The topic of
discussion was putting the facings of a top on the outside for an ornamental
look (matching them to the shorts, slacks, skirt, or whatever).
Two people wrote and said they were trying it, but were ending up with
uncovered seams on the inside that came right up to the neck edge, sleeve
bottom, torso bottom.
There is a historical sewing technique to deal with this. The steps follow:
Cut the body pieces of your garment; do not sew the construction seams yet!
Cut your facings (whether shaped or just a bias strip). When I do shaped neck
facings for doll clothes, I don't cut the back and front pieces separately and
do a shoulder seam, because that adds bulk. Rather, I put the back and front
pattern pieces together, matching the seam lines, and draw myself an all-in-
one facing pattern. Same for the body: cut one long facing strip that will
go all the way around rather than separate ones for front and back that have
to be seamed together.
Press in the hem allowance on the outer edge of the facings.
Place the facings against your garment pieces. Mark the seam allowances on
the body of the garment with a little dot 1/8 inch *inside* the part of the
seam that the facing will cover.
Sew construction seams, right sides together, just to the dot. Backstitch
about three or four stitches when you reach the dot, to reinforce. NOTE:
This includes sewing the underarm seams on the sleeves before you apply the
facing. This procedure does not work if you try to apply the facing first and
then sew the underarm seam!
At the very end of your stitching line, clip the seam allowances *all the way
to the seam line.* Yes, absolutely all the way. Right to the seam line.
Otherwise, you won't get a smooth turn. You can't save time by cutting them
on three or four tops at once. Cut each seam allowance individually, with
your embroidery scissors.
Turn the garment, wrong sides together, and finish sewing the seam (to the
neck edge, to the bottom of the sleeve, to the bottom of the garment body)
with the seam allowances on the outside. Again, reinforce with backstitching
at the dot. Press the seam allowances.
Pin facings on inside of garment, with the *right* side of the facing to the
*wrong* side of the garment. Sew. Press to the outside. You will now have
the *wrong* side of the facing against the *right* side of the garment, with
the hem allowances already pressed in. Topstitch.
On doll tops, I do both the neck facing and the facing at the bottom (if any)
before I turn in the hem allowances at the back opening--just include them in
that hem.
If this isn't clear, ask me again.
Virginia
(
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