The side seams facings for view B of the Lawrence Top can be a bit intimidating at first because this technique is not used often. At first, it doesn’t seem like it is going to come together correctly. I wanted to walk through the step with photos to help make it a bit clearer. I will be basing this tutorial directly from the Lawrence Top Instructions and I will reference steps throughout. In the photos, the side seam facings are shown in dark blue and the front/back panels are shown in a lighter blue.
1. To begin, you will need the neckline cutouts from the front panels and the 2 seam facing rectangles. With wrong side facing, you press a ¼” | 6mm seam along the length of each triangle and the long side of the rectangles. It is important to make sure you have two sets of mirrored seam facings. (Step 11a) Next you will fold down the top 3″ | 8 cm of the triangles, with wrong sides facing, and press down. Then fold down the top 2″ | 5cm of the rectangles, with the wrong sides facing, and press down. (Step 11b)
The rectangles are the seam facings for the front panels. The triangles are the seam facing for the back panels.
2. Take the rectangle seam facing and pin the bottom edge of the rectangle at marker 2.5” | 6.5cm up from bottom edge with right sides together. Sew in place with a ⅜” | 9mm seam allowance. (Step 11c)
3. Take the triangle seam facing and pin the bottom edge of the triangle at marker 2.5” | 6.5cm up from bottom edge, with right sides together. Sew in place with a ⅜” | 9mm seam allowance. (Step 11d)
4. On each side of the back panel, finish the fabric edge with a zigzag stitch between the top of the seam facing triangle and the bottom of the underarm gusset of the sleeve. (Step 11e) This step is done because there is not another chance to finish this section of raw fabric edge.
5. Press all four seam facing and seams away from the body while maintaining the ¼” | 6mm seam allowance that was previously pressed on the seam facings. (Step 11f)
6. Now that the seam facings are sewn down, you will be sewing the side seams of the top. Move ahead to Step 13a. With right sides facing, match UG (underarm gusset) seams and sleeve edges and pin in place (the bottom edges will not line up because of the low/high hem).
7. Place a pin or mark 1.5″ | 4cm up from the bottom of the seam facing rectangle on the front panel. (Step 13b)
8. Sew the front and back together from the sleeve edge to the marker and back stitch a few extra times. (Step 13c) Make sure you maintain the ½” | 13mm seam allowance when you get to the seam facing. (For this tutorial, I am not showing the whole length of the sleeve.)
9. Clip seam, at a slight angle, just above the top of the seam facing rectangle, making sure to not clip through side seam. (Step 13d) This step is done so the seam can lay flat when you sew down your seam facings. Finish seams as desired from this clipped point to the sleeve edge. (Step 13e)
10. Fold the seam facings to the inside of the garment and press at the seam while maintaining the ¼” | 6mm hem that was previously pressed. Repeat on all seam facings. (Step 13f) Pin the seam facings in place. (Step 13g)
Then pinned in place.
11. Following the edges of the seam facings, edge stitch the seam facings in place by sewing along the triangle edge, up the zigzag edge, over and across at the top of the rectangle and then down the long edge of the rectangle facing. (Step 13h)
Seam facings are now finished! The bottom edge of the seam facings will be covered by the hem in Step 17.