Melisande,

I'm late responding, as usual, but since you know your way around steeking, you shouldn't have any trouble with it.

Years ago, when I was about to cut my knitting for the first time, I experimented with wool sweaters from Goodwill.? I machine sewed and cut.? There was one that was worsted weight and another that was closer to fingering.? Both of the edges on all of the test steeks were very secure; gauge didn't matter.?

I wouldn't worry about turning under the raw edge.? If the steeked section is 8-10 stitches, you may want to run another link of? machine stitching closer to the edge of the fronts.? That would allow you to trim the edge even closer to reduce bulk, but that can really only be determined once you look at the results once the front bands are knitted.

Then I'm all for the ribbon.? My recommendation is to get genuine Petersham ribbom for the job and pre-shrink as recommended.? Petersham has a touch of give to it, unlike the grosgrain ribbon that can be found locally.? The result will be excellent if you work on a flat surface.? This really isn't a job to do in your lap b/c you want the knitted fabric as flat as possible.

Britex is a good source for Petersham:?

The Petersham also provides a nice stable base for machine buttonholes - another part of the construction that still gives me pause.

HTH,

Mary.