Picasso Top & Pants Sew Along Part Three: Neck Binding, Sleeves and Hem

Welcome to the Picasso Sew Along Part Three. In this post we will finish the Picasso Top by constructing and adhering the neck binding, sleeves and finishing the hem. Let's get started!

Fold the Neck Binding in half, wrong sides together. Press. I will be using the fuzzy side of my Double-Sided Fleece as the right side of my neck binding. 

Open out the Neck Binding and place right sides together. Pin and sew the short side using a ¼ʺ seam allowance. Press the seam allowance open. 

​Turn the binding right sides out and fold again, matching raw edges. To divide the binding into quarters, lay it on a flat surface with the seam at one end. Place a pin at the seam and then pin at the opposite end. 

 Now, refold the binding with the seam centered, matching the two pins. Place a pin in each end, dividing the binding into quarters. 

To divide the neck opening into quarters, lay the garment flat. Find the center front and back, place a pin there. Bring the neck edges together to match these two pins. Then find the folds near the shoulders and pin these two points.  This will be slightly off the stitched shoulder seams.  

​With right sides together and matching all raw edges, pin the neck binding to the neck opening. Match the neck binding seam with the center back of the garment, then match the remaining quarter pin marks. The binding will be smaller than the neck opening. When stitching, you will stretch the binding between the pins to make it fit. Stitch a ½ʺ from the outer fold. Don't worry so much about the seam allowance width. It is more important to have an even width from the outer fold which is the part of the binding that will show. Finish the seam using a 3-thread serger stitch and press it towards the garment. 

On the right side of the garment, use a straight stitch or a coverstitch to stitch next to the seam through the garment and the seam allowance.  

​Using the Pressing with Templates method explained in the Picasso Sew Along Part One, press the hem of the Sleeve 1ʺ to the wrong side. The hem will be topstitched later. 

​Prepare your garment and Sleeve for the Overlapping and Underlapping Seam Method, as explained in the Picasso Sew Along Part One. Place the garment so it overlaps the Sleeve, matching shoulder dot and corner dots A, B, C, and D and edgestitch.

 With right sides together, sew the Front to the Back at the side and sleeve seams. Finish the seam. 

To hem the garment, turn and press a  1ʺ bottom hem all around the garment. Topstitch ⅞ʺ around the garment hem. To hem the sleeve, turn the sleeve edge 1ʺ to the wrong side and press. Topstitch ⅞ʺ around the sleeve hem. Press. coverstitching is  great option for stitching all hems on the Picasso Top.

And there you have it, a finished Picasso Top! Join us next week as we start work on the Picasso Pants.