How to Alter a Girl's Letterman Jacket Collar

A letterman jacket collar can be replaced to change how it looks and fits.

Letterman jackets are often worn as a symbol of athletic achievement while in high school and sometimes at the university level. The collars of letterman jackets are often composed of rib-knit fabric that stands up straight around the neck of the wearer. While alterations of such jackets are more typically done on the sleeves and shoulder seams, it is possible to replace the collar if you want to change its height or color.

Things You'll Need

• Thread
• Rib-knit collar and cuff trim -- 1 yard, in your preferred width and color
• Sewing machine
• Seam ripper
• Needle
• Tailor's chalk
• Pins

Instructions

1. Use your seam ripper to remove the stitches along the base of the collar. Carefully insert the pointed part under each stitch, and push until the blade cuts the thread. Do this all the way around the neckline, and then remove the cut pieces of thread with your fingertips. Measure and note the seam allowance that was used -- the distance between the raw edge of the jacket's neckline and the collar seam's stitching.

2. Lay the discarded collar on top of your new rib-knit trim -- with their raw, unfinished edges aligned. If you've picked a wider trim to achieve a higher collar, the finished edge will extend past the old collar's finished edge. Secure them in place with several pins.

3. Mark your new piece of knit fabric with a piece of chalk on both short ends, indicating the neckline measurements of the original collar.

4. Cut out the new collar according to your markings.

5. Pin the new collar to the neckline of the jacket, right sides together, in the same position as the old collar. Insert a pin every 1 to 2 inches to hold it in place.

6. Sew the new collar to your jacket using a sewing machine, leaving the same exact seam allowance as was used for the old collar.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also add topstitching on the right side of the collar seam to reinforce it, if desired.

References

• University of Kentucky: Sewing with Knit Fabric
• Craft Stylish: How to Sew a Notched Jacket Lapel