MAE SEW-ALONG #5 CREATE & ATTACH NECK FACINGS

Welcome back sew-alongers! We are truly heading towards the end of the Mae sew-along, soon it will be time to post up all your finished Mae blouses, get ready to vote and try and win those awesome prizes!

So lets keep the momentum going, and get started:

Quick recap, yesterday you should have stitched  up the bodice shoulder seams and back bodice edges. So your Mae blouse should be looking pretty good by now, like a real blouse :)

OK, ready? Let's go...

CREATE  NECKLINE FACINGS

1. The time has come to stitch up our neckline facings and attach them to your Mae bodice. So with right sides together stitch  the front neck facing (4) to the back neck facings (3) at the shoulder seams. 

2. Finish your seams and press open.

3. To make your Mae just as pretty on the inside as well as the outside, its a good idea to finish the raw edges of the neckline facing, just makes it all pretty. You can either finish off the raw edges of the neckline facing either by creating a small 1/4'' hem around the outer edge and stitching it down or you can simply use your overlocker/serger  to finish the outer raw edge, either way will work, its up to you which you prefer.

  BODICE BACK EDGE 

OK so you have your neckline facings ready to go, but  for the moment, just put them to the side. Turn your attention to the back edges of the bodice.

4. Turn the centre back folded to the right side of the bodice along the button down back fold lines, which you would have marked with you traced your pattern.

5. Baste it down along the top edge of the  neckline, roughly at the same measurement as the stay-stitching on the neckline.

ATTACH NECKLINE FACINGS

OK, with the back bodice edge done, now you can grab your neckline facing you created cause we're ready to attach it to the bodice.

1. Right sides together pin the neck facing to the blouse neckline edge. Matching each scallop curve and shoulder seams as you go. You will notice that the back neck facing will hang over the back edge a little bit, that's OK just leave it for the time being, do not trim it yet.

A nifty little tip to help you stitch a swoon worthy scalloped neckline, is to mark the depth of each scallop point. Measure  the depth of each scallop on the neckline  facing and using a marker, chalk etc mark the depth. Doing this will help you stitch to the correct depth on each scallop, leaving you with perfectly symmetrical scallop shapes.

1. Once you have marked your scallop depth, you can start stitching  the entire neck edge carefully and slowly around each scallop. Pivot at each inner point of each of the scallops.

I have also recently posted a  tutorial on how to sew with scallops, and achieve the perfect neckline on the Mae blouse, which i recommend you  check it out, here . 

2. Trim seam and clip curves all along the seam. Cut a notch at each inner point of the scallop, to remove the excess fabric.

Now that you have attached the neckline facing, you can trim that excess neckline fabric that is hanging over at the bodice back edge.

Staying at the bodice back edge, we are going to create a nice clean finish at the neckline edge. Apologies if it is a little hard to see the upcoming process on how to do this, it was a tad hard to  photograph clearly :)

Basically,  what you want to do is fold the back edge to inside of the bodice, folding the neckline edge under the back edge facing you created

1. Fold the neckline facing to the inside of the blouse.

2.Fold the bodice back edge to the inside of the blouse as well, folding the neckline facing under it as you go. You notice it will create a nice finished corner edge at the neckline.

Below is a look at what it should look like once your done. Give a good press with a warm iron.

 Again check out the tutorial on 'sewing with scallops' to find out how to finish off the your Mae blouse neckline nicely.

TACK 

  Tack - To hand -sew once section of a garment to another with a few somewhat loose stitches, to keep in place. 

 

You can now tack these facings and bodice back edge together at the corner point where they meet, to keep them nice and tidy and in place. Also tack the neckline facings to the bodice shoulder seam will also help them stay securely in place.

 

Tomorrow's sew-along post we will be attaching the armhole facings, and stitching up the bodice side seams. 

We are heading towards the finish line! Yay! See ya tomorrow!

Abby

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