Sewing a T-Shirt Part 3: Attaching the Neck Band

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Welcome to Part 3 of sewing a t-shirt with knit fabric! If this is the first page you’re landing on, make sure you review Part 1, where we learned how to choose a pattern and cut out the fabric. In Part 2, we sewed the shirt together at the major seams. In Part 3, we’re talking all about neck bands.

Attaching a neckband to a t-shirt can be a little challenging. The main reason is that the neckband is smaller than the neck opening. This is intentional. By making the neckband smaller than the opening, the band will sit nicely without gaping open.

To get the neck band to fit into the opening, you will need to stretch it slightly while pinning. If you’re new to knit fabrics, this can feel like you’re doing something wrong. However, it will all make sense after you’ve sewn your first neckband.

For this step in the t-shirt sewing process, you will need:

• A sewing machine* or serger (highly recommended).
• Ball point needle (if using a regular machine).
• Pins (and you might also want quilting clips).
• Thread snipping scissors.
• Matching thread.
• An iron & ironing board.

* You can sew a neckband with a regular machine as long as it is capable of doing a zig-zag stitch. The end result will be less polished than using a serger, but it will work. If using a regular machine, set it to a zig zag stitch, then follow all the same steps below.

Cutting the Neck Band

In Part 1, we cut out all the fabric for our shirt. This includes the neckband. Most standard t-shirt patterns have a neckband included, so you should already have this fabric cut out.

If you’re making a t-shirt pattern that doesn’t have a neckband, you can add one. Here’s what I do to cut out a neck band for a shirt that doesn’t include one:

• Measure around the circular opening of the neck after the shoulder seams are sewn together. Use a flexible fabric tape measure to do this. You can measure twice to make sure, because it’s hard to measure fabric.
• Jot down the circumference of the neck opening, then subtract 1-2″ from this number.
• Cut a strip that is 1-2″ shorter than the opening of your shirt neck. For a standard band, cut the strip about 2″ wide.
• Be sure to cut so that the long side of the neckband is parallel with the raw fabric edge, not parallel the selvedge. In other words, you want the neck band to stretch width-wise along its long edge.

Step 1: Sewing the Ends Together

Lay your neckband right sides together with the short ends touching. Pin or clip the short edge together, then sew the seam. Be sure to follow the seam allowance indicated by your pattern, which is usually 5/8″. You should have a loop of fabric when done sewing this seam.

Step 2: Pressing the Neck Band

On your ironing board, press the seam you just stitched. For serged seams, press it either to the left or right. For seams sewn on a regular machine, press the seam flat. This means laying each flap of seam allowance fabric away from the stitching and pressing it flat.

Next, you will need to fold the neckband in half along its entire length. Make sure you’re folding the fabric wrong sides together so that the right side is facing out. Line up the edges of the fabric with each other as you press along the entire loop of fabric.

Step 3: Dividing the Neck Band in Quarters

Aligning the neck band into the neck opening is the challenging part. To make sure the neck band gets stretched evenly, you need to mark the band and the opening with four evenly-spaced sections. The easiest way to mark the sections is with pins. However, you could also use tailor’s chalk.

Here’s how to mark the pieces on the neck band:

• Fold the neck band in half, using the seam as one of your starting points. On the other folded end, place a pin in the fabric.
• Unfold the neck band and re-fold it so the the pin and neck seam are lined up in the center.
• In each folded end, place a pin. You should now have 3 evenly spaced pins, with the seam serving as your fourth marker.

Now you will mark corresponding sections on the shirt’s neck opening:

• Locate the center of the back and use it as a starting point for folding the neck opening in half.
• Make sure the scoop of the neck is lined up along the fabric edges. The front will have more of a scoop than the back, so the shoulder seams will not be in the middle.
• Place a pin in both folds — you will have one in the center back and one near the center front.
• Unfold the fabric, then re-fold it so that the pins you just placed are lined up together in the center.
• Again, make sure the edge of the fabric is lined up along the scoop.
• Place pins in each folded end. Note that the pins will most likely be below the shoulder seams. This is because the front neck opening is lower.

Step 4: Pinning the Neck Band in Place

Now that you have the pins in your neck band and neck opening, you can pin the band in place. I actually like using quilting clips because it holds the fabric really nicely.

• Align the seam of the neck band with the pin that marks the center back of your shirt.
• Pin the neck band to the shirt at the center back. The neck band should be on the outside of the shirt with the raw edges touching.
• Line up the next pin on the neck band with its corresponding location on the neck opening. Hold the fabric together and pin it in place, removing the marker pins.
• Repeat this with the remaining two marked locations. You should have your neck band pinned to the shirt in 4 places.
• Now you can pin the sections between each pin. I like to pin in the middle, then add one more pin to either side.

You will have to stretch the neck band to get it to fit along the neck opening. It might feel strange stretching the fabric, but this is what you have to do.

Step 5: Sewing the Neck Band to the Shirt

Using the neckband seam (the center back of the shirt) as your starting point, begin sewing around the neck opening. I like to sew this seam really slowly, checking that the shirt body is always lined up with the edge of the neck band. If it slips underneath, it’s pretty difficult to fix it and make it look good.

As you sew, remove the pins or clips. You may have to stretch the fabric a little as you sew. That’s completely normal.

If using a serger, I like to go over the beginning of my stitching again when I reach the end of the neck band. It’s sometimes hard to get the exact right seam allowance at the beginning of your stitching on a serger. Going back over the first inch of stitching ensures the neck band will be attached evenly.

Step 6: Pressing the Neck Band

The final step is to press the neck band with the seam towards the body of the shirt. If your seam doesn’t want to lay flat, you can top-stitch it in place. To top-stitch, you will sew as close as possible to the edge of the shirt body, sewing through the seam allowance to keep it in place. Make sure you use a stretch stitch or wooly nylon thread, which stretches. You could also use a twin needle attachment instead.

If your neck opening is large enough that you don’t need to stretch it to get it over your head, you could use regular thread and a straight stitch. I have done this on shirts with a large scoop neck. I wouldn’t recommend it for a shirt with a tighter neck opening.

Up Next: Hemming Your Shirt

If you made it this far, you’re only one step away from finishing your shirt! The next part of the process is hemming your sleeves and the bottom of your shirt. I’ll show you how to make a wonderful stretchy seam using a regular sewing machine, as well as using a cover stitch machine. See you in Part 4!

I hope you’re enjoying this blog series and I would LOVE to see how your shirt is coming along. You can tag me @craftingwithclementine on any social media platform (Tik Tok, Insta, YouTube, Threads, and Pinterest) or use #CraftingWithClementine.