Welcome back to day 3 of the Rio sewalong. Today is going to look a lot like yesterday, except we are going to be attaching the neck binding.
The first thing we need to do is sew the left shoulder seam. With right sides touching, pin the front to the back at the left shoulder. Sew at 3/8" using a stretch stitch or by serging.
Press seam allowances towards the back.
Just like you did for the sleeves, place a pin at each end and at the midpoint of the neckline. Do the same for the neckband.
With right sides touching, pin the unfolded edge of the neckband to the garment neckline, matching up the pins at each end, and at the midpoint. Stretch the neckband to fit, and place additional pins as needed to ensure the neckband is evenly stretched along the entire neckline.
Sew at 3/8" using a stretch stitch.
or by serging.
Press the seam allowances away from the garment and towards the neckband.
Fold the upper edge of the neckband to the inside, along the original press line, so that the band wraps around the neckline and encases the seam allowances. Pin in place.
Using a zigzag stitch or twin needle, topstitch the neckband. Steam to press and reshape the neckline.
With right sides touching, pin the front to the back at the right shoulder. Pay close attention to lining up the binding edges of the neckband.
Using a 3/8" seam allowance and a stretch stitch or serger, sew the shoulder seam.
Press the seam allowances towards the back.
Using a straight stitch, sew a line of stitching on the right side of the garment, the length of the neckband, 1/8" to the back of the shoulder seam. This will flatten the seam allowances and keep them tucked to the back. Sew back and forth a couple of times to make it nice and secure.
That is it for the regular ready to wear method for the neck binding. We will be using the same method on the sleeves tomorrow. For the alternate sew in the round method see below.
ALTERNATE SEW IN THE ROUND METHOD
Although not as quick and bit more finicky, the sew in the round method may be a better option for you if you are especially sensitive to tags or any bulk on the inside of your clothing. You can substitute this method for the neck binding and sleeve bindings if you prefer.
When using this method, you will want to sew up the second shoulder seam before topstitching your binding. Instead you will pin the should and open binding at the same time.
Sew at 3/8" seam allowance.
Now fold the binding to the inside of the garment along the middle press line and pin. (Or press if you are using softstretch)
Topstitch the neck binding in place using a zigzag topstitch or twin needle.
Press and use steam to help it back into shape. And that is it. Like I said, you can use this alternate method for the sleeves as well if you prefer.
Come back tomorrow and we will finish off the Rio Sewalong.