
With the weather turning colder here in Baltimore, my thoughts turned to a Carpe Diem Tunic for winter wear. I feel warmer with my neck surrounded, so I started imagining ways to add a collar to the Carpe Diem Dress & Tunic pattern. Here is how I did it…


My inspiration was the Butterfly Tunic, a boat neck tee that I added a collar to a few years ago. Because I was working with cotton flannel this time rather than a knit, I knew I would have to make some accommodations for the non-stretch fabric. I remembered seeing an article in the most recent issue of Sew News about adding a faux fur collar to a top, and found the instructions in winter issue # 384, pp.53-54, with a free downloadable collar pattern online.
Assemble the Carpe Diem Top

I began by sewing the Carpe Diem tunic, using the pattern I had created with a front and back yoke for my Plum Dobby Tunic. I cut the front and back yokes and the side panels on the bias and everything else was cut on the grain. Because of my plans for the collar, I didn’t need to cut front and back facings to finish the neckline. I did, however, add a facing to the back yoke for support using the same process I described for last year’s Cozy Flannel Shirt. (In fact, I cut this back yoke facing out of my left over black and white check flannel because I didn’t have enough of the red and black plaid to get both the collar and a second back yoke!)
Prepare the Collar
After the tunic was assembled, I turned to the Sew News collar pattern and instructions as a guide. From the flannel that was left, I cut a strip about 6” longer than my measured neckline opening and as wide as I could manage, so it ended up being 9” deep. Folding wrong sides together the long way, I sewed the rounded ends closed and turned the collar right side out.
Carpe Diem Neckline Ends of collar stitched closed Collar turned right side out and ready to insert.
Insert the Collar
After pinning the center of the collar to the center back of the neckline, I pinned one side of the collar around to the front and then the other, ending up with a 4” overlap. Finally, I finished the neckline just as one would with a knit:
- Baste the collar into the neckline with a 5/8” seam.
- Check and adjust the seam to ensure the collar is laying smoothly in the neckline.
- Serge the neckline seam, leaving a 3/8” seam allowance.
- Topstitch the seam allowances to the top 1/8” from the collar seam.
Collar pinned to neckline Seam allowanced finished with serger Cozy Collar Finished!
Easy, soft and cozy! I am very happy with my new flannel tunic and the colors are perfect for the holidays. Give this a try for a winter Carpe Diem Dress or Tunic and let us know how it goes. We’d love to see your photos on social media with our hashtag #carpediemdress or #carpediemtunic and of course #fitforartpatterns.
Happy Sewing, Carrie
I want to make this just as you did, but I am confused. How do I get the correct neckline cut out to match the collar from the Sew News pattern? I do have the Carpe Diem pattern and I looked at the Butterfly collar. Thank you for any help you can give me.
I measured the neckline opening once I had assembled the tunic from center back to center front, then added a few inches to create overlap. Once you have that measurement, you can adapt the Sew News pattern to cut your collar on the fold. It would be a good idea to do a trial collar in muslin or other scrap fabric and test pin it to your Carpe Diem to make sure you are happy with the length/amount of overlap before cutting it out of your garment fabric. Good luck!