How to Sew a Continuous Bound Placket | Step-by-Step Sewing Tutorial
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How to Sew a Continuous Bound Placket | Step-by-Step Sewing Tutorial
A continuous bound placket creates a neat, reinforced opening finished with a narrow strip of fabric. It is commonly used for sleeve openings on shirts, blouses and dresses, but the same technique can be used anywhere a clean and flexible slit opening is required.
In this tutorial, you will learn how to mark and reinforce the placket opening, cut it safely, attach the bias strip, enclose the raw edges and finish the top of the placket for a clean and durable result.
Materials needed
- Garment piece with the placket opening marked
- Bias strip
- Matching thread
- Erasable fabric marker or tailor’s chalk
- Pins or sewing clips
- Small, sharp fabric scissors
- Iron and ironing surface
Before you start
Mark the exact position and length of the placket opening using the measurements indicated in your sewing pattern. Use an erasable fabric marker or tailor’s chalk so the guideline can be removed afterwards.
Prepare your bias strip before cutting the opening. Once the fabric has been cut, the top of the slit becomes delicate, so it is important to reinforce the area first and handle it carefully throughout the construction.
Why use a continuous bound placket?
The bias strip encloses the raw edges of the opening while allowing the placket to open and fold naturally. Reinforcing the top of the slit before cutting helps protect this vulnerable area from tearing and gives the finished opening a clean, durable construction.
Step-by-step instructions
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1
Mark the placket opening
Using an erasable fabric marker or tailor’s chalk, draw the line of the placket opening following the position and length indicated in your sewing pattern.
Prepare the bias strip that will be used to finish the opening before continuing.
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2
Reinforce the opening
Set your sewing machine to a short stitch length. Starting at the lower end of the marked opening, sew toward the top of the placket.
At the top, continue back down the opposite side so that you create two closely spaced lines of reinforcement stitching around the future opening.
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3
Cut the placket opening
Using small, sharp scissors, carefully cut along the marked line between the two reinforcement seams.
Continue all the way to the top of the opening. Work very slowly as you approach the end and avoid cutting through the reinforcement stitches.
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4
Sew the bias strip to the opening
Open the placket and gently spread the cut edges until the opening can be laid flat in a straight line.
Place the right side of the bias strip against the wrong side of the garment along the entire opening. Pin or clip it in place.
Sew along the bias strip approximately one quarter of its width from the raw edge, following the construction shown in the video.
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5
Fold and topstitch the bias
Turn the garment to the right side. Fold the free raw edge of the bias strip inward by approximately one quarter of its width.
Fold the bias over again so that it completely covers the raw edge of the placket and the previous line of stitching.
Pin carefully, then topstitch a few millimetres from the folded edge of the bias to secure it in place. Press the bound opening flat.
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6
Finish the top of the placket
Bring the two sides of the placket together with right sides facing each other. At the top of the opening, the bound section will naturally form a small triangular fold.
Stitch across this small triangle to secure the excess bias and help the placket fold neatly into position.
Press the completed placket one final time. Your continuous bound placket is now finished.
Professional sewing tip
Use a shorter stitch length when reinforcing the top of the placket. This area receives the most stress and is also the point where you will cut closest to the stitching. Work slowly with small, sharp scissors and stop just before the reinforcement stitches rather than cutting into them.
Common continuous bound placket problems
The fabric starts to fray or tear at the top of the opening
Check that the opening was reinforced before cutting and that you did not cut through the reinforcement stitches. The top of the slit is the most vulnerable part of the placket.
The bias strip puckers around the top of the placket
Make sure the placket opening is spread completely flat when attaching the bias. Do not stretch either the garment or the bias strip unnecessarily while sewing.
The raw edge is visible after topstitching
Before topstitching, check that the folded bias fully covers the raw edge and the first line of stitching. Pin or clip the strip securely before sewing.
The placket does not fold neatly at the top
Place the two sides right sides together and check the small triangular section formed at the top. Stitching across this triangle secures the bound opening and helps the finished placket sit correctly.
AinaSewingPatterns tutorial
This tutorial is part of the AinaSewingPatterns sewing library, created to help you achieve clean, professional garment finishes using practical techniques you can apply to your own sewing projects.
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