pin the front and back shoulders. Since I don’t sew over the pins, I pin it lengthwise.

Here is a picture of the clear elastic I will use to stabilize the shoulder seam. The stabilizer goes on the back of the seam.

In this example, I am going to sew the elastic and shoulder at one time. If you are newer to sewing, or feel more comfortable sewing them separately, do what works for you – just make sure you are using a stretch stitch!

In this example, I am using my serger (since serger stitches are stretch stitches). If you are using a serger, make sure your blade is lowered and locked. If you are using a sewing machine, remember that you are using a stretch stitch. A zig zag works nicely. Don’t forget – practice this technique on a scrap before you sew on your final garment.

Here is the seam with a stretch stitch and the clear elastic on the back side.

Both shoulder seams sewn and stabilized. Now, let’s insert our neckline!

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