How To Make New Neckline Facings

How many times have you purchased a pattern that looked really nice on the pattern package, but when you made it up the neckline was NOT what you thought it would look like.  Sometimes the necklines are cut deeper that it appears on the package, so a change is necessary.  Or, the neckline is too high and not comfortable, also requiring a change in order for the blouse or dress to look and feel right.  So, what about the neckline FACINGS, that no longer work since you’ve adjusted the pattern and made the neckline either higher or lower, as you needed it to be?

The following mini-tutorial tells you how to make NEW facings for the new neckline that you’ve adjusted.

CUTTING THE FABRIC AND FACINGS

To illustrate the method of cutting facings, the above drawing shows a simple sleeveless, collarless blouse that will have a zipper in the back. Lay the paper pattern on the fabric, leaving ample room around each piece for seam markings and hem allowance, as shown with dotted lines.  The new facings will be cut from the remaining material.

CUTTING THE NECK FACINGS

In the above drawing the printed area indicates fabric and the shaded area indicates the areas where the front and back bodice have been cut from the fabric. The front and back bodices are the bodices previously cut out of the fabric, and positioned on the remnants to indicate how to cut out facings for the front and back neck. Be sure to put the center front neck on the fold and the back neck along the selvage edge, as was done with the bodices. After cutting the neckline and down 6 cm (2 3/8”) along the shoulder line, flip the bodice and fabric over and cut the neck facing 6 cm (2 3/8”) wide, as shown in dotted lines.

Now that you’ve learned how to make new facings when you alter the neckline on the pattern, you’ll probably find other patterns that you weren’t quite satisfied with the way the necklines looked or fit, so you can go back and dig those patterns out and start remaking the necklines, knowing that you can do facings that will fit the new neckline right.

If you’d REALLY like to do some neckline changing on those blouse and dress patterns for totally new looks, check out the Neckline Changing Class at PatternsThatFitYou.com.