On the Block Tee, the original pattern is drafted to have a concealed binding on the inside of the neckline. But what if you want to make it in a stretchy fabric like T-shirting? If I was making it in a t-shirting fabric I would probably choose to change the neckline to have a neck band and possibly cut that band in a ribbing.

Woven linen with a neck binding

Jersey tshirt with a neck band

Why change the neck finishing?

A) It's more appropriate style wise for the casual nature of the fabric.

B) Its very fiddly to sew a concealed binding in jersey without stretching it out of shape so I would avoid that purely out of laziness. But how you choose to finish your top is entirely up to you – so here are a few tips to help you out...

If, for example, if you wanted to swap the concealed binding for a 2cm deep rib band you should cut away 2cm from the existing neck pattern so after you have applied your new band - the neck edge still finishes in the same place on your body. If you don’t cut away the neckline, it will end up being much closer up your neck and it will make the opening much smaller – you might have a hard time getting it over your head.

You can use the existing neck binding pattern that comes with the Block Tee. But you would need to add to the width to make it deep enough to fold over in half.

For a 2cm deep neck band you should add 2.5cm total to the width of the existing pattern. (that will make the pattern piece 5.5cm deep)

When sewing with stretch fabrics – you should as a general rule of thumb cut the neckband along the width (not the selvedge) of the fabric. Why? So you make the most of the stretch of the fabric.

When working with stretch fabrics, the length of the neckband should be smaller than the neckline – but how much smaller? Every stretch fabric has a different amount of stretch – so the only way to get it perfect is to test it yourself first. I usually start with deducting 4 or 5cm from the total measurement.

Sew the ends of the neck band together (right side together) so you have a loop. Fold it in half (wrong sides together) and pin it to your neck line. When you sew it onto the neck, remember you will pull and stretch it onto your neck. If it doesn’t look quite right adjust the length and recheck it again before finally sewing it on. Pressing the seam allowance down into the body.

I would also recommend chopping off some of the hem allowance on the sleeve and body if I was sewing this in jersey. 1.5cm - 2cm would be a fairly standard hem allowance on a jersey fabric.

Happy sewing!