Ever wonder how to finish the edge of a slit, like the ones in a sleeve just above a cuff? Well, the Continuous Lap Placket may just be your next best friend! So called because it laps around in one continuous line, this super useful bit of sewing know-how is fabulous for finishing slit edges, while also giving you a place to anchor hooks and eyes or other small closures.
Start by marking off the length of your slit, and carefully cutting along the line you marked. (If your fabric is delicate or likes to fray, you may want to staystitch about 1/8" away from your marked line on either side, before cutting...)
Cut a strip of fabric at least twice as long as your slit, to be the placket. A 1" wide strip will give you a 1/4" placket, which is great for sleeves, but you'll probably want to cut a much wider strip if you're adding a placket to a skirt.
Press under one long edge of the strip, 1/4". Pin it along the slit, carefully opening the slit up as you go. The raw edges should line up everywhere BUT at the point -- which is fine and as it should be! The fashion fabric has to dip a bit lower at the point of the slit, to avoid giving you weird puckers. Just make sure that the point doesn't dip down below your stitch line.
Stitch 1/4" away from the raw edge of the placket fabric. You can see the stitchline pretty clearly in the picture below -- try to just skim across the very point of the fashion fabric, just enough to catch it but not so deep you get puckers.
Press the placket fabric up, away from the fashion fabric, and fold it over the raw edge.
Stitch the edge of the placket down, enclosing the raw edges. You can do this by hand or by machine -- I machined it here for clarity, but I think hand-stitching gives the nicest results. :)
As a final step, stitch across the very top of your placket, right at the fold, at a 45 degree angle. This helps reinforce the point of the slit, and gives your placket a nice finished look. Press the placket so that one side folds under, and the other side extends. Congratulations!
Thanks for following along today, everyone! Have fun with this, and let us know in the comments how you use this most fabulous of plackets in your own work!
For Pixie Faire,
Melinda
33 Comments
I am looking forward to trying this technique, thank you for sharing>
Ya know what?! I’ve been trying this fo 2 days now using various instructions. Flop after flop was the result. I was running out of practice scrap fabric! finally Googled “why does my continuous sleeve placket pucker” and this tutorial came up. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the very clear, no-nonsense instructions! Another bit of sewing expertise has been learned.
To Linda R., thanks so much for your tip on printing up the instructions. I have been wanting to take a print to my machine. I have serger and sewing machine side by side so not enough room for laptop.
Also big thanks to Melissa. I have learned so much from these sewing tips you have given us. I have taken lots of online courses that I could refer to but yours are the best and easiest to find when I am in a hurry sewing doll clothes. I am working on making a placket on the back of the Liberty Jane baseball skirt. My daughter hates Velcro so I am going to put snaps on hers. Thanks for your tips. You are wonderful. Janice
This was the most comprehensive explanation I have found Simple and clear, especially with the illustrations.
This was my 3rd site looking for the penny to drop. Success. It all made sense and I’ve fitted a perfect continuous lap, which I had NEVER heard of. Thanks