Sewing a Blouse (Newlook 6407) Day 3

I am continuing with the collar, step 8.
The instructions refer to the two pieces cut using pattern piece 3 as the neck band and the neck band facing.  Confusingly (for me at least) the neck band is the one that has the iron-on interfacing attached and the facing is the one without.
Last time I made this shirt, I found it difficult to fit the collar and decided to do it differently. This doesn't mean the instructions are wrong in any way, just that I didn't find their way easy.
My own notes on these instructions tell me not to clip and trim the seam allowance as suggested but to simply press under the whole edge, ignoring the marked dots. That's good enough for me! If you too find their way difficult, you can try mine but I don't guarantee it will be any easier... Collars are tricky things.

Another use for my wooden letter opener. I can hold the seam down with it whilst pressing to avoid scalding my fingers with the steam iron.

I have found that these days I need reading glasses to see a line of stitches, if the thread matches well. So when trying to press along the line of stitches here I found I had to choose between not seeing because I hadn't got my glasses on, and not seeing because my glasses were steamed up. Anyhow, job done!





Now I have a collar and it's facing sewn together and a neck band and a neck band facing. These are made into a sandwich as per the diagram in step 9, with all four pieces, double-notches matching, laid together.

What the instructions fail to say is that the neck band facing is laid right side up with the collar laid on top, facing side up (this is the piece with no interfacing) and then the neck band facing (no interfacing and the seam allowance pressed up) is on top, right side down. Therefore the two pieces with iron-on interfacing are together, as are the two pieces without.
Is that at all helpful?





Now this needs stitching. All four layers together along the double notched edge but stitch the sides of the neck band together without stitching into the collar. Following my own updated instructions, the seam of the neck band facing is turned up and is caught in the side seam.

Clip, trim and turn as per instructions. A collar has emerged!

Phew. That's enough for today.