I’ve tried different techniques for calculating the length of knit neckbands. I did not get great results with the techniques I used. very first I looked for neckband calculations online, as well as then when I realized different people provided different advice, I started looking in patternmaking books, as well as discovered . . . the exact same diverse advice. I dislike trying to unpick a serged seam in knit fabrics, particularly around a rounded neckline, so I truly wished to get my neckbands best the very first time.
The techniques for calculating neckband lengths that I discovered on the internet as well as in books are just approximations, as well as they don’t work for the full variety of band widths as well as neckline lengths, however the other issue is that each material needs a different band length to account for exactly how much it stays stretched out after you pull the garment over your head. This healing element varies a great deal from material to fabric.
As house sewers, it’s challenging to discover a rib knit material that matches or coordinates with the primary garment fabric, so we typically make knit neckbands from the exact same material as the rest of the garment. Rib knits, which have a great deal of stretch as well as need extremely bit force to stretch, are the ideal material for knit neckbands, however you can get quite great results with less than suitable material if you stay with utilizing narrower neckband widths (the less stretch your material has, the narrower the neckband has be to get it to lie flat). knit materials with a spandex content, even ribbing, are likewise not suitable materials for neckbands, so stay with narrower neckbands when utilizing spandex fabric, too. When you are utilizing less than suitable material for a neckband you truly requirement to get it precisely the best length.
I dusted off the corner of my brain that holds my high institution algebra, geometry, as well as trigonometry as well as I figured out exactly how to get knit neckbands the best length every time, for any type of fabric, as well as any type of neckband width or neckline length. The neckband length likewise needs to be changed for your specific fabric, though. You ought to always make your own neckband pattern rather than utilizing the one that came with a pattern. who understands what the patternmaker did to draft it anyway.
If you just cringed when I discussed algebra, geometry, as well as trigonometry, don’t worry, you can really figure out the ideal length for your knit neckband without doing any type of math at all! very first I’ll show you the “no math” method, then I’ll show you exactly how you can determine as well as determine the ideal neckband length. Finally, because I’m going so far as to specify that all of the published patternmaking as well as stitching books I’ve checked out are wrong on this subject, I’ll utilize some math to show why.
Neckband Width
Before you can figure out the length you ought to cut your neckband, you requirement to choose on a completed width. The amount of stretch as well as the healing element of your material will impact exactly how broad you can make the ribbing as well as still have it lie flat around the neck.
To get an concept of exactly how your material behaves, cut a strip of your material that has a width of twice the preferred neckband width plus two seam allowances (I suggest utilizing 1/4″ (6 mm) seam allowances around the neckline), with the direction of biggest stretch along the length of the strip. pull on the ends of the material strip to stretch it out a bit, fold it in half lengthwise with wrong sides together, as well as press.
On your ironing board, bend the material into a curve that approximates the shape of a quarter of your neckline as well as see if it will lie flat with a single pin holding it in location at each end. If it won’t lie flat, select a narrower band width, utilize different material for the neckband, or online with the truth that your neckband will most likely ripple along the edge as well as pucker at the seamline.
If you utilize a narrower neckband than your pattern was developed for, you may want to add the width eliminated from the neckband to the neckline so the completed neck opening does not end up larger.
Here I cut a 1 3/4″ (4.4 cm) broad strip of cotton jersey. With 1/4″ (6 mm) seam allowances, the completed neckband width would be 5/8″ (1.6 cm). This material will not lie flat when cut this wide.
However, when I cut a 1 1/4″ (3.2 cm) broad strip of the exact same fabric, for a 3/8″ (1 cm) completed neckband width, it bends smoothly around the neckline curve.
I explain the techniques below in a great deal of detail, so they are not truly as time consuming or challenging as I make them look. Figuring out the ideal neckband length certainly takes less time than unpicking a neckband that was the wrong length!
Neckband length technique 1: The “No Math” Method
If your pattern includes seam allowances, draw in the stitching lines on the take on seams as well as around the neckline. You will want to work with half patterns, so if your patterns include both left as well as best sides together, draw in the center front as well as center back lines.
Note: If your pattern has a seam allowance of much more than 3/8″ (1 cm) around the neckline, you requirement to decrease the seam allowance to be able to sew on the neckband correctly, particularly if your material does not have a great deal of stretch. A 1/4″ (6 mm) seam allowance is best, particularly if you will be stitching the seam with a serger. On some stitching machines it can be challenging to sew a 1/4″ seam, so you can utilize a 3/8″ (1 cm) seam allowance if you have to, however trim the seam allowances to 1/4″ (6 mm) after sewing.
Align the front as well as back pattern pieces at the take on stitching line as well as tape them together. location one more piece of paper under the neck area of the pattern as well as hold it in location with a couple of pieces of tape.
Extend the center front as well as center back lines up a bit. From the neckline stitching line, determine out the width of the completed neckband as well as draw in a line where the completed neckband edge will be. Do this as accurately as possible. When drawing or measuring a curve, if you are even somewhat off, it will impact the length of the line rather a bit.
Cut out a rectangular piece of paper that is a bit longer than the length of the neckline as well as has a width of twice the completed neckband width plus two seam allowances (the exact same seam allowance as you utilized around the neckline). Make sure you square off one end, then on that end draw in the seam allowance you want to utilize to sew the ends of the ribbing together. This rectangular strip is going to ended up being the neckband pattern.
Fold your rectangular strip in half lengthwise. location it on edge along the line you drew for the completed neckband edge, lining up the stitching line you drew at one end with the center front line.
Walk the rectangular strip all of the method around the line for the completed neckband edge up until you get to the center back line. Make a mark on the neckband pattern where it crosses the center back line.
Fold the neckband pattern at the mark you just made on the neckband where it satisfied the center back line. Trim off the excess length on the end that sticks out (or add on a strip of paper if you cut your pattern as well short).
Fold the short folded edge as much as the stitching line (not the end of the pattern) to quarter mark the pattern. clearly mark the quarter marks on the pattern.
In the next step you will transfer the quarter mark to the neckline. I do this since it is almost impossible to accurately discover quarter marks on a rounded neckline in knit material by folding it – even if you try not to stretch the fabric, the rounded neckline stretches in a different way on different sections since of the material grain.
Unfold the neckband pattern, however leave it folded lengthwise. Line up the stitching line at the end of the pattern with the center front line again. walk the pattern around the completed neckband edge line up until you get to the very first quarter mark. Make a mark at this place on the neckband line, then prolong the mark out into the actual pattern seam allowance. When you cut out your fabric, mark this quarter mark on your fabric. because your seam allowance is narrow, utilize a marking tool such as marker or chalk to mark this notch on the material rather than clipping the material with scissors.
On the completed garment, you want the neckband ribbing material to be either in a unwinded specify or somewhat stretched around the inner folded edge of the neckband. When you stretch out knit fabric, such as when you pull a top over your head, it typically stays stretched out a bit. Every material is different, so it doesn’t make sense to assumption what the healing element is. To account for bad recovery, when you cut out your neckband, cut out a rectangle of material a bit bigger than your neckband pattern, pre-stretch it, then let it unwind once again before cutting out the neckband from the pattern. Don’t stretch the material as difficult as you can – just believe about exactly how much it’s likely to get stretched when the garment is being pulled over the head, as well as stretch it that much or a bit more.
Clearly mark your pattern piece so you don’t fail to remember to pre-stretch the material for the neckband.
If you are going to be cutting out numerous garments from the exact same fabric, you may want to change the neckband pattern so you don’t have to pre-stretch your fabric. That will need a bit bit of measuring as well as math, as well as I’ll talk about exactly how to do that at the end of technique 2.
You will likewise requirement to inspect that your neckband can quickly stretch sufficient to sew onto the neckline, as well as that the neckband will stretch sufficient to in shape over the wearer’s head. This is particularly essential to inspect in children’s garments. If your material neckband does not have sufficient stretch, either try making a narrower neckband as well as re-calculating the length (it will be longer), or utilize different material with much more stretch for the neckband. If the neckband didn’t in shape over the wearer’s head as well as neither of the above was sufficient to repair the problem, you might likewise draw the entire neckline larger as well as make a new neckband pattern.
You can likewise utilize this technique to make a band pattern for armholes. location the take on seam stitching lines together, prolong the side seams along the stitching lines, as well as draw in the stitching line around the armhole. determine out the preferred band width from the armhole stitching line as well as draw in the line for the completed edge of the band. The length of that rounded line will be the length of your pattern (then add seam allowances). location quarter marks on the armhole, if desired. You will requirement to pre-stretch your material before cutting it from the pattern as for a neckband.
You can likewise utilize a similar technique to discover the length of a V-neck neckband. draw in the shape of the completed edge of the neckband as well as determine the length, then copy the shape at the point of the V onto your neckband pattern.
Neckband length technique 2: The Measuring as well as Calculating Method
With this method, you don’t have to draw in the completed neckband edge. Instead, you determine the length of the neckline at the stitching line as well as the angle between the center front as well as center back lines, then do some math. As long as you don’t make an error in your measurements or calculations, this technique is just as accurate, or even much more accurate, than the previous method. It is not a rough approximation – you are really getting the best answer, as crazy as it seems. I’ll go with exactly how I derived the formula later in the publish for those who are interested.
This calculation technique only works for rounded necklines, not V-necks or square necklines, or any type of other shape that concerns a sharp point. The rounded neckline can be any type of shape or size, though. The neckline needs to satisfy the center front as well as center back lines at a best angle (which all rounded necklines should).
The very first couple of steps are the exact same just like technique 1: If your pattern includes seam allowances, draw in the stitching lines on the take on seams as well as around the neckline. You will want to work with half patterns, so if your patterns include both left as well as best sides together, draw in the center front as well as center back lines.
Note: If your pattern has a seam allowance of much more than 3/8″ (1 cm) around the neckline, you requirement to decrease the seam allowance to be able to sew on the neckband correctly, particularly if your material does not have a great deal of stretch. A 1/4″ (6 mm) seam allowance is best, particularly if you will be stitching the seam with a serger. On some stitching machines it can be challenging to sew a 1/4″ seam, so you can utilize a 3/8″ (1 cm) seam allowance if you have to, however trim the seam allowances to 1/4″ (6 mm) after sewing.
Align the front as well as back pattern pieces at the take on stitching line as well as tape them together.
Use your preferred curve measuring technique to determine the length of the neckline seamline from center front to center back. We’ll phone call this measurement N. try to get an precise measurement – don’t do something terrible like try to determine it with a versatile ruler.
Divide the length N by 2. From center front, determine this distance along the neckline stitching line as well as make a notch. This will be a quarter mark, which you will mark on your material with a marking tool when you cut out your fabric.
Place directly edges along the center front as well as center back lines, putting them so they cross each other. Hold them in location with weights. If you prefer, you can tape one more piece of paper under the pattern as well as draw in the prolonged center front as well as center back lines instead.
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Use a protractor to determine the angle between the center front as well as center back lines. We’ll phone call this angle A. You want to determine the interior angle – the smaller one that is closest to the pattern. I choose to utilize a 360° protractor*, because when measuring for a armhole band, the angle is higher than 180° (I’ll show you exactly how to determine armholebands in a bit, too).
If you don’t have a protractor as well as want to try out this meth