Vintage Style Lace Collars

I really love the fact that vintage style collars are very much back in fashion.  So many blouses, tops and dresses have pretty little collars on them.  Currently in the accessory section of some high street shops you can buy detachable collars that can be worn like necklaces over round neck tops.  Nice as these are, they can be quite pricey. 

If you look around at our vintage fairs you can find often find beautiful original vintage lace collars for sale, like these pictured on the left.

Earlier this year I bought a 1950s tatting book from our of our stallholders, containing a couple patterns for collars that I've since made up.  I finished my latest one last week, in the picture on the left.  It took me about three weeks to make, but it got me thinking there must be an easier way to make a lace collar!

So here are the instructions to making a very simple lace collar that you only need very basic sewing skills to make.

How To Make A Vintage Style Lace Collar

You will need:- Broderie Anglaise trim,  thread, hook and eye, two buttons, and an iron.

1. Cut a piece of Broderie Anglaise trim depending on how big you want the collar to be.  Mine was 43cm long.  Make sure you cut it so there's a matching pattern on each end.  You can buy Broderie Anglaise trim in most haberdashery shops, so if you bought a meter you could make two collars, or some cuffs.

2. Iron over the plan edge so you can still embroidery underneath.

It's not necessary, but I sprayed on some laundry starch so it make the fabric stiffer when I ironed the edge over.  Even though the ends aren't finished off they shouldn't fray if you've cut them straight.  You could use a fray stop spray just in case.

3. On the back of the top corners sew the hook and eye at a 45 degree angle.  To cover up the stitches you can sew a button on the front side.  I used some vintage pearly buttons.

You could sew ribbons on the end instead of a hook and eye and have a collar that ties up with a bow.  If you wanted to make the collar more fancy, a strip of lace or a ribbon could be sewed under the folded edge, or a tatted or crocheted trim can be added to the unfinished edge.

Here's the finished collar on the left.  It can be pinned to a top if you want it to be more secure.  The hook and eye with buttons should help weigh the collar down and keep it's shape.

The collar took me about 20 minutes to make.  Broderie Anglaise sells for about £1 a meter and I had the buttons and the hooks already.


If you want an easy sewing project with a vintage feel, give it go.