How to Sew the Peter Pan Collar

Next up in the Sudley sewalong is how to sew the Peter Pan collar! This is, of course, an optional addition. You can add it to any of the views, blouse or dress, or you can leave it off of any of them, too. Your choice! If you do decide to add it, this post will walk you through each step to get those perfect curved peter-pan seams.

Let’s get started…

Start by applying lightweight fusible interfacing to the wrong side of the two collar pieces (pattern piece 4). Make sure it is the collar and not the undercollar since they are similar looking.

Now place a collar piece and undercollar piece on top of each other with right sides together. Repeat for the other collar and undercollar set.

Line up the outer curved edges and pin in place.

Sew 1/4″ (6mm) from the raw edge.

Trim back the seam allowance to 1/8″ (3mm). If you use pinking shears to trim, it both trims and clips/notches which helps create that nice smooth curve.

Turn each collar section the right way around, shaping that curve with your fingers.

Press very well, with steam if possible.

The undercollar is slightly smaller than the collar, which allows the seam to roll slightly towards the undercollar and not be seen from the outside/collar side, as shown above.

Now lay your bodice in front of you, open, with the right side of the fabric facing you.

Place the collar pieces on top of the bodice with right side (interfaced collar) up. So the wrong side/undercollar should be facing the right side of the bodice. Line up the raw edges along the neckline, matching the notches on the collar with the shoulder seams.

Pin in place….

On side B (non-keyhole side), the two collar pieces should meet/touch at the centre…

On side A (keyhole side), the collar edges should sit 1/4″ (6mm) away from the raw edge of the keyhole.

Now sew 1/4″ (6mm) from the raw edge along the entire neckline. Make sure you don’t catch the ties in your stitching.

That’s it! Here’s how it looks from Side B. Now you’re ready to attach either your bias facing or lining…