Are you ready for Christmas? If your gifts are wrapped, tree is lit, cider is on the stove, and you are just sitting around waiting for Christmas, I have just the project for you. However, if your house doesn’t look like a Norman Rockwell yet, this would be a great activity to save for next week if you have some time off between Christmas and New Years.

I recently acquired two vintage, fur collars. One was purchased at a thrift store for $5.00, the other was a gift from my Mom that she found at a yard sale. Both collars are very similar shades of brown so I had been looking for some way to distinguish one from the other. Inspired by a fur collar at Anthropologie, I thought how easy it would be to add a bow for the perfect holiday accessory.

You will only need a few supplies for this project. If you have a fur collar lying around that is just perfect but for the rest of you who may not collect such things, just keep your eyes open at thrift stores, yard sales, and estate sales. Think creatively, you may be able to find a good deal on a coat that has a detachable collar. This doesn’t have to be real fur either, I know some may prefer the faux variety.

You will also need a pretty ribbon, thread to match, a needle and a good pair of scissors. I chose this beautiful, velvety ribbon for its color. I intended to find something a bit wider for a larger bow but I just couldn’t pass up this rich golden yellow.

I started with 2 yards of ribbon to be safe as I did not know how large of a bow I would want. In the end, after sewing and trimming, I ended up with roughly a 22 inch ribbon on both ends of the collar.

The first thing I did was singe the end of the ribbon I was sewing to my collar. This is not a necessary step but this will keep the ribbon from fraying as you wear it.

Next I prepared to stitch the ribbon onto the collar by folding the end of the ribbon so it was covered by the length as seen in the photo above. If your ribbon has a front and back, be sure that once the ribbon is attached, it is the front that is facing out. You can pin this if you want to hold it in place while you stitch.

To secure the ribbon to the collar I did sort of an un-official overcast stitch on the folded edge, through the backing of the collar. Be careful never to push your needle all the way through to the fur on the other side. I used doubled thread for added strength but this may be overkill.

You can see above how it looked after the first row of stitching.

Next I did a running stitch just below the singed end that we are trying to hide. This will keep that little guy from showing and give the attached ribbon a more finished look.

Now repeat all steps on the other side of your collar, almost finished!

To finish the ends of my ribbon, I trimmed the ribbon at a diagonal and again, singed the ends. You can see there is a little dark line from the flame on the ends of the ribbons, I don’t mind this but if you prefer you can fold the end and stitch for a finished look and to keep the ends from fraying.

I wanted to style the finished product with a couple of different outfits to show the versatility. I love the idea of wearing this with a t-shirt and jeans for a shopping trip or a dinner out. This would be a great way to dress up your Christmas day outfit with the family.

I also paired it with a sweater and pencil skirt, this would be a great addition for your office Christmas party, especially if you work at an advertising agency, am I right Mad Men fans?

Lastly, though I didn’t put on a party dress for you, I think this would be perfect for new years. Throw it on over your party dress and you will be the classiest girl at the party.