Have you ever seen something in fashion magazines and are just sticker-shocked? I think I am CONSTANTLY. As an engineer, I am always curious about how things are made ... and as a cheap-O, I am always curious if I can do it myself for less.
And as a result, this Peter Pan collar was created by me:
(Note: You might think ... really? You made a collage of yourself? I swear I am not vain and I really do not like taking this many pictures of myself, but I thought it was a good way to show the versatility of the detachable collar!)
For this project, you will need the following:
- A piece of felt
- Fabric glue
- Some sort of embellishment (beads, sequins, buttons)
- Scissors
- Tape measure
- A wide paintbrush
- A needle and thread
1. So the first thing you need to do is measure the circumference of your neck. I measured mine to be ~15".
Then I placed the tape measure on a piece of white paper in the shape of my neck. It sorta looks like an alien head (okay, weird description, but totally true). So the alien head circumference should be around 15".
2. Once you have the alien head down that measures the circumference of your neck, you can draw what you want your collar to look like. I chose the Peter Pan collar, but you can try doing a scalloped collar, or maybe the pointy collar that we usually see. It's all up to you!
3. Okay, my sketch was not symmetrical. So, if you aren't sure if what you traced out for your pattern is even on both sides ... just fold it down the middle and cut it out.
4. Now you can use this pattern. I taped it to a piece of felt and cut out my felt collar according to the stencil.
Also I made a vertical cut at the top part because that's where I will add a button and slit to fasten the two pieces together. By the way, the felt that I used is a light blue gray color and made from recycled plastic bottles!
5. So for glue, I used Aleene's fabric glue ... I really think I have had this since high school ... which was about eight years ago. Am I sure my glue is still good? Nope ... but I am too cheap to go back to the store and buy more.
Basically, just use your paint brush to spread the glue (this one dries clear so I don't have to worry about the color of the felt not showing up).
6. Then sprinkle your beads like glitter and use a scrap piece of paper to press down on the beads to make sure everything sticks.
Continue to do so but leave about an inch of space at the top part of the collar. Warning: It is a slightly messy process and you are likely to get glue on your hands. And Aleene's glue smells like really bad cheese. Note to self: Spray lots of perfume on my collar.
7. I decided that I didn't like the ribbon idea for fastening the collar, so I decided I would go with a button (you need to sew this on with needle and thread). I would also try on the collar to make sure you have a good idea of where to place the button and make the slit.
8. I added extra glue to the side of the slit to prevent tearing. But make sure you don't glue the two side of the slit together! Then the button can't go through.
9. Carefully add glue and sequins around the slit and ends.
10. Ta da! You have your own beaded detachable collar!
You can also add other embellishments. Here are some examples:
I've seen a lot of beaded and sequined clothing and accessories lately, and I think this is a great compromise for me because it is affordable and versatile. I only spent 20 cents on felt. The beads were leftover from a project when I beaded my dress, and I already had glue and buttons!
So not bad for wanting to add a little pizzaz to your wardrobe. Also, there will probably be some bead/embellishment shedding just due to the fact there may be pieces that did not get enough glue. But do not let this stop you from making one!