Attaching a band collar

Today I’ll show you how to attach the collar you prepared here. You can use this technique for any kind of stand up or flat collar.
The front of the garment and shoulder seams have been finished, and we’re ready to attach our collar!

It can be helpful to topstitch around the neckline, especially when working with thin fabrics. This will help the neckline keep its shape while sewing and also help you match the two edges together correctly.

Grab your collar and make sure that it’s the collar and not the undercollar that’s facing the right side of your garment. Undercollar is on top. Flip up the seam allowance and line up the edges. It’s so important that the edges match exactly, which is why I sometimes tack the ends in place first before sewing the rest of the collar.

Pin the entire collar in place, matching any notches. Stitch.

Press the seam from the right side and turn the garment so that inside is out. The inside should look like this. If you’re working with a stand-up collar you will need to clip into the seam allowance to allow it to follow the collar shape. Our collar is going to lay flat against the body so no need for clipping.

Now you’ll need to tuck under the raw edge of the undercollar. Pin from the right side. Make sure the folded edge overlaps the previous seam by about 2 mm (1/16″).

Keep the pins close together, this will make sewing easier. Remember to pin in the direction of sewing!

Now you have the option to go ahead and topstitch all edges of the collar and you’re done! If you prefer a clean look with no visible topstitch, keep reading below.

“Stitch in the ditch” from the right side, catching the undercollar edge underneath. Stitch right along the seam so that the stitch disappears in the crease. You can gently pull the fabric apart when sewing to make sure the stitch will not be visible. The trick is not to catch the collar, keep the stitch slightly more on the garment side.

Here we are, all finished.

View from the inside.

After a careful final press the stitch has disappeared a bit more into the crease.