Thursday, June 9, 2011

Peter Pan Collars Tutorial

Actually I wanted to do this entry using my own words but I know my english is not as good as her so you might think it is useless for me doing it by myself fml. Well okay let's start. I found this Peter Pan Collars tutorial from Jemma youlookwellnice.


Before I start, I’ve never written anything like this before so please bear with me if I get it a little wrong! Feel free to message me about anything I’ve not quite explained properly.

Step 1: Making a pattern


This doesn’t have to be particularly fancy! I usually start quite neat with straight lines and accurate measurements but it usually ends up being finished in free hand to get that nice curve where the edges meet in the middle of the neckline.

Collars can vary in thickness and length. This particular one was 3 inches wide (including seam allowance) but I’ve made some that are nearly 5 inches wide! The most important bit is to make sure you make the straighter side long enough or else your collar won’t meet in the middle. I, however, quite like this gap. It can be filled with lace and ribbon roses ^___^

TIP: Be sure to include a seam allowance! I generally use 1/4 of inch.

Step 2: Marking the fabric


Please note! This should be done using a piece of dressmakers chalk or a fabric pen/pencil. Mine was blunt at the time and I couldn’t be bothered to sharpen it and seeing as this was only a trial collar I used a biro.

Ok, this part is important! Take your fabric that you intend to use. You need to fold it in half neatly to create a double layered piece of fabric. Line your template up with the short, straight edge of the collar (seen at the top of this picture) resting on the fold. This way when you cut out your template your half a collar will turn into a full collar!

You will need to cut out 2 pieces of fabric from your template.

TIP: To save money, collars can be backed with cheaper cotton drill to save using all of your nice fabric :)

Step 3: Cutting out


Be sure to cut accurately! I use Cath Kidston’s haberdashery scissors. I think they’re £8 a pair and they come in a beautiful floral scissor keeper. They’re very shop and have fairly long blades which are ideal for sewing. At this point, you should find a cotton that co ordinates with your fabric. Prepare a bottom bobbin using this cotton as well.

My cut outs shown here are folded in half. Yours should look like large, fabric ‘U’ shapes.

TIP: Only use your sewing scissors to cut fabric and cotton. Paper (and even some wadding and batting) can blunt scissors easily so buy a spare pair!

Step 4: The sewing!


This is the part where the seam allowance becomes very important! I usually allow a 1/4 inch seam allowance as the distance between my needle and the edge of my foot is 1/4 of an inch. This means by simply lining my fabric up with the edge of the foot, I automatically sew 1/4 of an inch in from the edge of the fabric. Refer to your manual to find out the distance of your machine.

Make sure you put your fabric wrong sides together!!!

Ok. First thing’s first. Set your machine to use a straight stitch with the needle in the centre of the foot. (My machine has a similar function but sews to the side). I usually set my tension to 4 but this can vary so be sure to practise on a scrap first!

Load your top cotton and thread your needle. Load your bottom bobbin and bring up the thread. I tend to press very lightly on my pedal as this piece has a lot of curves and bends. Pressing lightly keeps the machine fairly slow so I can keep my stitching neat.

Be sure to leave a 2-3 inch gap at the centre back of your collar to allow for turning.

Trim your seam allowance down a little and cut into your corners. Turn the collar right way round and poke out the corners gently.

Sew up the gap by hand or machine.

I then add a decorative stitch around my collars, I use the elliptical stitch pattern with the tension set just above 0. This creates a nice, tight scallop.

Here’s an example of a finished collar with ribbon attached:




That's it! She is cute and creative, right? XD So, let we all try this awesome tutorial!

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