Sewing the Collar | Blanca Flight Suit Sewalong

Hello everybody! In this post we'll be showing you how to sew and attach the collar for the Blanca Flight Suit. This construction is very similar to a traditional shirt collar, the only difference is there is no collar stand. At this point, the front and back of your flight suit have been fully assembled.

Right sides together, pin front and back at shoulder seams. Sew at 5/8" (16mm). Finish the seam and press to the back.

Topstitch the shoulder seams in place at 1/4" (6mm).

Staystitch around the neckline within the 5/8" (16mm) seam allowance. It can be a little tricky sewing around the top of the zipper on either side of center front, so it's okay if the stay stitching starts and stops just before the zipper.

Right sides together, match the two under collar pieces along the straight edge. Stitch at 5/8" (16mm) and press the seam open.

The top collar should be interfaced. Sew a line of staystitching 5/8" (16mm) along the neckline seam of the top collar. Using stay stitching as a guide, press the neckline seam under. You may need to clip into the seam allowance to get the seam to lay flat.

Right sides together, pin the top collar to the undercollar. Refer to our helpful post on sewing super sharp collar points for some neat tricks! I traced my stitch line in at the corners so I knew exactly where to turn my work, and I sewed in thread tails to help shape the corners, just like for the hip pockets.

Sew around the outer edges of the collar at 5/8" (16mm). Trim the corners, being careful not to cut into your stitching, and grade the seams. The undercollar seams are the ones that will be trimmed the most.

Turn the collar right side out and press. Use a point turner to help shape the corners. The neckline seam of the top collar is still pressed under.

Right sides together, match the under collar to the neckline of the flight suit, matching notches at center back and shoulders. You can pin the under collar in place, but we recommend hand basting here too. You may need to clip into the neckline of the flight suit to get everything to match up, but I found I was able to ease the collar in by hand. If you are clipping the neckline, be careful not to cut past your stay stitching.

The edge of the collar should end precisely at the edge of center front on both sides. The seam allowance of the collar and neckline matches the top zipper stop and top of the zipper facing exactly.

Ensure the under collar is securely basted or pinned in place, leaving the top collar free.

Sew the under collar to the neckline of the flight suit at 5/8" (16mm). Grade the seam. Be careful not to trim the zipper tape and corners at center front too short, or you may have trouble sewing the collar closed in the next step. That said, zipper tape can be quite stiff, so trim it down to about 1/4" so your collar lies flat when everything is finished.

To close the collar, pin the folded neckline edge of the top collar in place, enclosing the neckline seam of the flight suit. Stitch across the neckline of the collar at 1/8" (3mm). I used regular thread for this step, since this stitch is not very visible when you are wearing the garment. Notice how the top edge of the zipper facing nests exactly against the folded edge of the top collar. If you're having trouble getting everything properly aligned, try handbasting this seam in place first. It keeps everything nicely anchored.

The last step is to sew a line of topstitching around the edge of the collar at 1/4" (6mm). I left long thread tails and pulled them through to inside the collar instead of backstitching for a cleaner finish. An optional step is to use some invisible hand stitches to help secure the collar on the right side to the facing along the top edge.

Fold the collar down and give it a press to shape it.

Next up: sewing inseams and side seams.