I’m excited to share a tutorial on how to draft a crew style neckband for your Page Hoodie. This tutorial will reference the Page Hoodie, but the same tutorial can be applied to other patterns and to drafting a neckband in general. For those of you who would rather just print the neckbands (I would too), I have drafted them for you and you can grab them in the shop here. You can find the updated cut lists and fabric requirements below.
Inspiration
There are lots of ready-to-wear examples of a cropped crew neck sweatshirt. We’ve added more to our Page RTW Pinterest board. Having this additional pattern piece will allow you to get even more looks out of your Page & Mini Page Hoodie patterns.
Fabric
I prefer to use a rib fabric for the neckband (and for the cuffs and hem band). I had a bunch on hand since I had been making photo samples for the Page Hoodie release. You can use your main fabric for the neckband as long as the fabric is 50% – 75% stretch knit fabric with good recovery.
We have a post with fabric recommendations for your Page here or you can check out our Page Fabric Pinterest board here. If you are printing the neckband, I have drafted two options: one for rib and one for main fabric. However, you may still need to adjust based on your specific fabric. More on that below.
Tutorial
The tutorial is pretty straightforward, and the great news is that this version of the Page will take less fabric and sew up quicker than the hoodie version.
What You Need:
- Page or Mini Page Pattern & the new Neckband Pattern
- Pattern paper, ruler and marking tool, if drafting your own pattern piece
- Your regular sewing supplies (scissors, thread, pins, etc.)
- Knit & rib fabric (see requirements below)
Women’s Page Updated Fabric Requirements:
Mini Page Updated Fabric Requirements:
Pattern Adjustments
If you are using the new Page neckband pieces, you do not need to make any pattern adjustments. Just print, tape & cut. If you would like to draft your own neckband, then it only requires a bit of math.
First you will need the neckline measurements (at the sew line). You can find that by taking your Front, Back and Sleeve pattern pieces. Draw in your 3/8″ (1 cm) seam allowance lines at the neckline and measure the neckline. This measurement is one-half of the finished garment measurements so times this number by 2 to find your neckline measurement.
Then, you need to decide what ratio you want to use based on the amount of stretch in your fabric. Generally, you can reduce your ratio to 75% if you are using a fabric with 75% – 100% stretch (like a rib knit) for your bands. If you have a main fabric with 50% – 75% stretch that you are using for your bands, I would try a ratio of 85% but the ideal ratio might fall somewhere in between.
The formula for the neckband length:
neckline x ratio + seam allowance
For example, the neckline measures 21.75″ (55 cm) (for the women’s size 12) and if you wanted a ratio of 75% and you’re adding a 3/8″ (1 cm) seam allowance to each end, your formula would be:
21.75 (neckline) x .75 (75% ratio) = 16.3125 + .75 (2 times the seam allowance) = 17.0625 rounded to 17″ (43 cm) for your length.
Now you need to decide how tall you want your neckband. For the Women’s Page I have drafted a 7/8″ (2 cm) tall neckband, and for the Mini Page I have drafted a 5/8″ (1.5 cm) tall neckband. The height of the neckband is a personal preference. I’ve seen some cool ready-to-wear inspiration with tall neckbands lately. If you do want a taller neckband, I do think it’s helpful to use rib fabric over using the main fabric.
The formula for the neckband height:
2 x the desired height + 2 x the seam allowance
For example, if you wanted a 1″ (2.5 cm) tall neckband and you’re adding a 3/8″ (1 cm) seam allowance to the top and bottom, your formula would be:
1 (desired height) x 2 (to account for the fold-over) + .75 (2 times the seam allowance) = 2.75″ (7 cm) for your height.
Draft a rectangle 17″ x 2.75″ (43 cm x 7 cm), you can add quarter notches on your pattern.
Construction Adjustments
Most of the construction is the same when making a crew neck version of the Page. When you are prepping your cuffs and hem bands (if adding), you can also prepare your neckband.
With right sides together, sew the short sides of the neckband to form a tube. Press the seams open. Fold the neckband wrong sides together. Set aside.
When attaching the neckband, you need to measure quarter marks/notches on your bodice neckline. There should already be center front and center back marks/notches. Match the center front and center back to find the quarter marks/notches.
Pin the neckline, matching the 4 quarter marks/notches of the neckband to the 4 quarter marks/notches on the bodice. Baste stitch while evenly stretching the neckband slightly to fit the neckline. Do not stretch the garment neckline while attaching the neckband. Make adjustments if you’re not satisfied with the fit.
- If the upper edge of the neckband is too wide and gaping, remove the neckband, shorten the length and attach again.
- If you are getting puckers around the neckband on the bodice, then your neckband is too short. Remove the neckband, re-cut a longer band and attach.
Once satisfied, sew in place. Press the seam allowance down towards the body. Optional: topstitch the neckline to hold the seam allowance in place.
The Final Look
That’s it! Switching up the hood pattern pieces for a crew-style neckband will give you even more options for this cozy pattern. I hope you enjoy and make sure to tag @chalkandnotch and your makes with #pageneckband so we can see when you use this tutorial! Happy Sewing!
