Knit collar : Tips for lazy people

Lazy people ? Yep, that's me.

When I began sewing knit and jersey fabrics, I mostly wanted to do t-shirts, being tired of the tote-bag-like fitting and the dull colors I found in stores. Searching for the right ribbing for the collarband proved too complicated impossible. So I opted for self-fabric collar. (lazy #I)

I searched on the internet for the formula that would magically give me a perfect collarband. (lazy #II)
I found anything between 50% and 90%. I was not satisfied. I bought patterns. (lazy #III)

Looking at the patterns, I found that, often, the right proportion was around 90%.

Here's a demonstration on a modified Renfrew with a V collar. (I used only half of the garment) I want my collarband to be 1,5cm (3/8") large. The collar on the main piece is 36cm (14"1/16), and the edge of the collarband is 32cm (12"3/8), so the ratio is 89%. Logically, the larger the collarband, the smaller the ratio.
Depending on the fabric, I'll use a slightly smaller percentage if I want my collarband to stay flat (lightweight, or very stretchy fabrics for examples).

As you may have noticed on the first photo, I sew knits with my serger. So I had problems sewing the central part of the V neck collarband, as it's a zigzag. (btw, Kwik Sew tells me to sew a rectangle, and then, when I've attached the collarband to the bodice, to sew by hand the center part to make it flat... I love Kwik Sew, but no, just no).

So This is what I do : right side on right side, I then fold neetly in two and sew straight. (lazy #IV)



Then I "open" my collarband, and cut the small part standing out.

But I would not advise this for heavyweight fabric, as all the seam allowances end up on the same side.

For the same reason as above, I begin sewing my V neck at the center of the V ; this way I don't have to take any turn, and my V doesn't end up as a U. (lazy #V)