Jacket Quick-change: How to Make a Detachable Fur Collar

Today I’m talking about how to make a detachable fur collar.

When cold weather hits, I start frantically pulling out different scarves, wraps, hoods, and all the thermal fabrics I can to fight off the chill.

There’s been a few times when I’ve gotten extra smart and made detachable faux fur collars. This is where one of my teaching mentors would tell me to “kiss your brain” for being so clever.

Here’s the genius of a DIY detachable fur collar:

That extra layer of warmth that they give you lets you wear a jacket or cardigan later in the year than you would normally.

You can give a winter coat a totally different look.

They *feel* so nice against your skin!

Plus this is a quickie project that takes almost no fabric and it’ll give you a chance to practice your faux fur sewing skills. Have I convinced you that you need to try this yet?

How to make a detachable fur collar: stuff you need for this DIY

  • 1/4 yard faux fur fabric
  • 1/4 yard lining fabric
  • box cutter or fabric scissors
  • small sew on snaps
  • coat, cardigan, or jacket in need of a makeover
  • pins or binder clips
  • hand needle + thread
  • Your favorite collar pattern: read on!

Finding a collar pattern for your detachable faux fur collar

You can use your favorite collar pattern here. If you’ve made a jacket in the past and liked the collar, by all means, use it here.

If you want to give a new look to a jacket or a coat that you’ve made before, just use the same collar pattern for your detachable faux fur collar.

Whatever you do, try to pick a collar that’s the same size or a little bit bigger than any collar on your jacket or coat. Faux fur has a lot of drama, so big is good!

If you’re making over a cardigan with your detachable faux fur collar, you can use just about any collar.

I’m updating this  refashioned jacket with a collar from my  Rose Tyler jacket.

Do I actually like this collar?

If you’re not sure how a collar is going to look on your jacket, pin the pattern piece to the neck.

Still not sure?

Make a quick and dirty muslin out of scrap fabric. Do you like how it looks?

If so, let’s go on.

Cut your pieces

Step 1 in how to make a detachable fur collar: we have to cut it! Before you cut, reduce the seam allowance down to 1/4″.

  • From the lining: cut 1 collar
  • From the faux fur: cut 1 collar–use the box cutter!

Check  how to sew faux fur sans fluff to keep your cutting clean.

Mark center back on the top and bottom of both of your collar pieces.

Pin the lining to the fur

Next step in how to make a detachable fur collar: pinning.

You can use standard pins or wonder clips. I used both because I ran out of Wonder clips!

First find the center back on the faux fur. Match the center back of the collar to the center back of the faux fur right sides together. Use your fingers to roll the edges of the fur to the inside as you pin it to the collar piece.

Keep going around the collar, pinning the edges together as you stuff the fluff to the inside. Depending on how fluffy the faux fur is, you might have to pin every 1/2″-1″.

It’s an unholy amount of pinning! For someone who would encourage you to  sew without pins, this sight is a lot for me! I will admit though that faux fur is quite literally a beast and needs more help than other fabrics.

leave a gap for turning along the neck seam

When you get to a corner, first fold the fur along one edge towards the inside. Then overlap the fur along the second edge towards the inside. This will help you get a clean unfluffy corner as you pin.

Pin all the way around the collar, leaving about 3″ on the neck edge free of pins.

Sew around the collar

Sew all the way around the collar, removing pins/clips as you go.

Make sure to leave the 3″ you left unpinned open.

Turn and finish the faux fur collar

When you’ve finished going around the collar, clip the corners and turn the collar through the hole.

Lightly press the edges on low heat with a press cloth. Make sure that the hole’s seam allowances are pressed towards the inside and even with the rest of the collar.

Make your faux fur collar detachable

Sew the male end of small snaps along the neck edge of your collar on the lining side close to the edge. Place one at center back and on the corners.

If your collar is bigger, you might want to add a couple more snaps for extra support.

From there, find the center back of your jacket and mark it with a pin. Sew the female side of a snap to center back on the inside of the jacket close to the edge.

Snap the collar and the jacket together at center back so you can mark the other snaps placement. Finish up sewing on the snaps.

Snap it into place and you’ve got a fresh new look to your jacket!

Variation: How to make a detachable fur collar with a ribbon

Here’s a more vintage look variation for your detachable fur collar:

Instead of sewing snaps to the jacket, you can wear your faux fur collar like a necklace with the addition of a ribbon.

To do this, cut two pieces of satin ribbon. When you’re pinning the lining to the faux fur collar, pin the ribbon to the neck edges.

Keep the ribbon sandwiched between the layers and sew around the collar and finish it up just like the snap version.

Tada!

So there’s two different ways you can make a detachable faux fur collar. Add it to any cardigan, jacket, or coat that you have. Shoot, you wear the ribbon version with a plain tee!


How to clean faux fur

Do you have some faux fur that could use some TLC? Check out this post on How to Clean Faux Fur!

The author may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.

Elizabeth Made This
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  • Linda Thomas Linda Thomas on Nov 02, 2021

    That's a great idea! I might be wrong about this, but wouldn't you normally make the collar a little longer to come closer to the center of the sweater? I guess this is just personal taste, but I think I try to make one a little bit longer to come closer to the center of sweater. Thank you so much for the nice idea!

  • Darlene Bartos Darlene Bartos on Feb 17, 2022

    This is soooo inspiring! Love how you put a pink collar on a olive Green sweater! The whole idea is so clever…. Who knew???

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