Velveteen Collar Tutorial

Velvet. Velveteen. We covet the rich texture of these luxurious fabrics.And collars – what an easy new accessory! Combine

old world sophistication and new fashion saavy with this fun velvet collar. Choose a nice bright color! Wear it and �aunt it!

TIP: To sew a smooth curved seam, stitch 2 – 3stitches at a time. Stop sewing with the needlein the down position. Raise the foot, turn thefabric just a bit, lower the foot and continue.Repeat this for the entire curved section.

Instructions

1. Trace the pattern.

2. Lay velveteen out �at. Run your �ngers up and down thefabric. The nap will be smooth going one direction andrough when pushed the opposite direction. Choose whichdirection you would like to go up. (If you cut the fabric withthe rough side up, the velveteen will appear darker.)

3. Pin the pattern to the fabric carefully. Pins should be in theseam allowance to avoid marking the velveteen. Notice ifyou push down on it that it “crawls”. Avoid the crawl by cuttingone layer at a time, watching the pattern and fabric to makesure you are cutting correctly. The “crawl” will surprise you! Cut4 collar sections with the nap going in the same direction

4. Pin 2 collar pieces right sides together. Pins should be closetogether. Stitch along outer edge using ¼” seam allowance.

5. Trim seam allowance to 1/8”. Turn right side out.

Suggested Tools:Dritz® Needle Board ScissorsStraight pinsIr on and ironing surface Press clothTape measureRotary cutter, ruler & mat

DIFFICULTY: Intermediate TIME TO COMPLETE: About 2 hours

Supplies:1/4 yard velveteen fabric (collar)3/8 yard sheer or silky fabric (binding & ties)2 pom-poms (buy in bags or cut from decorative trimming by the yard) Matching threadFabric pen or pencil

Peter Pan Collars aren’t just for preschoolers

6. Press, using the needle board. Use a press cloth between the iron and the velveteen. Velveteen is not as delicate as velvet. But use caution when pressing. DO NOT TOUCH THE HOT IRON TO THE PILE SIDE OF THE VELVETEEN. Steam the velveteen with the iron about ½” above the fabric. Use a press cloth between the hot iron andthe surface of the velveteen. After steaming, �nger press theseam to help �atten it. Use caution. Fabric will be hot! Allowto cool. Pick the collar up carefully after pressing toavoid �nger marks.

Let your fingers do the pressing!

TIP: When pressing something like this collar,where the pile faces out from both sides, usea scrap of the same velveteen as a presscloth. Place it between the iron and the collarwith the piles facing together. Steam. Removethe press cloth and �nger press the seam of the project.

7. Pin the inner edges of the collar together. The two layersof the collar will probably not line up evenly. One side willhave pushed out farther than the other. This is normal.The two layers should be smooth with no buckling.Stitch 1/4“ from the cut edge. (Since they may not line upevenly, you can choose which one to follow. Be consistentby following the same edge throughout.) Trim 1/8” fromthe fabric edge after stitching.

8. Repeat steps 4-7 with the remaining 2 collar pieces.

9. Binding: Use your rotary cutter, mat and grid marked ruler to cut 1” wide strips of sheer fabric. Join the ends to create a strip of fabric about 60” long. Mark the center of the joined strip.

Pretty easy, right?

10. Place the collars on your table with the nap going the samedirection. The ends that meet at the top will be the centerback of the collar. The opposite collar ends are the centerfront.

11. Pin the center of the bias strip to the center back of thecollar, right sides together. Line up the cut bias edge withthe cut edge of the collar. Pin the binding to each collarpiece so they are connected. Binding should extend about17“ at the center front of the collars.

12. To attach the binding, stitch 1/4” from cut edges startingand ending at the front collar corners. Do not stitch overthe pins. Trim the fabric slightly so edges are even andjust under ¼” wide.

Use your newfound Velveteen expertise on other projects too!

TIP: For the neatest bound edge, pull thebias fabric slightly as you pin. The unpinned edge will curl slightly. After stitching, the fabricwill fold under to create smooth binding with no gathers.

TIP: Place straight pins across the seam whenattaching the binding to velveteen. Whenpossible, keep pin heads away from the velveteen. Either way, remove them promptly to prevent marks.

TIP: It is best to stitch velvet or velveteen withthe nap. When attaching the binding to thecollar, one collar section will be with the nap, andone will be against the nap. Pin well to keepbinding from crawling.

Collars meetat center back

Place a pinevery half inch!

Stitchthe bindingto thecollar

13. Wrap the bias binding over the fabricedge, turning the cut edge under about 1/8””. Pin. Thepinned fold should just cover the machine stitching.

14. Turn the collar over, right side up. Stitch the collarclose to the binding fabric, catching the folded edgeof the binding underneath. This is callded “stitchingin the ditch!”

15. Trim the loose ends of the binding to about 17”. This is the tie.At the cut end, fold in half so long edges meet. Then fold againso edges meet the fold. Then fold the short cut end up about1/4”. Pin. Thread a hand sewing needle with about 18” ofthread. Stitch the pinned end together. Leave theneedle attached; do not cut the thread.

Almost done...

Stitch in the ditch(Stitch on the velveteen,as close as possibleto the binding)

View from both sides:

Right side, pinned

Right side up

Wrong side, pinned & stitched

16. Cut two pom-poms from the decorative fringe. To do this,clip the yarn that attaches the pom-pom. Separate the pom-

pom threads until you can see the metal clip or thread holding it together. Firmly pull the pom-pom from the yarnbeing careful not to remove the connecting thread or clip.

17. Pass the still-threaded needle through the center of thepom-pom a couple times. Be sure to go under the clipand completely through the pom-pom. Catch the bottomfold of the tie with each pass. Repeat until the fabric endis nestled close in to the pom-pom and no raw edgesare visible.

Repeat for the opposite tie end.And you are done! Tie a pretty bow, and wear it with pride!

It’s green! It’s velveteen! And I made it myself.

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Center Back

Center Front

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COLLARPATTERN

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