I love collars because they frame the face–the epicenter of communication. If our clothes are going to bring attention to one of our body parts, the face is surely the best one to go with.
With this in mind, I set to recreate an old t-shirt into something new and classic with the simple addition of a Peter Pan Collar. If you aren’t sure what a Peter Pan Collar is, please feel free to glance over this picture for some insight and, perhaps, inspiration.
(This project was originally shared on Pretty Providence.)
The first thing I did to start this refashion was use the shirt to help me create a custom pattern, you can see the steps below.
 |
| Don’t forget to add some extra space on your peter pan collar pattern for seam allowance! |
Once the pattern was made, I first double checked it by placing it back on the shirt to see if it fit properly. Note also that the pattern above is half of the collar, which requires that you place it on folded fabric when you cut it.
Sewing Steps for the Peter Pan Collar:
1. Once you have cut two pieces, sew them together with the wrong sides facing.
Be sure to start sewing on the inside of the collar, where it will attach to the shirt. You may want to using interfacing first to thicken the fabric if yours isn’t heavy enough to lay flat.
2. Sew the outside/bottom of the collar next, leaving a small section open so you can turn it right side out.
3. Turn right side out, iron flat. Press the remaining open seam closed and then sew.
4. Pin collar onto shirt neckline and sew.
I chose to hand sew this so I could be sure to only attach the underside of the collar to the shirt (no seams showing on top) and so I could carefully adjust it as needed.
Note: You can make this whole process a billion times easier by just having the collar in the front :)
Done!
Definitely worth a little effort.
The skirt above was also refashioned from a shirt, check it out here.
Love it! I love peter pan collars!
Where did you get your dress form?
I lucked out and got it at a yard sale. It’s not adjustable, but pretty close to my size. You can get a similar one on amazon.