Notched Collars
Barbara Weiland
With a few tricks "under your collar," you can stitch a professional-looking notched collar.
Page 4 - Finishing | Page 5 - Topstitching | Page 6 - Word Wise (definitions)
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Back to Basics Notched Collars Barbara Weiland With a few tricks "under your collar," you can stitch a professional-looking notched collar. Page 4 - Finishing | Page 5 - Topstitching | Page 6 - Word Wise (definitions) |
At the lower end of the roll line, clip the seam allowance. From the clip down, trim the jacket seam allowance to 1/8" and the facing seam allowance to 1/4". From the clip up, trim the upper collar to 1/8"and the undercollar to 1/4". Trim across all points to eliminate bulk. Note. This may be contrary to what you have read or done in the past but it does work better to create a smooth, flat, turned edge. This method of grading enclosed seams is discussed in detail in Timeless Tailoring (see "Resources" at the end of this article).
Turn the garment right side out. Use a point turner to push the point out in the collar and lapel. Use the rounded end of the point turner to smooth out curved areas if needed.
Using a press cloth and steam iron, press the outer edge of the collar and lapel, allowing the outer finished seam edge to roll slightly to the underside. Since the upper collar and lapel area of the facing were cut slightly larger for the turn of cloth, this should happen easily and automatically. When the lapel is settled into place, the seamlines of the collar, lapel and front edges should be on the underside of the garment, out of view. Use a clapper to set the edges as you press the outer edge of the garment section by section. Allow the garment to dry and cool.
Try on the garment and settle the collar and lapels into place so they are smooth and wrinkle-free. Check the collar in back to make sure it is sitting correctly, covering the back neckline seam. Pin the collar and lapel layers together to hold them in place, and remove the garment. This ensures that the layers will stay in the correct position for the next step.
Lift the facing out of the way and sew the facing seam to the neckline seam with a running stitch. If the seamlines of the facing and garment don't match, don't force them. Sew them together as you have them pinned to ensure a smooth-fitting collar across the back neck (10). It may be necessary to sew the neckline facing seam allowance to the undercollar seam allowance rather than to the garment neckline seam allowance in order to ensure the turn of cloth in the collar at the center back.
Barbara Weiland is a nationally known sewing, crafts and quilting author, editor and consultant. Her latest book is Secrets for Successful Sewing, published by Rodale Press Inc. She also is a contributing author to Serger Secrets from the same publisher.
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