Frankly, facing is not my preferred method to finish a neckline or waistline, but sometimes it’s just inevitable if I want a certain look for my garment. But this technique of applying the interfacing and finishing the edges makes me feel just slightly better about facing.

(I thought long and hard on how to title this blog post. But at the end, I choose to spell it out the technique as the title. I don’t think there’s a one- or two-word description that is clear. Clarity is better than brevity, if I must choose, right?)

I used this same method in my Emily Culottes pattern. I think it is particularly useful when you do not have a serger to finish the edges of the facing. And if you are using French seams throughout the whole garment, I think this way of handling the facing produces a compatible look.

Let’s dive into it!

Here I am demonstrating using a facing for the neckline. The same technique can be used for finishing a facing for the waist too.

I have the interfacing on the left-hand side and the facing on the right-hand side. First, with the right sides together, sew the shoulder seams on the interfacing. Do the same for the facing too. The right side of the interfacing is the side without glue. You cannot use your iron to press the seams on the interfacing, obviously, but you can press the seams on the facing.

It’s best to trim the seam allowances to reduce bulk.

With the right sides together, pin the interfacing to the facing at the outer edges and stitch. My stitches didn’t show up so well, so I superimpose the stitch line for clarity.

Then trim the seam allowances. I trim enough so that only about 1/8″ (3 mm) of seam allowances remain. If your facing has a point like mine, you should trim off the very point as well. But always, don’t cut off any of the stitching!

Now turn the interfacing so that the wrong sides of the interfacing and facing are together. This is easier said than done. It takes a bit of finessing to achieve it. But be patient; it can be done. Obviously, you cannot use an iron yet or your interfacing will stick to the iron.

I use some pins to hold the pieces together.

Now you can slowly use your iron to fuse the interfacing to the facing. You will need some patience to get a nice edge.

Here’s how it looks on the other side.

You see the outer edges are enclosed.

Your facing is now finished! Since this post is about interfacing the facing, I am not going into how to stitch the facing to the neckline, but here’s a shot of how it looks anyway. The facing is on the wrong side of the bodice.

Is this a quicker way? No, it’s not. Is it a nicer way to finish the edges on the facing? I think it is. But you can be the judge yourself!