Polo collar : How to draft and sew this soft collar for your clothes

A polo collar shirt has many characteristic features – a button placket, short sleeves, a step hem with the back longer than the front; but its most distinguishing element is its soft collar without a stand. Here is a tutorial with step-by-step instructions to draft and sew a polo collar with placket easily

How to sew a Polo collar

Step 1.

First, cut the front and back bodice pieces.

For the front bodice mark the neck width A-B as 1/12 of your bust round (round the figure to the next whole number). Neck depth is to be marked as the same.

If your bust round is 32 inches, divide this by 12 and you get 2.66 and by rounding it you get 3 inches. Mark this as the neck width and neck depth of the front bodice. 

For the back bodice, mark the neck width as A-B as 1/12 of your bust round (round the figure to the next whole number). The next depth of the back bodice is to be marked as 1″.

Cut out the necklines.

Step 2

On the front bodice neckline, mark a line 6 inches at the middle.

Mark 1/2 inches on either side (Refer picture) Mark up 1/2 inch from the end and then draw a triangle as in the picture below.

Step 3

Cut out two interfacing pieces (for the placket) of dimension 3 inches by 7 inches.

Adhere it to 2 fabric pieces which are slightly wider by .75 inches – 3 3/4 inches by 7 inches.

Cut them out. Mark 1/2 inch from the edge as in the picture. They should be mirror images.

Step 4

Keep the placket piece on your bodice, aligning the mark you have on the placet piece with the one on the side of the middle line on the bodice. Keep it a little raised – 1/2 inch.

Mark the end on the placket piece, as drawn on the bodice.

Sew along the line.

Do the same with the other placet piece the same way.

Step 5

Turn the edge of the placket and cut open the middle line (refer to picture)

Step 6

Fold the placket edge to the inside so that the placket is 1 inch wide from the stitching line.

Fold the other placket the same way.

Overlap the plackets and bring the bottom edge inside through the cut you have made on the bodice.

Step 7

Turn the bodice to the wrong side;Get hold of the bottom edge of the cut and the plakcets ends.

Sew them together.

This will finish the bottom edge of your placket

Step 8

Now fold the placket top edge inside out so that they look like this (It should be folded exactly as it was done earlier; difference is that it is inside out).

Mark the folded edge as in the picture above.

Sew through this mark. Clip the allowance.

Do this for the other placket as well.

Bring the placket right side out. Use something sharp to bring the corner pointed. It will look like this.

Step 9

Measure neckline edge one half of front bodice including half of the placket (take it as A) and one half of back bodice (take it as B).

To make the collar, cut out interfacing in the dimension – 18 inches by 5 inches

Fold it by half. Mark the collar as per the pattern given below.

Adhere it to your collar fabric. Cut the fabric 1/4 inch bigger all around the interfacing piece.

After this, take the next collar piece and (outer collar piece) and cut it a little (1/8inch) bigger at the bottom edge.

Keep the two collar pieces right sides together and sew along the outer edge (red line in the picture)

Pull it right side out.

Step 10

Keep the outer collar down on the neckline and sew joining the neckline and collar with a 1/4 inch seam allowance (that is the extra you have already on the collar)

After sewing, Fold the inner collar edge 1/8 inch to the inside and sew that also along the neckline edge.

It will look like this. Press everything nicely and fold your collar. Your polo collar is ready. You can now sew the buttons, buttonholes and rest of the shirt

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