Star Quality

Trim Tips

Follow the trim manufacturer's instructions for unraveling enough waste yarn (white in the photos) to open each strip.

Pin the trim to the garment wrong side with 1/4" of space between the knit loop ends (excluding the waste yarn) and the fabric cut edge. Stitch down the length of the strip, pulling off the last row of waste yarn just before the needle, and catching the knit loops in the stitching (A). At the neck edge, stretch the binding slightly along the curves.

The trim strips are 31" long, so piecing is unavoidable. Whenever possible, position a join in the binding adjacent to a garment seam. Turn under the short ends 1/4", abutting the folds (B). Continue stitching the long edge, ignoring the joint. From the binding right side, slipstitch the folds together with matching yarn for a nearly invisible join (C). Finally, to reduce bulk, trim the garment seam allowances beyond the strip (D).

Wrap the remaining trim edge to the garment front and pin, taking care not to disturb the waste yarn. Thread a blunt tapestry needle with matching yarn cut less than 12" long. Remove the waste yarn only a few loops at a time and trim the excess close to the work to keep it out of the way. Catch each loop to the garment with a backstitch (E). In this case, the backstitches lie end to end. Snug each stitch down just until it flattens to the surface; pulling the yarn too tight will create puckers. The knit columns in the trim should stay at right angles to the garment edge, so take note when stitching around the neckline curves.

Before applying the trim to the center-front openings, reinforce the ends of the neckline and hem trims with a line or two of machine stitching. Trim the strips flush with the garment edges. Allow the trim to extend 1/4" above and below the center-front opening. Finish one trim short end by turning under the extension so the strip is even with the garment edge; then wrap the binding to the front and pin. Slipstitch the folds and then use the same strand of yarn to backstitch the loops. When you reach the other end of the strip, close the remaining end in the same manner before tying off the yarn.

From the November 2004 issue of Sew News magazine.