Skip to main content

Pretty Peplum Top Sew Along: Neckline Options

I hope everyone's fit session went well! It was really interesting reading about your progress and how many of us made the same mistakes! Hopefully you didn't have to remake your top at all (or too many times!) If you have photos of your progress to share, please do! Email me photos and any commentary you have at: fabricmartblog@gmail.com. I would love to share them with everyone else participating. 

Next, we are going to talk about how to finish the neckline. The beauty of this pattern is that it comes with four different necklines AND you can use the necklines included in the Perfect T-shirt Pattern and the New Necklines and Sleeves for the Perfect T-shirt. I'm going to show you how to create the necklines included with the peplum top pattern. 

There are three necklines included: jewel, scoop and keyhole. The keyhole can be used on either the front or back of the neckline. 


If you plan on making the jewel or keyhole neckline, cut a strip of knit fabric 2 1/2" x 22".  If you are making the scoop neckline, cut out a strip of knit fabric 2 1/2" x 25". You want the stretch to go the long way of your neckline binding piece. Therefore, when you're stretching it in the neck area it will not ripple or not lay correctly.

Next, the directions tell you to sew the neckline binding into a circle, right sides together. Fold it in half using the seam has your guide. Make a mark on the opposite fold. You should have it marked in half at this point. Then fold it in the other direction, matching the mark and the seamline in the middle. Mark the folds on either side. Now you have the neckline binding marked into quarters. You can see in the photo above, the pins denote the spots you will need to match up with the neckline. 

To find the quarters of the neckline on the top is done basically in the same way. Fold up the back piece mimicking how you cut it out on the fold. Mark the midpoint. Keep it folded and find the middle of the front. Then match up the front and back marks and fold the neckline at the sides to find the midpoint in that direction. THE MID-POINT WILL NOT BE THE SHOULDER SEAMS!! I made this mistake on the first two tops I made. When the binding was attached I had a lot of pulling in the front section therefore making it look like it didn't fit. Then pin the binding to the neckline, right sides together, matching the quarter points. Sew together using a 3/8" - 1/2" seam allowance. I liked using the 1/2" seam allowance because when you finish the neckline, the raw edges turn into a "padding" inside the neckband. 

Keyhole neckline:
The keyhole neckline should be used with the jewel neckline if you plan on having the keyhole in the front. If it's in the back, you can use either the jewel or scoop. I made mine on the back of the top.

Cut out a piece of fabric and interfacing the size of the square pattern piece the keyhole is printed on. This will be the keyhole facing. 



Trace the neckline, center front, cutting line and stitiching line onto the fusible interfacing. I like to use transfer paper and a wheel to make markings. Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric piece. 




Cut along the neckline and cutting line. 



Find the center of the top front (or back if you're putting it there.) and mark with a 6" line down the front. Center up the keyhole piece, right sides together. 



Stitch along the lines on the interfacing. With a 1.8mm stitch length, stitch along the stitching line. 



Trim 1/8"  from the stitching line in the middle section of the keyhole. 



Turn facing to wrong side and press. You can top stitch the facing in place if you would like. 



Next you will be creating the neckline face. You will need to mark 1/2" from each end to start. This is your seam allowance and will be folded over to hide the raw edge at the keyhole area. Then fold in half to find the center, and then match up the ends with the middle to find the quarter points. Below you can see the pins are my quarter point markings. Do the same on the neckline on the top, except you don't need to mark 1/2" from the edge. If you're unsure, follow the directions on finding the quarters of neckline above. (When we talked about putting on the regular neckline binding.)




Pin the neckline binding to the top, right sides together. Make sure the 1/2" markings are extending over the ends at the keyhole. Then fold them under, binding in the raw edge. 



A keyhole needs a closure! Pamela had a great idea to use hair ties as an elastic substitute! I have to say, some of the rounded elastics you find in stores can be kind of cheap. The hair tie creates a really durable keyhole closure. Cut a 2" piece and form into a small loop. Keep it together using scotch tape. Hand or machine baste in place on one side of the keyhole. 


Press the seam allowance toward the binding. Wrap the binding up over the seam allowance. wrap it snuggly so the seam allowance turns into a filler inside the neckline. Pin in place from the right side and stitch in the ditch.  Your finished neckline binding should be about 1/2" wide.



On the backside, you can cut the raw edge about 1/4" from the seam if you would like, but mine ended up rolling a little and looked nice! How you finish it would be a personal preference. Most knits do not ravel, so you make the call. 


Find a button that matches your fabric and the elastic hole size, and hand sew on the other side. A shank button would probably be best. Place the button so that there is not a large gap between the two sides of the keyhole.






Voila! You have a keyhole! You should also check out Pamela's video on making the keyhole neckline. It is really helpful!


Toward the end of the week, we will be putting the finishing touches on this top and then also learning how to turn this top into a dress! 

Comments

  1. I just finished my keyhole front neckline and binding and I love it! Very nice method and the hair tie loop was genius! All I have to do now is the hems and I am done.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I finished sewing the top for proportion fitting, and I think I need darts. Can I add darts after I've sewn the garment together? Or do I have to take it all apart? Can I add darts but still leave the sleeves on?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. I would turn the garment right side out, try it on and pin where a fold is being created in the fabric. This should help at least the top you're working on. But if/when you make another one, cut out the darted front because it is the full bust adjustment therefore, less/more fabric in all the right places.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Celebrating warm weather with Spring sewing!

Hi sewing friends! I don’t know about you but boy, was winter cold and dreary this year! The weather here in the Philadelphia area has been slowly improving, but Spring sure did take her sweet old time to arrive. So by April, I was definitely in the headspace of needing to sew up things that were either bright and cheery or meant for the warmer weather I am very much craving right now. I recently purchased a few SewBexx Patterns so I took them on a test run to create some Spring makes. First on my list was to make a top using this absolutely gorgeous ITY fabric I picked up last year. I had two yards which was enough for a long sleeve shirt. I chose the Olivia top, which is oversized with a drop shoulder, has multiple lengths and a split hem. I think the pattern is intended for heavier fabrics but I was envisioning how lovely this top would look with the drape of ITY knit fabric, and it did not disappoint. It came together for me quickly and was a straight forward sew…and I love the br...

Made By A Fabricista | Chasing Time: My White Rabbit-Inspired Look for Atlanta Frocktails

For this year’s Atlanta Frocktails, I found myself captivated by a character who’s been quietly tugging at my imagination for years—the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. There’s something so relatable about his frantic energy, always checking the time, always running late. While he’s worried about being on time, I’m usually calculating how late I can be and still technically arrive on time. Spoiler: I’m often wrong. It’s a cycle of procrastination and anxiety that I know all too well. So when I imagined my look for Frocktails, I thought—why not honor the White Rabbit? After all, time has been chasing me too. But this look isn’t just about Wonderland whimsy. It’s also deeply inspired by this year’s Met Gala theme, Tailored for You, which includes a focus on Black Dandyism—a celebration of Black elegance, intellect, and expressive style. I’ve been obsessed with this theme since it was announced. As a Black creative, I find it powerful and moving to see style used as a way to reclaim...

Made By A Fabricista: Getting into the Spirit of Summer

I'm not gonna lie y'all, I had a completely different project I wanted to do, but that's gonna take more time, and I wanted something cute, comfy and fun to wear for my birthday on the 19th. When I saw this goldenrod & off white linen jacquard , I thought it looked a bit like the design on a Koroks body, especially Makar from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker! I started with the bodice from the free Elderberry dress pattern from Mood, but deviated for the skirt, it felt a little plain of a design, and I had scraps of a Korok fabric that I knew would be a nice accent with some cut out pockets. I've made these pockets once before, deciding the cut out was based on aligning with the seam on the bodice for how far in, and as for how low depended on where I wanted the pouch of the pocket to start. From there I cut the visible part of the pocket, making sure to match the curve of the waist and following the line of the side seams of the skirt, as well as cutting a facing to...