How to Sew a Dress Neckline
When learning to sew, much emphasis is placed on how to sew perfectly straight seams. However, when sewing a dress neckline, the seam is almost always curved. To sew a beautiful curved neckline into your dress, you will need to adjust your focus and technique to accommodate for the length of the seam as well as maneuvering the project under the needle without trying to force the fabric into a straight line. Bunching the fabric to make the line straight will shorten the seam and ruin the look of the finished dress.
Instructions
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1
Pin the facing to the dress, marking the center and outer edges with dots if not already included as part of the pattern.
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2
Place the neckline under the needle housing on the sewing machine and lower the feed dogs. Make sure the fabric is lying flat on the sewing area.
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3
Set your visual focus on the seam allowance of the garment. With this focus, you will also have a good view of the presser foot. The objective to sewing in this manner is to maintain the distance between the presser foot and the edge of the fabric so that the seam allowance does not vary and you are left with a perfect curve.
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4
Begin sewing slowly, guiding the fabric under the needle as it is pulled by the feed dogs.
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Continue sewing slowly and gently guiding the fabric allowing for the arc. You may have to gently turn the fabric as you sew to maintain the seam allowance. If needed, raise the presser foot and turn the entire project slightly to maintain the curve.
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Tips & Warnings
Some machines have etched lines on the presser foot or the needle plate that will help you maintain the seam allowance as you sew. If the lines are not there or are hard to see, place a piece of masking tape on the machine at the designated seam allowance line to help you keep track.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
