Chanel Inspired Ruffle Collar and Cuffs

(showing this here today: )

Pathetic confession of the day:

I've been camping out at Chanel's website lately. Sometimes I even go to the "Coco Cocoon" site and just leave it up in the background so I can listen the song it plays over and over. (Actually....I'm doing that right now......)

Anyway. I fell in love with these little ruffle cuffs and collar (some things that, oddly enough, have been on my "ideas" list for some time now!), and I made some of my very own!

I love the full, ruffly collar bit, but honestly, I have no idea where I'd wear that kind of thing,! So I made an understated version, using this shirt of my husband's that doesn't fit anymore.

I off the cuffs and collar band, leaving about 1/4" of shirt fabric on the edges, when I could....

Tried on the collar band, and pinned the back where I wanted to sew it, in order to make it small enough for my neck. And I did the same for the cuffs. (you want it to be a little looser than how you would normally wear it, to make room for the seams you will make)

Then sewed them, right sides facing each other, where they were pinned.

Then I cut a strip of fabric from the shirt for each side of my collar and cuffs that were twice the length, and about 3" wide. (4 strips for my cuffs at 22x3", and two for the collar at 28x3")

This is how your collar and cuffs should look before adding the ruffles:

Then I ironed my ruffle pieces in half, width-wise....

Sewed a gathering stitch down the non-folded side, and gathered them...

Then I pinned them to the right sides of the cuffs/collar, and sewed them on with a strait stitch!

Ta-da!

Then I had fun with my husband and daughter doing an impromptu photo shoot!

(Thanks husband!)

It was fun to dress up, but I think I'll probably be wearing these a little more like this:

Tucked under a crew neck sweater, it kind of looks like layered shirts! (without the bulk!)