How to Knit: Sewing Down Facings | Brooklyn Tweed

Working a folded doubled edge, or facing, along front openings and hems gives a clean, professional finish to knitted garments.
In this video tutorial, we’ll show you three ways to sew down facings to create a neat, sturdy finish: Herringbone Stitch, Whipstitch, and Mattress Skim.
You’ll need a sewing needle and thread or embroidery floss, or a tapestry needle and some firmly-spun sock yarn to match your garment.
If you haven’t already blocked your piece, steam block the facing turned toward the inside of your garment so that it lays flat. You can also use pins to anchor the fabric.
Work with the inside (wrong side) of the main piece facing you.
1:18 HERRINGBONE STITCH
We recommend using thread and a sewing needle for this stitch to avoid adding bulk to your fabric.
Herringbone stitch is worked with the needle pointing in the opposite direction from the way you’re working. If you’re right-handed, you’ll work from left to right, with your needle going into the fabric from right to left. If you’re left-handed, you’ll do the opposite.
Thread your needle, then anchor the thread into the bottom corner of the facing.
For the first few stitches, use the thumb and forefinger of your free hand to pinch the facing and main fabric together to keep everything in place.
1. Take your needle and skim through just a tiny bit of the main fabric, taking care not to go all the way through to the right side. Pull your thread gently through without overtightening.
2. Move your needle over in the direction that you’re working and stitch through the edge of the facing fabric, bringing your needle underneath the thread so you don’t create a loop.
3. Alternate these two maneuvers to create your seam, anchoring your yarn or thread at the end.
5:29 WHIPSTITCH
Here you’ll have your needle pointing in the same direction as you work - if you’re right handed you’ll work from right to left, or vice versa if you’re left handed.
You can use either thread or yarn here, anchoring it into the corner of the facing.
1. Use your needle to skim a tiny bit from the main fabric, taking care not to go all the way through.
2. Move your needle over in the direction that you’re working. Bring your needle underneath the facing fabric and through the edge to the top side, taking care not to pull too tight.
3. Alternate these two maneuvers to create your seam, anchoring your yarn or thread at the end.
9:00 MATTRESS SKIM
Work this stitch with your needle pointing in the same direction that you’re working - right to left if right-handed, left to right if left-handed.
You can use either thread or yarn here, anchoring it into the corner of the facing.
1. Use your needle to skim a tiny bit from the main fabric, taking care not to go all the way through.
2. Move your needle over in the direction that you’re working. Bring the needle through the facing fabric as you would for seaming a garment with mattress stitch.
3. Alternate these two maneuvers to create your seam, anchoring your yarn or thread at the end.
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If you found this tutorial helpful, we’d love your support! Shop our breed-specific American wool yarns & thoughtfully designed patterns at BrooklynTweed.com.
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At Brooklyn Tweed we are passionate about wool, knitting and design.
We develop and manufacture breed-specific wool yarns that support domestic textile production. This means designing, sourcing, dyeing and spinning our yarns 100% within the USA.
We craft our knitwear designs with the same commitment to timeless quality that we apply to our yarns. Every pattern is meticulously drafted and edited to provide clear instructions that empower knitters to build new skills. Our design team explores the intersection of knitting traditions and contemporary style, to produce patterns that are a pleasure to knit and wear.
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[@robynreid3027]

Thank you for very clear instructions!

[@BrooklynTweed_Official]

Thanks so much for watching! Happy knitting!

[@MikiCrespo]

Thanks so much for sharing 💙

[@BrooklynTweed_Official]

Thank you for watching!