About
Complete Dressmaking
This type of collar is one that has the lapel grown on to the
front of the garment and then extends around to the back of
the neck. So the whole collar is an extension of the front of the garment, which then rolls over to form the back of the collar and the upper collar is actually part of the front facing.
The traditional shape of a shawl collar is a gentle curve, but fashion has seen all sorts of differently shaped lapels.
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You Will Need
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Step 1
The facing needs to be interfaced to give it some rigidity. Cut the interfacing slightly smaller all around than the facing piece, then apply it to the wrong side of the fabric pieces, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer all the markings from the pattern to the fabric pieces.
Tip: If you are making a jacket or coat, you will need to stabilise both the garment and the facing. But if you are making a blouse or dress you may only wish to stabilise the facing.
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Step 2
Staystitch around the corner of the neckline of both the garment and the facing on the seam allowance line, making sure to pivot on the small dot.
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Step 3
If there are darts in the front of the collar and the facing, sew these next. (Darts will help to give the collar a smooth shape, but not all patterns will have them.)
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Step 4
Sew the centre back seams on both the garment (a) and the facing (b). Press the seams open.
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Step 7
With right sides together, pin the back neckline of the collar to the back neck of the garment. Match up the centre back seam on the collar with the centre back of the garment. Pin the shoulder/neck points together, too. Pivot the collar/garment front so that the shoulders of both the garment back and the front seams will line up.
Tip: Put a pin in vertically right at the small dot to ensure that the collar doesn’t shrink back from the point of the corner as you sew.
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Step 13
To layer the seam allowance, trim one side down by half and then the other by half again. Clip into the seam allowance to remove the excess fabric; this will help the collar sit flat in a smooth curve.
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Step 14
Understitch through the garment side of the collar and the seam allowance, starting at the centre back but stopping about 4cm (11⁄2in) from the breakpoint. (The breakpoint is where the collar folds back. If the understitching continues it will be visible on the garment front.)
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Step 15
Turn the collar right side out and press the outer edge.
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Step 20
Finishing with a back neck facing
The back neck facing needs to be interfaced to give it some rigidity. Cut the interfacing slightly smaller all around than the facing piece, then apply it to the wrong side of the fabric, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the dots for the pivot points from the pattern to the facing.