Lark Sew Along: Scoop & Crew Necks
This week we'll be finishing up the bulk of the Lark Sew-Along starting today with the scoop & crew neckline finishing. Both necklines are finished in the exact same manner, the only difference between the two is that the necklines are different lengths.
To begin, take your neckband piece and with right sides facing each other sew it into a circle. Press your seam allowance to one side.
Next, fold the neckband in half so that the raw edges meet and the wrong sides are touching. The right side and seam allowance of the fabric will now be inside the neckband.
You can just sit down at your machine and stretch the neckband to fit as you sew, but I find it easiest to divide both the neckband and neckline into quarters so that you have a more accurate alignment.
From there you can stick as few or as many pins in as you like to get your neckband ready to serge. This is the maximum amount of pins I'd recommend especially with a serger since you need to be able to get the serger foot in between them to start out and also because I find the neckline ends up smoother when you're not tugging on the shirt removing pins constantly. My ideal arrangement is quartered with one pin in-between each quartered point, so about every other pin pictured above.
Once you've sewn around your neckline & band check to make sure there are no tucks. If there are you can simply rip that specific area out and re-stitch it. Once your neckband is inserted smoothly and evenly you can press the seam allowance towards the shirt.
At this point you can either leave the neckline as is or place a line of stitching around the edge of the shirt. Ready-to-wear shirts come both ways so this is really just preference for you. I used my coverstitch machine to go around this neckline but you can use your machine with a stretch stitch, zigzag, or twin needle. It really all comes down to what you prefer at this point, though the plus of stitching is that the seam allowance is stitched in place permanently. That's it for the scoop & crew necks!
