I think I have a problem with the hems of strapless or spaghetti tops. In these shirts my top/neckline hems folds outward and hang down , expecially if I add a trim or finish with something, it happens always! What's the problem?
Do you mean that the facing flops out to the outside? There are several fixes...
Understitch the facing: this helps it to stay in the right place.
Tack it down at seams and under-arms: this also helps
Top stitch it.
Weight it! Yup - just sew a few small beads or buttons to the edge of the offending bit, and that will help keep it hanging to the correct side.
No... I usually don't do facing on tops , to make the hem I just fold inward and topstich, especially for fabrics that dont ravel. It's because of this that I get this?
I've made a sketch to explain better (copy and past) , the difference is that I stitch in zigzag , while the drawing shows straightstitching:
Dear nerotensia,
First of all, your sketch is terrific. And, your problem is that you are folding over a seam and stitching it down. It's stretching out of shape.
Now if you want to do this, there is a new tape that can be ironed on (carefully, avoiding stretch), then sew as you have been. I should tell you that I would never allow my students to do this, because of the very problem you have had.
But for a perfect finish, cut a piece of self fabric on the bias, or crosswise for knits, and sew it to the edge, holding (but not stretching) taut the binding, not the garment. Understitch the binding, then sew the second side to keep it in place. If you examine good RTW, you'll see that that's how it is done in industry, even though it looks like it was just folded over.
Teri
Hi Teri, thank you, I like doodling... As for the sewing issue, you opened my eyes :D , I always noticed there was something wrong with my method eheh, they also had some rippling and did end up too big on the top opening,blech. I will always put facing !(it's called this way isnt it?)
Sounds like you might need a facing (and possibly some interfacing) to support the top edge, especially if you're adding the weight of trims. Are these basically tube tops? Or do they have some shaping (darts or dart equivalents)? Have you made your patterns by "cutting down" another pattern? What happens if you remove some ease from the top edge?
Kay
Patterns nearly always make facings away too narrow, so that they don't have enough weight to hold themselves down. Make a new pattern that has a little substance. If there are armhole facings and a neck facing, make a pattern that faces neck and armholes in one fell swoop. Much easier to install, and you don't need any potentially-visible stitches to keep it in place.
Sometimes I substitute a full lining. *That* stays put! (Especially after I hand-stitch through all layers close to the edge.)
(This is all irrelevant to the original question, but threads do branch.)
Joy Beeson
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