Neckline Finishes Examples

A friend asked me about the typical neckline finishes on childrenswear. There is a difference in the type of finish between adult and children's clothing. Adult clothing utilizes either linings, facings, and occasionally a bias binding finish. Children's clothing eliminates most facings, unless they are top-stitched down. Facings get in the way of dressing a child and roll out frequently. Another option is to have a full, flat lining usually seen on special occasion dresses. The majority of neckline finishes on children's clothing consists of bias binding.

There are several advantages to using bias binding. It is inexpensive and relatively easy to apply - you eliminate extra pattern pieces and reduce fabric usage. A bias facing is relatively flat and smooth, which may increase comfort. A bias facing can be made of self-fabric or contrasting. It can become a design element.

Here are just a few examples:

This is a typical example. This button-front, velveteen dress has a bias facing made of the same fabric as the collar. Usually the facing is made of the same fabric as the collar, rather than the body of the garment. This is so the facing appears to blend with the collar and not show from the front. If there were no collar, the neckline would still be finished with a bias facing, but the color would match the dress instead.





This is a sweatshirt style jacket. The bias facing is made of a cotton broadcloth that matches the decorative stitching. This is a good example of how the facing can be a design element. It also disguises an otherwise unsightly seam.





A bias facing used on a knit style top that has a back zipper opening. The end of the bias is turned under near the top of the zipper. No need for a special facing pattern to deal with the zipper.






This is an example of a poorly executed use of a regular facing. The facing is much too narrow and floats up. The seam is bulky because of the ruffle sandwiched between the facing and the neck. This is a size 3-6M top and the facing and bulky neckline seam could be an irritant. The neckline seam should be serged together to reduce bulk and the facing should be top-stitched down. A bias facing would probably work better.

Clothing for Children - a book review

I just received a book I requested through inter-library loan called Clothing For Children by Henrietta Mary Thompson and Lucille E. Rea. I had seen used copies of this book on Amazon, but I wanted to peruse a copy before deciding to buy. The book is a college level textbook written from the perspective of Home Economists. It was published in 1949, and contains many attitudes and philosophies from the time.

There are many interesting things in the book, which I hope to share with you. One curious chapter (about 75 pages) is devoted entirely to planning the child's clothing budget. It compares what clothing to buy for each age level, gender, and income level. While the numbers are amusing, it is not really of much interest. Does it matter that an urban family with a yearly income of $500 spent $26 a year on clothing for the WHOLE family? Maybe it does. Some of the numbers are surprising, and perhaps low (comparing a Gen X'er to a Baby Boomer). It certainly demonstrates a completely different attitude toward money and a clothing budget. (BTW, I have no idea how to adjust 1949 dollars for inflation and time, so it would be difficult to have a meaningful discussion anyway). It is safe to say that the modern consumer thinks of clothing as a disposable item. How many modern parents buy clothes allowing for growth? Do we really have hand-me-downs anymore? How many of us throw away clothes with treatable stains or repairable tears? As land fills over flow and raw materials become more expensive, perhaps we need to return to this type of thinking.

Here is a breakdown of the chapters:

1. Clothing and the child - psychological theories mixed with lots of opinions.

2. Planning the child's clothing in relation to the family budget

3. The infant - Standards for infants' clothing, safety & health, and other interesting things.

4. The Creeping Age - Design ideas for toddlers

5. Clothing the preschool child (2-6 years) - interesting section on "made-overs" or using adult clothes to make new clothing for children.

6-7. Clothing for the grade school girl and boy

8. Texture and Design

9. Trimmings and decorative stitches

10. Care and storage

Appendix - Factory methods in home sewing, sewing equipment, and some shortcuts.

I will probably cover chapters 3-5 and the appendix. If there is anything else that looks interesting, or perhaps you would like to know more about, be sure to leave a comment.

The State of the Childrenswear Industry in 2007

The information for this blog entry comes from one of those fantastic business databases available from my local library. One of the biggest hurdles in my business plan was trying to describe the current state of the industry. From experience, I could say things were in decline. And really, if I included that in my business plan, it wouldn't give a financial institution much incentive to loan me money. Who would invest in a business where the entire industry is in decline? Now I can write something with a bit more substance and support that things aren't so bad (not great, but not dismal either). I am not looking to secure financing through the SBA, but some of you might and this resource is something that could help.

The database where this information is found is called the Business & Company Resource Center powered by InfoTrac (owned by Thomson-Gale). Be sure to do an industry search. In the description area enter the word children. Several descriptions should pull up for children's and women's clothing industries. I selected #2361 - Girls', Children's and Infants' Dresses, Blouses and Shirts description.

The article has too much info to repeat here. Here are some tidbits that may interest you:

As was true for much of the U.S. apparel industry, these establishments tended to be small, family-run businesses, and they faced stiff competition from low-cost imports.
As of 2005, Wal-Mart carried a 12 percent share of the apparel industry, though it aimed for 30 percent. With more than 4,000 stores offering a wide variety of apparel falling within this industry, Wal-Mart's annual clothing and footwear budget alone was $35 billion.
Also contributing to the industry's decline in the United States was the reliance of manufacturers on offshore assembly of pieces cut in the United States, which actually increased during the mid-2000s.
By using computers to track inventory and sales, as well as consumers' responses to particular items, manufacturers gained the ability to respond quickly to market demand. This allowed them to get a jump on foreign producers who were often half a world away, and minimize their vulnerability to imports.

One interesting observation comes from the first paragraph. Most apparel businesses are small, family-run businesses. This is exactly how most childrenswear companies start! It is a good place to be. Later, I may pull up information on the industry leaders: OshKosh, Carter's, and Gerber. Very interesting.

When you read things like this, it makes you wonder why anyone would enter the childrenswear business in the first place. And yet, I discover new businesses starting up all of the time (they must not have read these reports). The truth is, there is room and growth in this business, and you can do it! These types of reports look at the big guys with the big numbers. The biggest thing to remember is that you should not compete with Wal-Mart or the industry leaders on price or even look. The specialty market is always looking for something new and exciting.

Other tidbits included in the article: News (from the last few years), company profiles and industry rankings.

Source Citation: "Girls', Children's, and Infants' Dresses, Blouses, and Shirts." Encyclopedia of American Industries. Online Edition. Thomson Gale, 2006. Reproduced in Business and Company Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.:Gale Group. 2007. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BCRC

Neck Opening Circumference

Please note: Body measurement charts for infants which include the neck circumference measurement are now available in my book The Essential Guide to Children's Clothing Sizes, available on Amazon.

Libetty left a comment on a recent blog entry and I think the answer deserves its own blog.

So I have a sizing question that you may be able to answer... What is the minimum neck opening circumference that a child needs to get a garment on over their head? I've always thought that it was 18". Is this correct???

Babies are very interesting. Most babies have the head circumference that they will have as adults. There is some growth that occurs between newborns and older babies as the bones in the skull begin to fuse and the head takes shape. Other factors that contribute to head size are genetics and weight. A newborn baby's head circumference may start as small as 14 inches but grow to about 20 inches by age 2. Proportionally, babies appear top heavy because the head looks too big in comparison to the rest of the body.

When designing clothing and patterns for babies, there are some other considerations. Babies do not dress themselves. This means someone else must be able to reach into a shirt, for example, and comfortably pull it over the head. With a dress, you have to reach down through the neck and pull a dress over the hips and ultimately over the shoulders. Some degree of space must be included to allow for ease in dressing (as quickly as possibly too!).

The recommended head opening for children's clothes is 20 inches for all infants and 21-22 inches for toddlers and up. This is a minimum measurement. Additional ease may be required depending on the fabric and/or style. This recommendation comes from my experience working with big box retailers - and they all seem to agree on this point. Over the years, I have seen that this is the measurement that is actually needed. BTW, this measurement refers to the extended neck measurement (see pictures below). There is no US government regulation that I know of - this is an industry standard. You can measure lots of product yourself to see most things follow this guideline.

Incorporating 20 inches into a neck circumference can be very difficult. The assumption is made that the neck circumference of the pattern must meet 20 inches. A neck circumference on a baby is 12-14 inches (measurement taken at the base of the neck). If your pattern has a neck circumference of 20", then your garment will probably fall off. The extra girth needed to meet the extended neck circumference can be added by the addition of a front or back placket, zipper, button placket, lapped shoulders, elastic, or stretchy neck ribbing. In other words, make the neck of the pattern where it should be and add extra length/girth somewhere else.

Here are few pictures of me measuring the extended neck circumference of a few different styles. Please note, I used a tape measure because it shows up better in the pictures. You should probably use a flat ruler instead. Plus, DH was taking the pictures off to the side, so it appears that I am not lining things up right, but I am. To measure the extended neck circumference, place one finger in the center front neck and another in the center back and stretch. Double the measurment from the ruler and you will have the extended neck circumference. If drafting a pattern, you can measure the pattern neck circumference plus any additional opening. It is best to double check a measurement after a garment is sewn up because things change.

This shirt has an elastic neck. Stretch the elastic as far as it will go without damaging it. You can see this neck measures about 22" extended.









This infant polo shirt has a front button placket. You can see this shirt stretches to 20".










This infant t-shirt only stretches to about 18". It is a bit tight IMO. Part of the problem is the stretch of the ribbing and also how it is stitched to the neckline. The topstitching prevents stretching beyond this point and could actually break if I take it any further.






To measure the neck opening of a dress, measure from the center front neck to the bottom of the skirt placket opening. The extended neck measurement needs to be larger because the waistline needs to either slip over the head or the hips easily. This measures about 26 inches.

I like Jack Handford's book Professional Pattern Grading!

You know you might be a little strange when you do a happy dance after receiving a new book in the mail on pattern grading. That was certainly me yesterday when I received Professional Pattern Grading by Jack Hanford in the mail. This book has long been on my Amazon wishlist and I finally bought it for myself.

This is the BEST book on pattern grading. If you own the Price/Zamkoff book, just stuff it in a corner and get this one instead. The explanations are very clear and complete. And yes, this is how it is done in the industry. It was so gratifying to see that what I have learned on the job, some of it on my own, IS how it is done. The other book is too complex and ignores men's and children's styles completely. Jack Handford covers all three categories very well. And it is so nice to see that children have not been ignored. He covers infant, toddlers, boys, girls, and juniors.

This book describes manual grading with a paper and pencil. Still the concepts can be applied to computerized grading. Most of my grading is done on the computer and I will be using this book as a reference.

In fact, this book is so good, that I will not be doing my last installment on my grading series (a pictoral demo). Handford demonstrates the process well enough, there is no reason for me to duplicate it. Can I say buy the book? I will probably blog more about grading in the future, so no worries there.

I will be going back over my infant pattern/body measurement charts to see how they compare with Handford's grading. I probably will be making some adjustments. I am not too far along on developing my own infant/toddler patterns, so this is a great time to go back over them.