How to sew a Peter Pan collar

A Peter Pan collar is a flat collar with rounded ends that lies on the bodice without a stand. To sew one, cut two collar layers and interface the upper one, sew them around the outer edge with a 6 mm (1/4 in) seam, trim the under collar a little smaller so the seam rolls underneath, clip the curves, turn and press, then sandwich the collar between the bodice neckline and a facing or a strip of bias binding. It takes about an hour, and it is the first collar most people sew, because there is no stand to fight.

What is a Peter Pan collar?

The Peter Pan collar is cut to the same curve as the neckline, so it lies flat on the shoulders, 5–7 cm (2–2 3/4 in) wide at the back and tapering to rounded points at the center front. It can be one piece joined at the center back with the opening at the front, or two pieces meeting at the center front with the opening at the back. Its only relative with a stand is the shirt collar, which rises from the neckline on a band; a Peter Pan collar has no band at all.

If your pattern has no collar, you can draft one: lay the front and back bodice pattern with the shoulder seams overlapping by 1.5 cm (5/8 in) at the armhole end, trace the neckline, draw the outer edge of the collar 6 cm (2 3/8 in) away from it, and round the center front ends. The overlap at the shoulder is what makes the finished collar roll slightly instead of lying dead flat, which hides the neckline seam.

What do you need to sew a Peter Pan collar?

• Two collar pieces (an upper collar and an under collar), cut in pairs if the collar is in two halves. Cut the under collar from the same fabric, or from a lighter fabric on heavy cloth.
• Lightweight fusible interfacing for the upper collar, cut without seam allowance so the edges stay soft.
• A neckline facing cut from the bodice pattern, 5 cm (2 in) wide and interfaced, or 1 m (1 1/8 yd) of 2 cm (3/4 in) wide bias binding, bought or cut from the garment fabric.
• A 70/10 or 80/12 needle, matching thread, a stitch length of 2 mm for the collar and 2.5 mm for the neckline.
• Small scissors, a point turner, a tailor's ham or a rolled towel for pressing the curves.

A Peter Pan collar works on cotton lawn, poplin, linen, chambray and lightweight wool. On a drapey viscose it needs interfacing in both layers to keep its shape.

How do you sew a Peter Pan collar, step by step?

1. Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the upper collar. Transfer the center back and shoulder notches to the neck edge of both layers.
2. Trim the under collar. Cut 3 mm (1/8 in) off the outer curved edge of the under collar, not the neck edge. The upper collar is now slightly bigger, which is what pulls the seam to the underside once the collar is turned.
3. Sew the outer edge. Place the two layers right sides together, outer edges level (the upper collar will bow slightly; ease it to fit). Sew around the outer edge at 6 mm (1/4 in) with a 2 mm stitch, starting and finishing at the neck edge. Around the rounded ends, sew slowly, one or two stitches at a time, pivoting with the needle down. Leave the neck edge open.
4. Grade and clip. Trim the under collar's allowance to 3 mm and the upper collar's to 4 mm, then cut small notches into the allowances around the curves every 1 cm (3/8 in), as in clipping vs notching curved seams. The notches let the allowance lie flat inside the curve.
5. Understitch where you can. Press the allowances toward the under collar and, with the collar opened out, understitch the under collar to the allowances 2 mm from the seam, as far around the curves as the foot allows.
6. Turn and press. Turn the collar right side out, run the point turner around the curve from the inside, and press on the ham so the seam rolls 1 mm to the underside. The upper collar should curve gently over the under collar; press it in that curved position, not flat on the board.
7. Baste the neck edges together. With the under collar against the bodice, the upper collar layer's neck edge is slightly short; baste the layers together at 1 cm (3/8 in) from the neck edge, letting the under collar's edge extend a little. This keeps the roll you pressed.
8. Pin the collar to the bodice, under collar against the right side of the bodice, matching center back, shoulder notches and center front. The collar ends meet at the center front (or back) with no overlap, or with a 3 mm gap if the pattern says so. Baste at 1.2 cm.
9. Attach the facing or binding. For a facing: sew the interfaced facing's shoulder seams, finish its outer edge, lay it right side down over the collar, and sew the neckline at 1.5 cm (5/8 in). Grade, clip, understitch the facing, and press it inside. The facing roll-out tutorial shows how to keep it there. For bias binding: open out the binding, sew its first fold line to the neckline over the collar, trim the allowances to 6 mm, fold the binding to the inside and stitch it down by hand or in the ditch, as in bias binding necklines.
10. Press the finished neckline on the ham, with the collar turned down, and give the collar ends a final shape with the iron tip.

Facing or bias binding: which neckline finish for a Peter Pan collar?

A facing gives a smooth inside and a firm neckline, and it is what a blouse or dress pattern usually provides. Bias binding is lighter and shows nothing on the outside, because the collar hides the binding completely; it is the better finish on fine fabric and on children's clothes, where a facing would flap. On a bodice that opens at the back with a button and loop, bias binding is also the easier finish around the opening.

Common mistakes with Peter Pan collars

• Not trimming the under collar. The seam sits on the edge or rolls to the top, and the collar looks like two flat pancakes. 3 mm off the outer edge of the under collar fixes it.
• A long stitch on the curves. A 2.5 mm stitch makes the curve polygonal. Use 2 mm or shorter around the ends.
• Clipping too deep so the clip shows as a dent. Notches go two thirds of the way across the allowance, never to the stitching.
• Pressing the collar flat on the board after turning. The collar then stands up at the back when worn. Press it curved on a ham, with the upper collar on top.
• Stretching the neckline of the bodice before the collar goes on. Staystitch the neckline at 1.2 cm as soon as the bodice is cut.
• Collar ends that do not match in size. Cut both ends from the same half of the pattern, and compare the two turned collars on each other before you attach them.

When should you use a Peter Pan collar instead of a shirt collar or a bound neckline?

Choose a Peter Pan collar for blouses, shift dresses, children's dresses and lightweight jackets where you want a soft, rounded line without a stand: it suits a jewel neckline on a shift dress or a boxy woven top with a back keyhole. Sewly drafts both with a faced neckline and does not offer shirt collars with a stand; a flat collar like this one is drafted from the neckline as described above and sewn in with that facing. A shirt collar with a stand needs a front opening to the neck and a crisper fabric, and it is sewn in a different order, band first; it is the right choice for a shirt you will wear buttoned to the top.

If you want the clean neckline but not the collar, finish the neck with a facing alone or with bias binding; the facing, binding or lining comparison weighs those up.