Butterick 5727 Fur Collar

Here's a small project that nonetheless represents a fair amount of time and trouble. Just cleaning up the mess from any faux fur project takes time.

It is rather retro and romantic, for all that.

Even though it would in theory be easy to draw a collar shape and a tie shape, cut them out and sew them together, I used Butterick 5727, a current accessories pattern. The pattern does offer two small refinements: a center back seam, to make sure the nap is the same on both ends of the collar and a separate, slightly smaller undercollar piece to be cut from a lighter-weight fabric.

Even though I had plenty of doubts about the wisdom of their methodology for constructing the ties (finishing each edge with a double-fold narrow hem), I dutifully put it to the test because I didn't have enough of my preferred fabric to cut four tie pieces from. The narrow hemming was a bust; the edges were not perfectly straight and the wrong side of my crepe fabric had a different appearance from the front.

So I went with Plan B, which would have been Plan A if not for the fabric shortage. Cutting four tie sections (from a salvaged skirt lining from a thrifted Pendleton skirt that my mother cut up and hooked into a rug), I sewed each tie right sides together and turned it right side out. This of course worked fine. If I had even more fabric, I would have cut the ties on the bias for a more drape-y bow.

I'm not so sure about this collar with the very subdued color of the top I am wearing today; my red sweater dress might be a more appropriate foil. The face-framing effect is nice, though--I can envision more collars in more colors to add a touch of whimsy to any number of basic dresses.