How to Sew the Neckline of T-Shirts

To finish the neckline of a t-shirt, you can use a simple band made from knit ribbing. This is a special type of knit fabric that has vertical stretch lines and finished edges. You can find knit ribbing in many fabric stores. In most cases, you’ll want knit ribbing that matches the t-shirt as closely as possible, but you can you choose contrasting colors to make the collar band stand out. A white shirt with colored ribbing is the most common type of contrast. If you don’t want a plain collar band, you can also finish the neckline of your t-shirt with a ready made knit collar using the same technique.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• t-shirt
• knit ribbing for collar
• matching thread
• scissors
• straight pins
• iron
• ironing board
• sewing machine

Sew the Neckline of T-shirts

1. Trim the ribbing if needed to make it 1/2 inch wider than you want the finished collar band. The finished edge of the ribbing will be the upper edge of the neckline.

2. Trim the ribbing if needed to make it 1/2 inch longer than you want the finished collar band.

3. Pin the short ends of the ribbing together. Stitch along the short edges using 1/4 inch seam allowance.

4. Pin the unfinished (bottom) edge of the ribbing to the top of the t-shirt neck opening. Make sure to put the seam in the ribbing in the back of the t-shirt, where it won’t show very much.

5. Stitch the ribbing to the t-shirt using 1/2 inch seam allowance. Turn the ribbing right side up and press the seam flat.

6. Topstitch along the seam to hold the ribbing in place if needed.

Tips & Warnings

• When working with knit fabric and ribbing, always pin the pieces together before sewing them. Guide the knits gently through the sewing machine, without pushing or pulling them. This will help keep the knits from getting stretched out of shape as you sew.
• Make sure to use thread that matches the t-shirt when topstitching.
• To make a ringer t-shirt, use contrasting ribbing for the collar. Add bands of colored ribbing to the ends of the sleeves using the same technique as you did for the neckline.
• To sew the neckline of a v-neck t-shirt, sew the short ends of the ribbing together at an angle. When pinning the ribbing to the shirt, line up the seam in the ribbing with the pointed center of the v-neckline of the t-shirt.
• Use caution when working with scissors, pins, irons and sewing machines.