Mandarin Collar – DIY tutorial (2 ways)

Mandarin collar has many names – most of them Asian – like Korean Collar, Chinese Collar, Nehru Collar, Mao Collar. It is basically a band collar which is very elegant. The collar looks great on clothes for men as well as women

How to sew a Mandarin Collar – pattern tutorial. 

Step 1

Cut out the bodice pattern according to your measurements.Checkout this post on making a bodice pattern for your exact body measurements. 

Donot mark or cut the neckline on both the bodices. This will be done on the facing, not on the bodices

The neck should be cut as per the pattern given below for the back and the front on another fabric piece for the facing. 

 You can make the front neckline opening slightly wider resulting in a half Mandarin collar or a full mandarin collar with a simple slit opening. The half collar and full collar are stitched the same way but the facing is cut differently. The pattern 2 is for a half collar and pattern 1 for a full Chinese collar. If you want some structure along the facing, attach a thin interfacing on the back of the facing cloth before cutting it.

Pattern for Mandarin collar with opening in the back.

Pattern for Mandarin collar with front slit opening

Cut out the back bodice and mark the neckline as per the pattern given below.

Keep the  facing on the bodice. Pin in place.

Stitch all along the edge with a 1/4 seam allowance on the facing . ie sew 1/4 inch from the inner edge of the facing piece

Cut out the inner portion leaving the 1/4 seam allowance. Clip all over the seam allowance. Take care to clip the v tip till the stitching line.

It is a great idea to understitch the facing and the seam allowance together especially for thin fabrics so that the facing will naturally roll to the inside and not show on the front of the garment

Turn the facing to the other side. Press neatly

Now you have to join the shoulder seams of front and back bodices. Sew with a 1/2 inch seam allowance

Donot stretch the neckline at all. Be very gentle with the neckline. Stay stitching the neckline edge is a good practice

Measure the neckline of the bodice accurately.

Make the collar pattern as per this measurement. Divide the neckline measurement by half. Take this as A.

Now to cut the collar. You will be cutting the collar from the interfacing first and then the fabric.

Take a piece of interfacing about 2 inch wide and length equalling 1 inch more than the neckline measurement. Fold by half. Measure and cut the interfacing as per the pattern given below.

Keep the interfacing strip you have cut , shiny side down on 2 layers of the fabric for collar, kept right sides together. Use a hot iron to press and attach the interfacing to the collar piece

Stitch very close to the top edge of the interfacing 

Cut out the collar with a 1/4 seam allowance all around

Clip the seam allowance all around every 1/2 inch. Turn the collar right side out. 

Keep the collar piece one long edge against the neckline edge of the bodice. Pin in place and stitch

Now only one edge is stitched. The inner edge is unstitched. Turn the inner edge to the inside and pin in place or baste stitch.Stitch from the front – you can stitch in the ditch  or stitch on the lower edge of the collar. When you stitch like this the inner turned under edge will be caught 

Method 2

Another way to make a chinese/ mandarin collar pattern is to do what I have done in this kurti tutorial. 

Trace around the neckline  and mark extra seam allowance ; cut the pattern.Stitch the same way as it is done in the above tutorial 

Related posts : Necklines for dresses ; Types of collars for dress shirts ; Types of collars on dresses