Sewing a Perfect Neckline - Quick Easy Tutorial!!

Hello Everybody... its been a while. So, today, i'm going to teach you the technique of stitching a perfectly neat neckline for your dresses and tops.. You could also check out the tutorial on stitching necklines in detail.

a) Firstly, you have to get an interface as it would make the neckline firmer. Fold the interface such that one leaf of the fold is about 2 inches more than your neck width measurement. the point would be 'O'. Mark your required neck measurement from 'O' ('A' in fig. 1). Then at 1" from 'A'  mark the point 'B'.

Fig. 1

b) Also mark the neck depth corresponding to point A n join the two points. at 1" from this point, mark another point. join this fourth point n 'B' as shown in fig.1. Take care the lines are parallel and straight. Cut along these lines. You will get a piece like the one in fig. 2.

Fig. 2

c) Now place the interface on facing (can be the same fabric as your dress or you can also choose another fabric if you want).. now keeping the sticky side of the interface over the wrong side of the fabric you took, iron over it carefully so that the shape's not disturbed. (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3

 Cut the extra fabric parallel to its edges.

d) Next, place this fabric piece over your dress with the right sides facing each other. The mid-point of the two fabrics should coincide. (Now, here u have to keep in mind that the fabric (front/back for whichever piece you are stitching the neckline) should not be cut anywhere for the neckline stitching)

Fig. 4

e) After this, secure the two fabrics with pins and then sew a straight line along the mid-line as in fig. 4. Another stitch along the inner border of the interface (yellow dotted line in fig. 5, yeah it is not that clear, I know!)

                                              

Fig. 5

 f) Now cut both the fabrics along the inner edge of the interface but about half an inch from the edge. See the fig. 6, you will understand better.

Fig. 6

g) Finally, you have to invert and turn this piece backwards so that it resembles the one in fig.7 Top-stitch over the inner border.

Fig. 7

h) Towards the wrong side it should look somewhat like this (fig. 8). You might want to hem the outer edge to secure it.

There you are.... ! Done with  the square neckline.. easy isn't it? You can sew any other shaped neckline other than the square one I have shown here. The procedure would remain the same.

Stay tuned for more posts and tutorials!!!

How to sew kali Salwar / Panel Salwar

Hey Sewaddicts!! Time to learn something new! So, in this tutorial we're gonna learn how to make a panel pyjama/ kali salwar. Okay! easy.. Don't worry.. its really simple. You will find the drafting method for a kali salwar in my earlier post. So, in this tutorial we will see the cutting & sewing parts.

CUTTING:

  

After cutting the waist piece you have to cut the center piece. 

Open the full width of the fabric. 

First, fold the fabric into half its width (that is AB is 2 layers). 

Again fold the fabric half width-wise that is fold A over B or such that C mid point of the AB. 

Now you have got 4 layers of the fabric. 

On this folded fabric, Mark the required length of the salwar part (here, this required length is = salwar full length minus waist piece length) +1" (Figure Salwar center piece Cutting 1) 

Salwar center piece Cutting 1

Cut the center piece according to the length Fig .2.

Fig 2

Open the second fold that is "C".  You have got 2 center pieces (2 layers) that is AB.

Cut along the fold that is A A (fig.1). Separate the 2 cut layers. The fig 3 shows the two centre pieces.

Fig 3 Center pieces

Now, for the side pieces the length would be same as that you took for the center piece and width would be half the width of the fabric. Draw a line across the corners as Fig 4 and cut it along the line. Fig 5.

Side pices/kali

Fig 4

Fig 5

 you have got 4 kalis  Place the kalis one over the other. Fig 6.

Fig 6

 Mark the crotch length and draw curves for the crotch and the inner side of the kali as shown in the fig. 7 and cut along these curves. (Figure 8)

Fig7

fig 8. kali

 Fig 9 shows the waist pieces, ankle fabric and facings.

Fig 9

  Fig.10 shows all the kali salwar pieces after cutting. Now that we are done with the cutting part, let's move on to the stitching part.

 fig 10 kali salwar  pieces

STITCHING

Facing - bottom opening (The ankle part)  

Take a strip of fabric with width as (double the width of the interface you are going to attach  +1") and its length would be (1/2 of ankle circumference) or  (the width of center piece in Fig 1)

Fig 1

Take the interface (with width as 1/2 width of facing(as in the step above) and length being the same as the facing). As in fig 2, place the interface on the wrong side of the facing and cover it.

                                                 

Fig 2

Attach the interface to the right side of the center piece at the bottom (that is where your ankle part would be) and stitch the two together. The pins in fig.3 indicate the seam line.

                                                                              

Fig 3 attaching interfacing

 After attaching and stitching, turn the interfacing towards the wrong side of the center piece. Next, top stitch on the right side (fig 4).                                           

Fig 4

Stitch the other edge of the facing (which is towards the wrong side) again onto the wrong side as in Fig 5. Now you have 2 parallel seam lines - one each over each edge of the facing.

                                           Fig 5

                                       

Create rows of top stitching with either a straight stitch (as i have done in this picture below) or any other decorative stitch of your choice.

Fig 6

Now lets move onto the main salwar part. Keep the side pieces/the kalis on each side of the centre piece respectively lengthwise and sew. Do the same for the other side too. 

Fig 7 joining the center and side pieces 

 After having finished joining of the pieces together, it should look as in the figs 8,9.

Fig 8 finished joining the kali

Fig 9

After that, sew the crotch part, attach the waist piece to the leg/salwar pieces all the way creating frills. For rest of the finishing process, you will find the instructions here in this tutorial.

So, there you are... done with kali salwar/ panel pyjama. It is a very trendy dress. It is very popular in 

India as a casual wear. You can pair it up with a short/long kurti or even a t-shirt. (It looks cool with a t-shirt.!!) I hope this tutorial would be of great help to you. For any queries and doubts or requests, please comment below.. and keep waiting for other interesting easy-to-learn tutorials..

How to stich Square step border neckline

Square step border neckline 

A -B , C-D          -   The neck width

A-C ,  C-D          -   Neck depth 

 I  have taken neck width 2 1/2 or 3 inches,and neck depth

7 inch. see  the below fig. 1

                                                                 fig1

C - E                          -    neck width

 D                               -     midpoint of the C -E. That means  C - D , D - E is1 1/4. see the below fig 2

Fig 2

       measure 2 inches upward  like fig 3

                                              Fig 3

    C -D , E - F, F- G  is 1 /14 inch,  which is already mentioned in the fig 2

   C - E , D - F                   - 2 inch.  Draw the lines and cut the neck line piece along    

   the marking, as in fig 4 and fig 5.

  

Fig 4

Fig 5

 fig 6 shows the border cloth which i  have used as a border of the neckline.

Fig 6

 Fig 7

 place the main neckline cutting piece over the folding of the border piece (fig 7),  draw and  cut along the main neckline as  shown in the fig 8.

Fig 8

fig 9 shows,  the border piece and main piece necklines after cutting.

Fig 9

Fig 10

 Now place the right side of the  border piece over the wrong side of the main piece,it means the right and wrong sides are together.like fig 10, for convenience, pinning both of the pieces along the neckline (fig 11 )

Fig 11

In the fig 12 the blue line indicates the stitching line.

Fig 12

  the fig 13 shows after stitching of the neckline.

Fig 13

Cut slightly the stitched neckline here and there. the figures 14 and 15 shows

Fig 14

Fig 15

Fig 16

Flip the border piece towards the right side of the main piece as in fig 16 and 17.

Fig 17

 

The fig 18  and 19 indicates right   and wrong side of the neckline after fliping

Fig 18

Fig 19

 If you want  add the  cross pieces  to the design as in fig.20, cut the fabric tube into two pieces ,each measuring length 2-3 as in fig.20 and attach the fabric  tubes to the wrong side of the neckline. (only corner to corner) here is the link for the fabric tube tutorial

fig 20

now stitch the edges of the neckline where  the borderline is flipped towards the right side of the neckline as in fig 21 and 22.

Fig 21

Fig 22

 Fold the raw edges of the border and attach the main piece as in

fig 23

Fig 23

 final figure of the neckline shown in fig 24 and 25.

Fig 24

Fig 25

the width of the border -as you wish.