BERNINA Corporate Blog -
Welcome to the Business Casual series! We will share exciting tips from various inspiration magazines about sewing elements such as concealed button plackets and lapel collars, polo closure, sleeves or cuffs. Todays tip about how to sew a shirt blouse collar with stand is taken from inspiration issue 1-21.
If you want to read more helpful tutorials, you can find an overview here: “Tips and Tricks”. It’s worth checking back regularly or subscribing to the newsletter to make sure you can learn our experts’ tricks!
What is a shirt collar with stand?
Be it a collar in 70’s style, a standard business blouse or even a classic men’s shirt, the shirt collar with stand is very common. The shape, size or details of stand and collar determine the style of your shirt, but the sewing process mostly stays the same. Whoever knows how this type of collar is best sewn will easily manage all shapes of a shirt collar with stand.
The shirt jacket “Anisa” has a stiff collar with stand and the angle of its corners are almost rectangular. The blouse “Megan” on the other hand features sharp angles pointing downwards, and the collar even features embroidered ornaments. As you can see, your selection of fabric, shape, width and details determine the style of your collar and playing with the shape can emphasize your personality.
Here you can view the collar with stands when the collars are folded up. You can almost not see the topstitching of the stand and collar since the thread colour perfectly matches the fabric.
NOTE
The right sides of the fabrics are of darker colour, the wrong sides are light.
The interfacing is grey.
Preparations for a collar with stand
When cutting an upper collar, it should be considered that the thicker the fabric used, the more must be added in comparison to the lower collar, especially at the collar corners. This makes the collar easier to fold down afterwards and the collar corners do not bend upwards when worn. With thin blouse fabric (the one we chose for the blouse “Megan” for example) about 1 mm is enough.
The stabiliser/interfacing is usually cut with a seam allowance of only about 3 mm. We used the vlieseline G 710 for the “Megan” blouse. Iron the stabiliser on the middle of the wrong side of the undercollar and the outer stand.
Tip: You will find it easier to work if you mark the back centre and shoulder seams on the stand with small cuts (they need to be shorter then your seam allowance).
How to sew a shirt collar with stand
Place the collar parts right side on right side, while gathering the increased width of the upper collar. First pin the collar corners, then the back centres one on top of the other. Spread the extra width evenly in between and fix it with pins. Finally, roll the corner of the collar down slightly with a finger and pin the front narrow edges together.
Sew the upper and lower collar together on the stabiliser. Leave the bottom open so you can later turn your collar inside out.
Cut back the allowances at the collar corners. If the upper edge is rounded, the seam allowance is cut at larger intervals. With thicker fabrics cut back the additions in layers. Turn collar over, iron it and topstitch the edges.
Turn the collar inside out and fold it lengthwise; the upper collar is on top. Pin the lower edges on top of each other. This may cause the upper collar to be a little shorter than the lower collar. You will later sew the collar to the stand with the shorter upper collar at the bottom. This will help your finished collar to stay down since the fabric is in a relaxed position when folded.
Finishing your shirt collar with stand
Place the stand parts right side on right side on top of each other with the collar in between at the upper edge. The parts with stabiliser lie on top of each other, i.e. the outer stand part lies on the lower collar. Sew the side edges of the stand and the top edge on top of each other. Trim the allowances in the curves and turn the stand over.
Topstitch the outer stand part to the neckline edge. The side edges of the stand are exactly aligned with the edge of the front parts. Clip the allowances vertically along the neckline. Fold in the loose stand part, pin it and sew it from the right side in the seam shadow. Topstitch the stand all around. To topstitch or stitch in the seam shadow, the Edgestitch Foot #10 really comes in handy!
Tip: If the collar is worn open, the inner side of the stand can be sewn to the neckline first and the outer side can be turned down and topstitched.
And that is how you sew a collar with a stand! I think you will be well prepared now to sew shirts and blouses for your business casual wardrobe 🙂
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