Replies

1. 
   marymary | May 02, 2008 05:43pm | #1

   Instead of cutting a separate piece for a facing, lay the facing on the front piece and line up the seam lines and cut the facing as if it were part of the front.  To construct the garment, fold the extended facing to the inside rather than sew it on.

1. 
   rarezoo | May 02, 2008 06:05pm | #2

   Thank you - such a fast reply!I'm not sure I understand completely though: do you cut on the fold, so the facing and front are the same piece of fabric? Or is it that you use the same pattern piece for the jacket front, for the facing as well?

1. 
   marymary | May 02, 2008 06:17pm | #3

   No, do not cut on the fold.  

   Attach the facing pattern to the front pattern at the front seam line and make the two pieces as one pattern.  Then lay your "new" pattern on the fabric and cut it. 

1. 
   rarezoo | May 02, 2008 06:41pm | #4

   Ah! Now I get it. So that's why they call it a "cut-on" facing.Thanks again.

1. 
   marymary | May 02, 2008 07:01pm | #5

   Glad you got it!  Now when you construct the garment, just fold where you would have stitched.

2. 
   Teaf5 | May 06, 2008 02:54am | #6

   Marymary is correct; just tape the facing pattern to the jacket front pattern (along 5/8" seamlines) before cutting.  Cut-on facings, though, require more fabric, and you lose that little extra support from the seam down the center front. 

   Also, if you use a sew-on facing and find that you need a bit extra across the front of the jacket, you can steal a bit (up to an inch total) by making the seam allowances smaller, but you can't do that with a cut-on facing, as the necklines won't line up.

   For new techniques, I like to make a mock up with paper toweling, stitch the parts together, and get an idea how it works before cutting into my precious fabric.