sewseamless

Sew up one side of the facing (this is a straight edge and easy to sew) and
once you get within about 5/8 inches of the top, place the needle in the
fabric, raise the presser foot and pivot the fabric so that you are now sewing
the curved part of the seam (make sure that you are sewing a 5/8 inch seam
allowance). Once you get to the other side of the bodice, repeat the above
step and sew down the straight portion of the bodice. Press as stitched.

Whew! Now that you have successfully sewn the facing on to the bodice, you
can breathe a sigh of relief!

Check to make sure that you don't have any of the bodice fabric tucked into
the facing seam, and once you have determined that everything is ok, then
either grade or trim the seam allowance (straight and curved part). Since
this is a curve, you will also need to clip the curved part of the seam
allowance.

(I suggest that beginners trim the seams and don't trim them too closely or
you may have more trouble with the next step, which is understitching.)

At the corner, cut across diagonally so that you will have a nice sharp corner
when pressed.

Understitching

Your facing and collar are now successfully sewn to the bodice. That wasn't
hard, was it?! Now it's time to understitch. Don't panic, it's not as hard as it
sounds.

Understitching is necessary because it will prevent your facing from rolling to
the outside of the garment.

Turn the bodice to the right side. Press the seam allowance toward the
facing piece (the right side of the fabric will be toward you) and stitch close
to that seam.

You can usually feel the seam under your fingers. If your sewing machine
has a function where you can move the needle, that might help you sew
closer to the sewn seam. Start on the straight edge and sew up within about
an inch of the corner. Stop, take the bodice out, and once again, about an
inch from the corner, begin to understitch the curved collar part of the
bodice. Again, stop about an inch or so from the corner.

The last step is much easier because you understitch/sew down the other
straight edge of the bodice.

After successfully completing
understitching, turn the facing to the
inside of the garment and press.

At the corners, it's a good idea to use the
point turner to help push out/sharpen the
corners. (Don't use scissors because you
may cut through the garment.)

Press the bodice carefully. At this point,
most patterns will instruct you to hand
sew/catch-stitch the facing to the seams,
but I usually have beginners wait to do all
the hand stitching when the garment is
mostly completed.

My pattern now tells me to lap the right
front of the bodice over the left front and
baste. Here is where you have to think
backwards. The right front will be to your
left when facing you.