Use a lightweight fabric with fluid movement, such as organza, lamé, silk, or chiffon. This will create 1 wing. You will need to do this entire section twice in order to create the second wing.
Start with a 80- to 120-grit sandpaper, then finish with a 360- to 600-grit.
Press the seams when you are done with an iron to make them nice and neat. Use a heat setting appropriate for the fabric that you are working with. In most cases, you will end up using a low-heat or synthetics setting. If you don’t own a sewing machine, you can hem the edges with iron-on hem tape or fabric glue.
If you make the seam allowance too wide, the dowel won’t fit into the pocket. If you don’t own a sewing machine, you can use fabric glue instead. Don’t use iron-on hem tape, or it will make the seam too thick and the pocket too narrow.
You can try doing this on a sewing machine with a straight stitch, but the dowel may get in the way. Consider sewing just the corner of the wing and leaving the other end open. This will make the dowel easier to remove.
When you are done, you should end up with 2 identical wings, 1 with the dowel on the left side, and 1 with the dowel on the right.
For example, if your neck is 12 inches (30 cm), then your new measurement will be 16 inches (41 cm).
For example, if your new neck measurement was 16 inches (41 cm), then your rectangle should be 16 by 4 inches (41 by 10 cm).
The wrong side is typically the side without a print; it can also be paler in color. Some lightweight fabrics don’t have a right or wrong side, so you can choose either side.
Press the entire rectangle flat with an iron once more for a cleaner, crisper finish.
Depending on your material, it may not hold creases well. It might be a good idea to secure the fabric with pins as you sew.
Use a tailor’s chalk to make a mark on dark fabrics, and a tailor’s pen to make a mark on light fabrics. The Velcro should be a little narrower than the collar, about 3⁄4 inch (1. 9 cm). The length of the Velcro pieces should match the overlap length. If your collar overlapped by 1 1⁄2 inches (3. 8 cm), make the Velcro pieces 1 1⁄2 inches (3. 8 cm) long. Sew the Velcro down; don’t use self-adhesive Velcro.
These marks are important; you will use them to align the wings on the collar. Don’t flip the collar over when you get to the loop-side Velcro. You should see where it ends based on the stitching.
You can also make the mark with a dress maker’s chalk or pen.
Repeat this step for the right wing and the right side of the collar. The dowel part of the wings should be sticking out to either side. The other end of the wings will meet together in the middle and hang down.
Backstitch when you start and finish sewing. If you don’t own a sewing machine, you’ll have to do this by hand.
Swing your arms around to make the wings move.
