https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/reshape-a-shirt-collar • Posted by Portia
Use something round. Position it so that the drawn line will blend seamlessly with the stitched line around your collar edge. I used a biro on mine. The edges will be bound in the final step so it doesn't matter that it's visible; and it helps to have clear marking to follow too. In order to make sure I drew my curve in exactly the same place on the opposite collar, I took note of where my pen line hit my stitching line on both sides of my new curve. I marked the exact same measurements onto the opposite collar, and used the marks to help me line up my "circular object" (that'll be my pin tin lid ;) in exactly the right place. No-one wants a wonky collar, no matter how cool geek chic is!
Begin stitching on top of the existing edge stitching of the collar, about a quarter inch before your pen line/curve starts. The idea is to seamlessly blend the old edge stitching with your new curve. Continue stitching all the way around, on top of your pen line/curve, and blend into the original edge stitching again at the other end. The purpose of the stitching is really to kep all the layers of the collar together and prevent the from fraying or flapping about while you're working on them. Trim super close to the stitching and check the "balance" of your new collar. At this stage you could change the curve slightly, make the whole collar narrower etc. Just follow the same process (mark it, stitch it, cut it) again until you're happy with the shape.
When you're happy with the shape, finish with bias binding in either a matching, coordinating or contrasting colour...