[Ann]

Hello,
I am really struggling with attaching the neckband to the metro t-shirt. I am using a knit fabric and a serger and am finding that the neckband doesn’t stretch enough to fit around the neckline- when I tried making the neckband longer, it didn’t lay right when I tried it on.The fabric I’m using has a fair amount of stretch. The edges of the fabric curl up, making pinning very challenging. Help!

[Lightning McStitch]

Hi Ann,
Curly knits can be a right pain.
One tip I’ve heard, but never yet resorted to trying myself, is spray starch.
I tend to pin the shoulders, centre back and centre front and then start stretching and pinning all the rest of the way around.
Use lots and lots of pins.
If you then find it scary to sew the neckband on with the serger and all those pins threatening to go under the serger blade, then baste it with a zig zag or long stitch on the sewing machine first.
Good luck. It gets easier with practice.

[Ann]

Lightning McStitch,
Thanks so much for the hints!! Will give them a try!

[Enbee]

I second this getting easier with practice – my first few neckbands on knit shirts were a certifiable nightmare and required several attempts, extra passes with the serger, etc. Now it doesn’t stress me out.

However, if lots of pins don’t seem to help you, I’ll note that I go the opposite extreme from Lightning – I only pin my knit necklines (and also sleeve/ankle cuffs) in four places (line up neckband seam with one shoulder seam, then the other three evenly spaced). I find it much easier to adjust the stretch for each quarter on the fly as I serge. Too many pins mean I can’t do that adjustment.

[poppy_andrew]

I hope it turned out well!

I also had trouble with these necks initially. With my first few, I was convinced the neck bands were too short!

I have also found some knits to be fiddly, so sometimes I use a wide zigzag to connect the two long edges of the neckband together. This way, when I attach the band to the neckline, it works a bit more like I have two pieces rather than three pieces of fabric that I’m trying to keep lined up.

I have come to like this pattern so much that I’ve made quite a few for myself and for my daughter.