Not your usual shirt placket :))

Well, I'm working on my second blouse (and third top) for my Timmel SWAP entry, which is the shirt from my wardrobe pattern, Vogue 2813, made in red silk twill (necktie silk).

The shirt is far from being finished (I added a bit of embellishment to the front, and I'm making French seams again) but I'd like to show you how I treated the shirt placket.

Regarding the placket, I know that some bloggers find it difficult, therefore I'd like to point you to two extremely useful tutorial (at least they were for me):

• Kathleen Fasanella's tutorial: part 1, part 2, part 3 (I've tried this tutorial and loved it, it works great and it is easy)
• Rusty Bobbin's tutorial for a shirt placket with continuous lap: I haven't tried this one but am looking forward to trying it. It looks easy, logical and the result is beautiful. Her method inspired me for the placket treatment that I'm showing today.
  
• I'm waiting for David Coffin's Shirtmaking. It's going to be here soon. As a parenthesis, I bought a few books lately and am currently reading them (Claire Shaffer's Couture Sewing Techniques and High Fashion Sewing Secrets from the World's Best Designers: A Step-By-Step Guide to Sewing Stylish Seams, Buttonholes, Pockets, Collars, Hems, And More, Roberta Carr's Couture: The Art of Fine Sewing and Tailoring: The Classic Guide to Sewing the Perfect Jacket). When I buy a sewing book, I read it page by page. I then re-read it many times, by sections, according to the project I'm working on and the information that I need.

Not your usual shirt placket



First, cut a piece for the placket. This needs to be cut on grain, the width is 1' (approx. 2.5 cm), the length is twice the length of your placket slit plus 1' (approx 2.5 cm).

On the wrong side of the sleeve, draw around the slit a rectangle, adding 1/4' on each side of the slit and a supplementary 1/4" at the top, where the slit stops (see my picture below; look at the indigo lines, drawn with my vanishing marker. The white chalk marks are the original pattern marks. And sorry for the wonky lines, they are actually straight, but I moved the silk by mistake before taking the picture).



Now cut your slit open with really sharp scissors. You cut a straight line which is the length of your original slit (without the additional 1/4" at the top) and then, at the top, you cut diagonally to the top of the rectangle, like you would for a welt pocket.

You can see the cut below. I spread the sleeve so you can see accurately how I cut.




Now, take your placket and fold 1/4" on one long edge. Press.



Put the placket's right side (the unfolded edge aligned to the slit) to the sleeve's wrong side , and sew continuously: one side of the slit, the cut triangle, the other side of the slit. See the result below (the circle points you to the sewn triangle).



Press your seam allowances towards your placket. It should look like this:



Now fold the placket and wrap it over your seam allowances, bringing the pre-folded edge to the right side of the sleeve (make sure you cover the stitching).



Press. At the top of the rectangle, form a peak with your finger and press in place. It should look like this:



Now you're ready to sew. Edgestitch (an edgestitching foot helps) the placket and you're done.

Finished placket



Wrong side of the placket