stitchu / sewing order / Flat add-ons
Flat add-ons, phase 4 of 9.
Work plackets, keyholes and back cutouts before the side seams close the tube.
Build flat for as long as you can: every seam is easier to sew and press while the piece is still open. Close it into a tube (side seams, sleeves) only near the end.
Selected reference steps, grouped by garment, not a complete sewing sequence. Labels name the design choices each step applies to. Follow the full sewing guide supplied with your chosen pattern. Patterns and their sewing guides.
Keyhole or back opening
- Keyhole: fuse interfacing to the keyhole facing and finish its outer edge.
- Pin the keyhole facing to the front RIGHT sides together, matching the marked teardrop. Stitch exactly on the marked line all the way around.
- Slash the opening inside the stitched line (through both layers), to within 2 mm of the stitching at the top point; clip the curves.
- Turn the facing through the opening to the inside, roll the seam to the edge, press, then understitch or topstitch 2 mm from the opening edge.
Terms in this phase
- facing: a shaped piece sewn to a raw edge (like a neckline) then turned inside, giving a clean finished edge with no raw fabric showing.
- interfacing: a stiffening layer fused or sewn inside areas like facings and waistbands to give them body.
- understitch: stitching that catches the seam allowance to the facing so the facing rolls to the inside and never peeks out.