Finishing a neckline with jersey strips: Here's how it's done easily

Finishing a neckline with jersey strips: I'll show you 4 great variations on how to easily sew a beautiful neckline.

4 different variations

Bet you've never sewn a neckline this easily before?

In this post, I'll show you three variations for sewing a beautiful neckline. One is a refined method, and the other is a quick neck cuff that even beginners can easily master.

You can use this sewing technique for all patterns made of stretchy fabrics, provided they feature a round neckline.

For the shirt patterns, I used SELMA and Golda.

What you need for sewing

• Tailor's chalk^*
• Patchwork ruler^*
• Sewing machine or serger
• Rotary cutter^*
• Fabric scissors^*

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Once the cuff is halfway on, I hit a wall. ???? A bare serger seam at the back of the neck: Well, so be it. No one will see it. Or will they?! :) Well, sometimes there are those passion projects where the back neckline should also look perfect ????. That’s when the "nerd strip" takes center stage. :) ???? . P. S.: @kerstinnixdorf requested this tutorial. ???? If you need a specific sewing tip, whisper it to me in the comments! ???? . #sewing #sewinghack #sewingtime #sewsimple #justdoit #sewingmakesmehappy #howto #diyfashion #diyblog #sewingblog #sewcialistsofinstagram

A post shared by Sabine (@sewsimple.de) on Oct 23, 2020 at 12:09 PDT

Variation 1: Sewing a quick jersey neck cuff

Close one shoulder seam of the shirt.

Determine the neckline length by measuring all the way around.
Cut a jersey strip of the appropriate length and 4 cm width for the neck cuff.

Fold the jersey strip lengthwise, i.e., long sides together. The left side of the fabric should be on the inside.

Place one end of the jersey strip at the start of the neckline. The open edges of the cuff should be flush with the edge of the neckline.

Push the beginning of the seam back under the presser foot of the serger, lower the presser foot, and begin sewing.

Extra tip: If the jersey tends to curl, secure the beginning of the seam with two pins. Lower the serger foot first, and only then pull the pins out of the fabric. This way, the jersey lies nice and flat, and the start of the seam turns out perfectly!

Stretch the cuff a little as you sew. The neckline itself should not be stretched.

Sew the cuff all the way around the neckline while keeping it slightly stretched.

Trim the ends of the cuff.

Align the shoulders of the front and back pieces flush with each other and pin them together.

Close the ends of the cuff with a short temporary seam using your sewing machine or by hand to ensure nothing slips during the subsequent assembly.

Close the shoulder seam. To do this, slide the secured beginning of the seam back under the serger foot and start sewing.

Then pull the serger thread through the seam with a tapestry needle to secure it.

Variation 2: Sewing a neckline with a jersey finishing strip

Instead of a standard cuff, you can create a beautiful shirt neckline with a contrasting finishing strip. To do this, close the shoulder seams of your shirt.

Determine the width of the seam you will use to sew the neckline. In my case, it's a 0.7 cm serger seam.
The width of the contrasting jersey strip is calculated as the seam width x 4. So, for me, that's 2.8 cm wide.
The jersey strip should be as long as the measured circumference of the neckline. You do not need to add any seam allowance.

Sew the short ends of the jersey strip together right sides facing.

Pin the jersey strip right sides facing to the neckline. The seam should be aligned with one of the shoulder seams.

Sew the strip all the way around using your serger or a serger/overlock stitch on your sewing machine.

If the jersey curls, weave in long pins (my new favorite heart-headed pins^* from the USA are perfect for this!) and only pull them out immediately before sewing.

It should look like this now:

Fold the strip around the seam once and then tuck the seam inward into the neckline.

It should look like this now:

Secure everything well with fabric clips.

Stitch the strip all the way around from the right side using an elastic stitch (e.g., a narrow zigzag) and a seam allowance of 0.5 - 0.7 cm.

Finished.

By the way, the shirt fabric is a beautiful Roma jersey, which is also available in a rich navy blue^*. It is very easy to work with and does not curl at the edges, making it the perfect jersey fabric for beginners.

Variation 3: Neckline with a cuff

To finish the neckline with a cuff, proceed as follows:

• Determine the length of the neckline by measuring all the way around again.
• Divide the result by 100 and then multiply by 80.
  Example: If the neckline circumference is 60 cm, calculate as follows:
  60: 100 = 0.6
  0.6 x 80 = 48 cm
• The length of the cuff must therefore be 48 cm. The width depends on whether you want a narrow or wide cuff.
• For my dark blue shirt with red dots, I cut a 6 cm wide cuff. This creates the look of a stand-up collar.
• For the white shirt with the cross pattern, I cut the strip 4 cm wide. This results in a neck cuff about 1.5 cm wide.
• Place the short ends flush, right sides facing, and sew the strip into a ring using your serger or sewing machine.
• Fold the long sides of the cuff together so that the left side of the fabric is on the inside.
• Divide the ring into quarters, starting from the seam.
• Divide the neckline into quarters as well, and pin the cuff right sides facing to the neckline.
• The seam of the cuff should be placed on the shoulder seam.
• Sew the cuff on using your serger or the overlock stitch on your sewing machine.

Unfortunately, I could no longer find the beautiful French Terry with the cross pattern, but I did find a great alternative^* at Hemmers!

Variant 4: Neckline with a finishing strip at the back neckline

This form of neckline finishing with a strip is sometimes also called a "teacher's pet strip" (Streberstreifen).

I wonder why? ;)

Yet this refined way of binding a neckline is really quick and easy to do. After all, you usually have to topstitch the neckline anyway. In that case, you might as well include a contrasting jersey strip to cover the overlock seam, right?

I'll show you how it's done.

What you need for the reinforcement strip