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.

Meet Our Stallholders - From Vintage to Vogue

It's time for another look at another one of Yorkshire Does Vintage's wonderful stallholders.  Today we feature From Vintage to Vogue.  

All their clothes are beautifully handmade, inspired by vintage patterns which have been adapted for the modern woman.

Their best sellers are dresses, where they've had customers from 16 to 60 buying them.

They also have a lot of repeat business - people have come back to buy the same style dress in a different fabric.










Short skirts have been a big seller as well this year.  They also sell longer length skirts which look lovely with a full petticoat underneath.

Recently the singer Charlotte Church bought a From Vintage to Vogue skirt from the York vintage shop Purple Haze, which stocks a small selection of their clothes.







These shorts in the photo on the right are a good purchase now the weather has warmed up a bit!

 As is this playsuit on the left with detachable straps.






If you like what you see then From Vintage to Vogue will be at Harrogate Does Vintage on Saturday 18th August and York Does Vintage on Sunday 14th October.




You can see more of their range of clothing at their Facebook page here:-

From Vintage to Vogue

Or @vintagetovoguex on Twitter.