Canyon Cardigan Sew Along: Day Five

Today is the final day of the Canyon Cardigan Sew Along. It is all about hemming and attaching the neckband. After those steps are complete, you will have a new cardigan perfect for any day of the year!

Hemming the mitered corner of the waterfall cardigan

Fold the corner right side together, lining up the raw edges. Measure 1″ in from the point and sew a perpendicular line from the fold. It should be 1″ in length. Trim the excess off and turn the corner right side out.

Fold the sides under. This is what your corner will look like.

I like to use some hemming tape to keep sweater knits in place while I hem.

If you used a serger to construct your cardigan, you don’t want to cut the threads because it can cause the seam to unravel. Use a large needle and thread the tail through the seam to keep it secure.

Attaching the neckband

First, make sure you have printed and cut the correct neckband for the style of cardigan that you are sewing. Views A and B use the thinner, longer neckband piece, and view C uses the shorter, wider piece.

When attaching your neckband, you need to stretch the neckband going around the neck, from one triangle marking to the other. To pinned my neckband into place, I start at the hem, and pin the neckband to each end of the hem and pin the center seam of the neckband to the center back of the neck. Then, I work my way up from the hem, pinning the neckband in place until I get to the triangle marking on the bodice front. I pin at the triangle marking. Then, I find the halfway point between the center back, and the triangle markings on the cardigan front, and on the neckband from the back center to the triangle mark and match the two up. (shown by the two clips in the photo below) Repeat this on the other side of the cardigan. Sew the neckband in place, stretching the neckband to match the front of the cardigan between the triangle marks.

Another tip for attaching the neckband, I like to baste the ends in place before serging the neckband in place. I find this keeps the ends lined up better than just serging, which tends to push the layers apart.