Hey y’all!
Ever really like a blouse, but wish it didn’t have that doggone collar?
(Or, you want to make a tunic from a men’s shirt, and want to remove the men’s collar, as in my second example in my post Refashion a large men’s pullover into one Hip BOHO Tunic!)
Sometimes collars are simply ugly to me…they’re so common.
In fact, I went through a phase in which I dismissed every top that had a regular pointed-tip collar, opting for less cumbersome necklines.
But, then, collars are symbolic of western wear, aren’t they?! A collarless shirt just isn’t western.
And we can’t eliminate western wear, now, can we?!!
So, when I started preparing myself for horse ownership by working in barns—and wearing cowboy boots, collared shirts started appearing again in my closet. 🙂 Lol.
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But, still—as for more feminine blouses as opposed to western shirts, I still sometimes prefer less bulk at the neck.
So, as soon as I found this shirt, I pictured it collarless, and, now that I’ve removed that collar, I definitely like it better! I don’t know…it’s just a little more unique without it, and it seems more feminine not having that ungraceful collar on there…and it’s a better backdrop for jewelry.
If you have a blouse you wish were collarless, then don’t be afraid to alter it!
It’s really not that big of a deal…
Get out your seam ripper and, after a few minutes of persistence, and a row of stitches, you’ll have a whole different look!
This is an EASY project!
The only things required are:
- a seam ripper,
- a sewing machine—or, needle and thread
- patience, and
- good eye sight!
Or, good eyewear—and a magnifying glass: Use one that’s intended for working with crafts, so it’ll hang around your neck with the cord, and its legs will prop on your chest, leaving your hands free.
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First, start with the top stitches of the seam (as shown on right) that connects the collar to the rest of the shirt—either on the inside or outside of the shirt. Just be careful to grab only the stitches and not the threads of the shirt.
As you go, you can work on the inside, for instance, and then turn it over and remove the thread that has loosened on the outside.
Then, after you’ve ripped out some top stitches, look inside the seam—between the two pieces of fabric (left)—and you’ll find inner stitches. Begin ripping those out.
Soon, you’ll get a finger hole and you can begin carefully pulling apart the seam and snagging those slackened stitches from the pull-apart—a little easier than catching the stitches when they’re tightly in the fabric. Keep working—you’ll get there. 😀
After the collar is off, you’ll need to remove all those loose threads that remain in the open seam.
Lastly, take it to your machine. Make sure to change your spool and bobbin to a color of thread that will match or blend. The blouse material is already creased nicely, so, all you have to do is straight stitch the open seam—and you’re finished! 
Save the collar for another possible project. 😀
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