Bias t-shirt binding

Cathy's idea for a bias-collar sounds interesting. I stumbled into another way to finish a neck edge this week, using the knit itself to "bind" the shirt.( The fabric was from my "archives" and there was no matching ribbing.) I cut a band of knit two inches wide on the cross-grain and just slightly less than the circumference of the neck opening--probably an inch, because the knit didn't have much stretch--and stitched it on like a traditional ribbed neck. It wouldn't stand up and it wouldn't sit down! So I folded it over to the outside of the shirt, forming a binding, and edge-stitched it.

Do you know, it looked just like the store-bought shirt I was copying??? I was amazed! How simple! And it looked <good>! Forgot to mention something important about that t-shirt neck binding: the opening doesn't give; the neck-hole needs to be large enough to slip over the head. The child's shirt I was reproducing had a modified scoop-neck.

1 7/8" - lay for binding flat with the right sides together, sew around at 5/8", fold over to wrong side - another 5/8" is taken up by the front and back. Sew down binding in the ditch. I always place make my join at the shoulder seam.

Peggy: You should never cut a knit on the bias for a neckline trim. It will not have any stretch unless it is a knit with lycra. I cut my trims with the length running with the crossgrain. You could do what I call a single French binding. Measure your pattern neckline(front and back) subtract SA and then subtract 1" more. I cut my fabric this length and 2" wide. Sew one shoulder seam. Sew binding to shirt with right sides together(divide both in 4th's and match), I use a 3/8" seam and sew with and overlock, 3-step zig-zag and regular zig-zag in a 4mm width. Press the SA toward the binding. Sew the other shoulder seam. Press the binding over the SA. Stitch in the ditch. Trim the excess binding.

If you are using interlock knit or a lycra blend knit, them you could put it on just as you would ribbing, be sure and cut the length on the crosswise of the fabric. HTH

have used knits to edge a t-shirt and also used lycra on some polar fleece pullovers. I cut the strips parallel to the selvage. The reason for cutting strips on the bias is that on woven material the bias gives a bit of stretch and is easier to shape. Since you are using a knit, you already have the stretch. You do not want to cut on the crossgrain as this gives too much stretch(as I understand it).