Can you believe there is not one helpful peter pan collar tutorial on the net? I couldn’t find any! (I bet someone will find one now…) I wanted to add one to this plain black top I have, and because I couldn’t find any ‘how to’ articles, I made my own. Now, I have never made one before, I don’t have any professional sewing background, I’m completely self-taught, so please excuse my unorthodox method! I’ve included a lot of images, because if you’re anything like me, you have to see it to fully grasp the instructions. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Lay down your top so the neck forms a circle.

Step 2: Roughly measure the inside circumference of the neckline, then roughly measure the outside circumference of the neckline (the outside circumference will determine how wide you want the collar to be). It’s best to use a protractor to do this.

Step 3: As you measure the inside and outside circumferences, trace them onto a sheet of paper (this will become your pattern/template). You should end up with a doughnut shape that looks something like this.

Step 4: Cut out your doughnut shape, then cut it in half.

Step 5: Roughly trace four of these semi-circle shapes on your fabric (leaving a couple centimetres around each shape for the sewing part), then cut them out. (You might also want to iron the fabric before you make your collar.)

Step 6: Using your paper template as a guide, pin two semi-circle together. Remember that you want a curved shape at the front of your collar to get the authentic peter pan effect. You might want the back of your collar to have a curved shape too, but I’ve done mine with a corner at the back, and a curved shape at the front.

Step 7: Sew the two semi-circles together, except for the inside circumference. You don’t really need to sew that part as it’ll be sewn to your top. As you can see in the photo above, I’ve cut the fabric several times on the inner neckline. This is so it’s easier to pin/sew the curved shape on to the top. Now I’m sure there’s a better way to pin/sew it to your top, but this is the Ivy way

Step 8: Pin that baby down to your top, and sew! I find it’s easier to hand-sew, but that’s up to you. If you want a neater effect on the inside of your collar, you can sew a strip of fabric all the way around. I just left mine as you don’t really see the inside when you’re wearing the top.

And that’s it! It should look something like this.

So there you have it, my friends, the unorthodox Ivyology Peter Pan collar tutorial. Who knows, that may even be the proper way to do it! You might want to funk it up by using a patterned fabric, or adding a button to the back (or front), or completing the look by adding matching cuffs to the sleeves, or even add a little bow to the middle. It’s very 60’s. So get crafty, lovelies, it’s a cute addition to what would ordinarily be a boring top!

Big love,