[Masha Richart]

I noticed the last time my oldest wore her interlock Playtime dress, that the neckline has really stretched out – probably 2″ worth. She wears it about twice a week and has done so since I sewed it about seven weeks ago. It has just now begun to stretch. I suppose I should have expected this, even with the staystitching and interfacing – most knit top/dresses have a banded neckline to prevent this very thing from happening, right? Any ideas for what I could do next time to prevent this from happening? I do love this pattern in a sturdy knit.

[Nicole]

I think knit clothes just have a limited ‘shelf life’. It doesn’t seem to matter how much money you spend on the fabric or how much care you take washing them.

All I could suggest is double interfacing. Thanks for the heads up though, I will be making Liddy and Tilly a couple off these for the school hols.

Sorry not to be more help.

[Liesl Gibson]

One drawback to interlock is its lack of good recovery. I love how soft it is, but it does stretch out. Jersey tends to be better, but it curls at the hems, so it poses a different set of problems, doesn’t it? I was wondering if fold-over elastic might be a workable binding for the neckline, since it would have great stretch and recovery. If you try it please let us know how it works out!

[brenda1652]

you could use a cotton knit that has 5% spandex in the fiber content. It is not hard to find this at the internet fabric stores; it is available in many colors and prints and the recovery is excellent.

[Masha Richart]

Huh, I did not know that about interlock! Learn something new, I guess. I will keep in mind the FOE recommendation for next time; or maybe I’ll just do jersey.

[Inder]

Try interfacing the neck a bit? Stay tape, clear elastic, or even a strip of twill tape – all of these can be used to stabilize knits.

[JohannaO]

I had a super soft interlock, and even interfaced, I could tell that it was going to stretch, so I sewed my seams at the neckline, and then zig-zagged 1/4″ elastic right next to the seam allowance. It’s concealed, and a pretty tight seam. So far, so good.

[Masha Richart]

JohannaO, you are a genius. Definitely going to try that trick on my next one.

[KarenK]

Sweatshirt fleece is a nice, more stable knit although a bit more bulky.

What if you faced it with a woven rather than another knit?