Return to the “No 9-Neckline”

It’s been a while since I made a lot of these, and maybe it’s time to reflect upon it a bit. But first, I want to show you the last item:

 

I love this neckline design, if I may say so, having designed it myself :-) (I’m not at all a professional designer.)Perhaps most of all because it lets me combine a lot of different fabrics (typically five, on this garment four). Then I can make fun, colourful clothes! And I like the compromise between function (large neckline opening for a small child’s head) and the esthetic side of it.

It is also a challenging design to use, for better or worse. I guess it’s pointless to proceed with my little evaluation without explaining how the neckline is actually made.  I made a tutorial in 2011, if you don’t understand norwegian, and Google translate doesn’t work well, I think you can understand much from the pictures.

Trying to summarize what’s important when sewing it, I think it is that the edge running like the number 9 is not too loose, (nor too tight, I told you it was challenging…). You need a fabric that not only stretches well, but also regain its shape easily. In my experience, rib fabric works best. I’ve tried interlock,  single jersey and velour knit with various results (especially the last is not recommended). A drawback to the design, is a tendency that the shoulder flap on the front piece rolls/turns inwards like this:

I’m not sure I have a solution to that problem yet, other than making sure the edge is not too loose. It’s like wearing a skirt that rotates around your waist as you walk: I go tickling my children’s necks all the time, as I put the edge back in place (ehh, “all the time”; it’s not really that big problem…) Sometimes I think that it would be easier if I placed a snap on the binding at the left shoulder to prevent rolling of the edge, but that would kind of ruin the whole idea about the design. Having said that, if some of you makes a garment with this design and finds it better to place a snap there, I won’t criticize :-)

The bodysuit in this post:

The binding on this body (size 3 months) is not made with a binder on the coverstitch machine, but by stitching a double folded rib band, right sides facing (rette mot rette), with the overlock serger.  It turned out to be a little bit too tight, wrinkling/pulling the fabric together, but when I topstitched along the neckline with the coverstitch, the fabrics were stretched out ok. Twin needle on the sewong machine would have done the job too.

In most cases, I have used different fabrics over the tummy and the back, but this time, I used the summer fabric on both sides. It’s been a while using the design, and I forgot that the design on the back piece overriding the front piece us turned almost upside down... I guess that the little boy on the left shoulder can say hello to the baby’s older sister when baby’s being nursed ;-) When using a fabric that can’t be turned upside down, like the fabric on the picture above, it’s of course possible to split the back pattern into two pieces, having a seam at the shoulder.

Fabrics: Jerseys from Malika og Rosa (main fabric), Stofstedet.dk (green), JNY Design (clouds). Rib bought in Denmark somwhere. The pants are made of sommerfrotté/ thin stretch terry fabric. Bought from Jydsk stoflager (living at or visiting Jylland? A visit to this shop is recommended!)

Terms of use:

If you feel challenged (not only warned ;-), and want to try the No. 9 neckline/“Nitals-opning”, feel free, I’m honored! It is a registered design i Norway, but if you want to sell garments in small scale (hobby-basis), I won’t mind. (Commercial use? Contact me…)

You’re very welcome to place a comment with link to show the garment you’ve made :-) Some have already done that, thanks a lot!:
-Einfach Ena here and here
-Stine S here

Want to see more garments with this type of neckline?
My garments are found under the label “Nitals-opning by Annwes” HERE.

Here is a little gallery of most of them: