Tips & tricks
Front or back? Mark it before you forget
Obvious when cutting, suddenly a mystery on the finished T-shirt. How to mark the back for good without anything scratching, and how to tell if you forgot.
From the series Learned the hard way.
Every time I cut and sew, I think: telling the front from the back will be easy. Then the finished T-shirt is lying in front of me, both sides look almost the same, and I have to guess. I've probably walked around back to front more than once.
Shop-bought clothes have the label at the back of the neck for exactly this reason. Many people cut it off because it scratches, and handmade clothes don't have one at all. The fix is simple. You just have to think of it while sewing, not afterwards.
What you need
- A piece of soft ribbon, about 6 cm (satin or cotton tape) or a soft label
- Thread in a contrasting colour
- Or: fabric pen or iron-on label
Step 1
Why you can't tell on the finished garment
When cutting, the front and back lie side by side and the differences are obvious. Once everything is sewn together, they're much smaller: on a T-shirt the front neckline is only a few centimetres lower, and on trousers with an elastic waist the waistband looks the same all the way round.
So the rule is: mark the back while you still know for sure. With chalk or washi tape on the back piece when cutting, and with something permanent when sewing.
Step 2
Soft ribbon in the back neck seam
This is the classic, just without the scratch: fold a piece of soft ribbon (satin or cotton tape, about 6 cm) into a loop and place it with the raw ends in the seam allowance, exactly at centre back. Then sew as usual and the ribbon gets caught in the seam.
- T-shirt: when attaching the neckband. For Merle that's the “Neckband” step.
- The loop points inwards, the raw ends sit in the seam allowance.
Step 3
For trousers: in the back waistband seam
For trousers, catch the loop or a small label in the seam at centre back when attaching the waistband. For Hanne that's the “Attaching the band” step: you're matching the centre back (HM) of waistband and trousers there anyway, and the ribbon goes right in between.
A small ribbon at the waistband hardly bothers you, because it doesn't sit on the skin of your neck.
Step 4
Or: in the left side seam
If anything at your neck bothers you, use the side seam: a small ribbon or label in the left side seam, about a hand's width above the hem. Many shop-bought T-shirts do the same.
Since you know it's on the left, you also know where the front and back are: put the T-shirt on so the ribbon sits inside on your left side. Worn back to front, it would be on the right.
Step 5
No label at all: a small stitched mark
It works without ribbon too: with thread in a contrasting colour, sew a few small cross stitches into the seam allowance inside at centre back, or draw a small mark inside the back with a fabric pen. You won't feel it, and it can't be seen from the outside.
Step 6
Already forgot? How to tell from the cut
If the garment is finished and has no mark:
- T-shirts: the neckline is lower at the front than at the back. Lay the T-shirt flat and compare both sides at the shoulder. On Merle the back darts give it away too, they're at the back.
- Trousers: the crotch is longer and cut deeper at the back, because that's where the seat needs room. Fold the trousers sideways, leg on leg: the crotch curve that sticks out further is the back.
And if you've ever been out back to front: on a loose T-shirt hardly anyone notices. With trousers you usually feel it yourself, because they pull at the front crotch and wrinkle at the back.