Hey, Rooks! For this month, I wanted to make something that embodied the ’60s mod spirit, and what’s more mod than a Peter Pan collar? The one I’m showing you how to make today is 100 percent no-sew, but a little more creative than just cutting a collar off an old shirt. With this tutorial, you’ll be able to give any dress (or shirt) in your wardrobe the Mary Quant look in a pinch!
What you’ll need:
• Two standard printer-size (8.5″ x 11″) sheets of paper.
• Tape.
• A top with a neckline you like.
• A pencil.
• Two pairs of scissors: one regular and one with a fancy edge, like scallop or pinking shears.
• About half a yard of non-fraying fabric. I’m using faux leather here, but you can use anything—vinyl or felt sheets are other cool ideas!
• Ribbon or cord. Mine is 1″ wide, but the thinner, the better.
• Safety or straight pins (optional).
How to do it:
Step One:
Tape two pieces of paper together to make a 17″ x 11″ sheet, then fold the whole thing in half along the taped seam.
Step Two: Line up the shoulder seams and the edges of the collar on the top you’ve chosen.
Step Three:
Place the top on top of your paper, with one shoulder seam facing up and the back (tag side) of the shirt at the taped seam of the paper. Trace along the shirt’s neckline with a pencil. (You may want to pin your T-shirt down to the paper to prevent it from shifting around a lot!)
Step Four:
Sketch out the rest of your future collar. It may take a few tries to get the shape you’d like, so I’d suggest using a pencil.
Step Five:
When you’ve got a shape you’re happy with, cut it out. Now you have your very own collar pattern that you can use over and over again!
Step Six: Turn your fabric right-side-down and tape your pattern in place on top of it.
Step Seven:
Trace around the pattern with a pencil.
Step Eight:
Cut out the collar, starting at the top side (the smaller half-circle), with your straight scissors.
Step Nine:
Cut out the outer edges with your scallop shears.
Step Ten:
Use the point of your regular scissors (or a leather/hole punch if you have it) to make a hole in each corner of the collar.
Step Eleven:
Weave a length of ribbon through the holes and tie it into a bow. You’re all done!
After all that (not so) hard work, you’ll have a seriously sweet (and totally one-of-a-kind) Peter Pan collar of your own design! ♦