How To Make A Peter Pan Collar Pattern

If you love a Peter Pan collar, this step by step pattern making tutorial is for you! Learn how to make a Peter Pan collar pattern for tops and shirts, a technique you can use again and again to jazz up any sewing patterns that you own.

This is by far the easiest pattern collar to make yourself, as you’re using existing pattern pieces and developing the collar pattern from them, rather than measuring and drafting the collar from scratch.

As always, if you do get stuck, let me know in the comments! I’ve also added a video from my YouTube channel at the bottom in case you’d like to see a video tutorial for making a Peter Pan collar pattern!

What Is A Peter Pan Collar?

The Peter pan collar is a flat, non-convertible type of collar, made famous by the designer John White Alexander back in 1905.

Why Is It Called A Peter Pan Collar?

Although what we know as the Peter Pan collar wasn’t actually featured in J. M. Barrie’s original Peter Pan book, the version we are familiar with was named after the style created for the New York production of ‘Peter and Wendy’ in New York in 1905. This version was so popular that the name stuck.

How Do You Cut And Stitch A Peter Pan Collar?

Cutting and stitching a Peter Pan collar is easy, and the pattern making tutorial below will walk you through the process of making a Peter Pan collar pattern!

You can then follow my tutorial on how to sew a Peter Pan collar afterwards!

Peter Pan Collar Inspiration

Perhaps you’re not sure whether a Peter Pan collar is for you? Here are some images to inspire you and get you started before we crack on with the tutorial!

Tools You’ll Need To Draft A Peter Pan Collar Pattern

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You don’t need much in the way of pattern making tools when drafting a Peter Pan collar. Here’s a list of the essentials you’ll be needing to follow this pattern making tutorial:

• Pattern making paper
• Hard pencil
• Coloured pencils
• Pattern master or fashion ruler
• Paper scissors
• Tape measure
• Masking tape (the non-tacky option)
• Glue stick
• Pins
• Tracing wheel
• Awl
• Cutting mat

Got everything? Let’s get started!

Drafting A Peter Pan Collar Pattern In Four Simple Steps

Let’s get started with this easy pattern making tutorial!

Step One: Choose Your Bodice Block Base

The first step is to choose the correct bodice block as your starting point.

If you plan to create a Peter Pan collar for an existing sewing pattern, you will need the front and back bodice pieces that contain the neckline area, and you will need to remove the seam allowance. You can use a tracing wheel to trace the pattern without a seam allowance!

Start by placing the two pattern pieces you gathered onto a work table in front of you. Overlap the two shoulder lines of the front and back sections together at what would be the stitch line.

Pivot the pattern from the point where both necklines meet at the shoulder, so that the should point overlaps by between 2-4cm.

Use your masking tape to lightly secure the patterns in place.

Step Two: Tracing Off The Original Pattern Pieces

Next, cover the pattern pieces with your pattern paper, and trace around the front and back neckline. If you’re using a block and not an existing sewing pattern, you may want to lower the front and back neckline by 1cm first, so that there is room to ‘breathe’ when the pattern is sewn.

Use your pattern master or fashion ruler to measure the desired depth of your collar at the:

• Centre back
• Shoulder
• Front neck

I’ve opted for 6cm, which is a nice sized collar!

Step Three: Decide The Styleline Of Your Peter Pan Collar

Now you need to draw in the collar styleline line. Traditionally the a Peter Pan collar is rounded, and crisp, meeting at the centre front. (You might have seen a recent episode of 2020 The Great British Sewing Bee featured one?)

You can either freehand this, or use your pattern master / fashion ruler to create this smooth line, but you can also be super creative and play with the size and scale as well as the overall shape!

Step Four: Adding Seam Allowance To Your Pattern

The final step is to add your desired amount of seam allowance. Typically, I add 1cm of seam allowance to any sewing pattern necklines, and then I usually trim the seam allowance away once the outer edge is sewn – this allows me to get a nice smooth curve when sewing up my new collar.

Add any notches to the pattern that you haven’t yet added – I always mark in the centre back and shoulder line. I’m cutting this version on the fold, but often you will see a Peter Pan collar sewn in two halves with a centre back opening!

Finally, make a note on the collar pattern piece which sewing pattern it was created for, as well as the:

• Date
• Size
• Number of pieces needed (cut 1x pair on fold or x pairs?)
• Whether fusing / interfacing is needed
• The included seam allowance amount

Now you have create your very own Peter Pan collar pattern! How awesome?

Here’s a sneak peek at how my collar turned out when I sewed it up quickly last weekend!

Sewing Your Peter Pan Collar

Once your collar pattern is drafted, you’ll want to sew it up in muslin to calico to test the pattern before you sew it in your main fabric. I usually use a cheaper fabric – but similar fabric type and weight! – to toile up the pattern, and test that both the shape and size is good.

You’ll also want to make sure that you have the right interfacing weight for your collar, and decide whether you will interface one or both sides – this will depend on how structured you want your collar to be!

Peter Pan Collar Pattern Video Tutorial

Below is a brand new video tutorial sharing the process I use to draft a Peter Pan pattern – enjoy!

Share it out to others!