I have always struggled with the neckline of the lapped shoulder variety, until recently. First of all, a serger makes these a whole lot easier. I found 2 methods that work well for me for finishing the neck edges. 1) Use fold-over elastic (FOE) to bind the neck edges and stitch with a 3-step zig-zag or coverstitch. If the pattern is designed to have the edges hemmed, first trim off the hem allowance. Or 2) fold under the neck edges and press. Stitch the pressed-under edges with a coverstitch, setting the differential feed a little to the positive to keep edges from stretching.
Another options is to simply finish the neck edges with a 3-thread narrow stitch in a matching or contrasting thread, trimming off the hem allowance.
I finish the bottom closure with bias tape and Velcro instead of snaps. This is the one place I think Velcro is easier than snaps.
Judy N in MI
Posted on May 9, 2006, 7:30 PM from IP address 71.115.136.74