Slashed Neckline

In Peggy Sagers July 13 Broadcast, she shared the cutest top and explained how to replicate it. I wanted it.

I made one but not exactly the same as Peggy’s.  For starters I didn’t use the same pattern. I used my 6299 peplum version with a sewn-in cap sleeve.  I chose a bright blue, jersey knit; pressed, laid on my cutting table with appropriate pattern pieces on top.  I cut the front on a fold which will reduce the peplum just a little. Fearing the curl of a jersey knit I cut the front, left the rest just neatly laid out and started working on the slashed neckline.

I had spray starched the fabric while pressing, but could tell immediately that wasn’t much help in controlling the curl.  I immediately pulled out the water-soluble stabilizer I use in machine embroidery and stuck it on the wrong side of my front.

Frankly, I didn’t trust myself to evenly slash the neckline so I started figuring out how to draw a guide line for my slashes.  At first, I made tick marks 3/4″ away from the neck edge

I looked at that and realized I didn’t have a full line to guide placement and making the tick marks had been a bit fussy and inaccurate.  I looked around and found a circle cutter that I’ve had for a decade or so and never used. Why it hasn’t been donated to the Goodwill is a mystery.  I placed the circle guide on the neckline; nudged it around a bit and found that the 6″ mark lined up pretty good with my 3/4″ ticks. I ran my pen around in the 6 and again the 10″ slots; 10 being the furthest away from the 6.

My lines don’t go completely up to the shoulder

I extended them in a straight line with a ruler.   My guide lines are also 1.5″ apart, I wanted 2″. I took care of that in the next step when I tried to draw a cutting lines 1/2″ apart.  Marking the lines exactly 1/2″ apart from top to bottom doesn’t quite work. Eventually I end up with an awkward gap. I futzed around a bit before discovering if I would keep the 1/2″ line on my ruler lined up with the 1″ guideline, I could then draw a line which angled out across the 2nd guide line to the 2″ mark I made on my ruler. The slashes make wedges rather than even-width strips. Fortunately, pics explain this better:

After that it was a matter of lining up the 1/2″, draw line, make tick at end of 2″ and repeat until done all around the neck.

I started to make an initial clip on each line but was deterred by my WSS lifting, coming unstuck, from the jersey fabric. I stopped and basted a line of stitching along the top guideline and a second through the 2″ ticks.  It was easy then to clip the in the center of each line, followed by slashing completely.

Off to the sewing machine to fold-over the slashes. Not that easy. With the WSS they couldn’t stretch. So I was folding, pushing, lifting pressor foot; pushing etc.

I worked from shoulder to center front. Repeat from the other shoulder to 2nd front. Gave a sign of relief, because it was a struggle, and completed sewing the ret of the garment.  But then I realized, by starting with a slash and not on the shoulder, I had created to big gaps, one on either shoulder.

However, the day was over and I was very tired of struggling with the slashes and the WSS.  To remove the WSS, I ran my top  though a wash cycle, dried and lightly pressed thinking photos tomorrow. Didn’t happen that fast.  I absolutely could not stand the big holes noted earlier; and in the wash some of the stitching had broken.  This meant I had uneven sections grouped together or swinging by themselves. Another quick session at the SM while I stitched again from shoulder to center and  repeat on the other side.

Sadly, my finished neckline does not look as ‘stinkin cute’ as Peggy’s.

I would say there are a few factors at work. I don’t remember what fabric Peggy used, which can make a difference. My slashes were 1/2″ apart. I think 1/4″ or 3/8″ would be a better choice. The 2″ length, really too short, especially with a stabilizer attached.  Next time I’d make them  3, 3.5 or even 4″ long. Lastly, instead of a straight stitch, I’d like to try a decorative stitch. It would take longer to sew, but the additional stitches would do a better job holding it together.  Regardless of all that, I have a cute top: