Stuck in a bind

Some things just aren't meant to be.

Following on from my binding adventure,  I cut another tee shirt.  I went to the sewing roo to sew the shoulder, and I realised that I had cut it upside down.

Luckily, I had plenty of the fabric, so I cut a third one.   I decided to try the slightly bigger binder on the neckline.  The bigger one required 2mm strips and makes a 12mm binding (the one I had used before was 36mm/10mm).    I cut a huuuugely long strip of fabric, and my problems began.

The edges curled terribly, and I couldn't get them to stay open in the binder.  I ended up using most of the strip trying to sew a test piece.   I did another strip.  I tested this on my upside down garment, and it went on quite well.   I decided to do it on my 3rd garment, and it was a disaster.  

I unpicked it,  cut more,  went out and bought starch and tried starching the fabric,  it was rubbish.  I'm sure that 42mm isn't wide enough.

I went back to my smaller binder.  I cut a strip of the corresponding size, I changed to 2 needles (remembering my learning from the other day) and it went on really well.    I modified my joining technique, and it was  mess.    I decided to try binding the armholes.  That went well, I adjusted my technique again, and that was dreadful.  I'm hoping that it won't show up as I don't really go around with my arms up, and I still intend on wearing the top.  I think I may have figured out where I'm going wrong on that.

I googked for help on the binding, but couldn't find the answer I needed.  Most people use bands (where the a circular band is made and applied),  and that's what I've always done until now.  Although a lot of people advcocate making neck binding in the flat (leaving one shoulder seam open), none of them really show how you close the seam withte binding in.  Gail Yellen does have a video on th etopic, but she doesn't use her overlocker to do it.

I had some binding left over, so I decided to bind the armholes of the upside down garment.   I did a beautiful job on the first one.  Shame it turned out that I'd bound the side instead of the armhole

I unpicked it, and decided I'd sew up the garment anyway (as I can practice my latest 'technique' for joining bindings on the neck) and I'll just hem the armholes.

I've got to hem all three of them, and I'd like to get that done today so that I can get on with my next project.   I had a fab selection of 92% COtton/8% Lycra delivered from Textile9, and I'm going to try that bloody boxer shorts pattern again.