Help with making a collar!

Elmidena

Hey guys,
Currently doing a commission piece for a mate. Dyed the cape amount with Dylon and as I was half-asleep at the time totally forgot to throw in some spare stuff in case of boo-boos. The cape requires embroidered design which I'm beyond confident at doing, and a different section added to the bottom, also no problems there.

The thing is, I need to make a stand-up collar. I intend to use fusible interfacing to stiffen it up, but I just wondered if this would work well enough with calico? I don't really have THAT much of the stuff that I can practice with the collar's size and then the real deal, so not sure if I should fashion some sort of boning as structure instead. Due to not having a lot of excess to work with, was also hoping to stiffen the material then outline the shape with something under the seam allowance to give it shape, and hopefully not have to double it over lest I make a boo boo.

Due to lack of "play around with material" I wondered if I should cut the top of the fabric to shape and make it in one piece, or hack it off, sort the collar and then reattach it. Argh, so frustrated with myself I didn't make any excess stuff, and with the dye costing nearly a tenner I don't want to fork out just to dye a few centimetres' worth of calico again. Also, I've not used fusible interfacing in a few years, and I just wondered can you use double layers of it? As in, fuse down then fuse again over the top of it? Gut tells me no, but I'm not terribly experienced with it so figured I'd ask as can't find anything satisfactory online!

looksee

Not entirely clear what you are doing, but could you not make a sample collar out of some other material (or an undyed piece) to see how it works? What you use to stiffen it depends on how big it is, and what kind of fabric you are working with. If it is something 4 or more inches high I would be inclined to use the very heavy sew in interfacing.

Elmidena

Sorry, came out all garbled in my headless-chickening

Basically just wishing to make a stand up collar for a cape for a mate. I've got a little over an a4 page worth of interfacing I bought years ago so not really able to test it. The only shop that sold the stuff in town closed years ago and due to broken tailbone not up to a travel to Dublin/other place to wander around Hickeys or whatever.

The collar I want to make is approximately 15" neck x 3" or so in height, maximum. On another site I read that putting darts along it and threading something stiff in to act as boning.....


Actually, holy hell, writing that made me remember that I've got boning lying around the house somewhere =D Crisis hopefully averted! Should I make the collar on existing material or cut it off and then sew it on when it's reassembled?

wmpdd3

I would make it out of a separate piece of material because you will have to ease the fullness at the neck so it sits right.

If you were really stuck you could use the neck of an old shirt. Just use the cut off collar as your sew in interfacing.

looksee

If its a quick gathered cape you are making, you could gather across one end, about 3 to 4 inches from the end (hem the end first) . Gather to fit the neck and stitch a one inch strip of braid or similar firmly over the gathering. Put a button and loop or whatever on this to fasten. Iron the gathers of the end bit (the collar) flat into creases and stitch them down. If it is only 3 inches it will stand up by itself with the stiffness of the stitched creases. Not a perfect job but for a one-off halloween cloak or similar it would do the job. You could put a facing over the creases if you want a smooth effect.