PLACKETS

A placket is an opening in the upper part of shirt, trousers or skirts, or at the neck or sleeve of a garment. Plackets
are almost always used to allow clothing to be put on or removed easily, but are sometimes used purely as a design
element. Modern plackets often contain fabric facings or attached bands to surround and reinforce fasteners such as
buttons, snaps, or zippers.

Various types of Plackets are:

 Basic placket/French Placket

 Box Placket – Used in blouses, skirts, men’s shirt
 Concealed Placket
 Kurta Placket
 Continuous Wrap Placket
I. BASIC/FRENCH PLACKET

Ready placket width = 3cms.

 STEPS OF DRAFTING
Step 1. Draw a line, place basic bodice block front by coinciding center front of bodice on line A and
trace.

Fig.1.1 Fig.1.2 Fig. 1.3

Step 2. Draw line B 1.5cms away from center front/line A followed by line C 3cms away from line B. Put seam
allowances as follows - Shoulder line, armhole, side seam, waist line and line C - 1cm; Neck line - 0.75 cms

Fig. 1.4 Fig. 1.5 Fig. 1.6

Step 3 Cut long the line as shown in fig. 1.7; Fold inside from line C as shown in fig. 1.8 and 1.9

Fig. 1.7 Fig. 1.8 Fig. 1.9

Step 4 Now fold inside from line C as shown in fig. 1.10. Cut along rest of the outline of the pattern
(seam allowances presented through dotted lines)

Fig.1.10 Fig. 1.11 Fig. 1.12

Step 5. Do button placement, label pattern information, mark notches and grain line as shown in Fig.
13 (Final pattern) Middle line in pink color represents center front.

Center Front

Note: Buttons
can also be
represented by

Fig. 1.13(Folds - flat) Fig. 1.12 (Folds)

 II. BOX-PLEAT PLACKET

Ready placket width = 3cms.

 STEPS OF DRAFTING
Step1. Draw a line A; draw line B parallel and 1.5 cms away from A followed by line C - 3cms away
from B.

Fig.2.1 Fig.2.2 Fig. 2.3

Step2. Draw fourth line D 1.5cms away from line A as shown in fig. 2.4, Line A is depicted with pink color which is center front
of garment. For box-pleat placket, one pleat will be by actual incorporation of pleat intake (left side as shown in fig. 2.5, and
another at opposite side will be presented with stitch at the time of garment construction. Draw line E and F each 0.5cms away
for knife pleat for ready pleat width 0.5cms. Do button placement.

Fig.2.4 Fig.2.5 Fig. 2.6

Step3. Fold line D and place it over line F to make a pleat as shown in fig. 2.7. Cut along line C.
There is no seam allowance kept at line C as BC will go inside inside pleat.

Fig.2.7 Fig.2.8 Fig. 2.9

Step 4.Fold from line B towards back and set it at the back side in such a way that edge (line C) is sandwiched
between the knife pleat as shown in fig. 2.10. Place your front bodice block over line and trace the block.

Fig.2.10 Fig. 2.11

Step 5. After tracing, Put seam allowances as follows - Shoulder line, armhole, side seam, waist line and line C -
1cm; Neck line - 0.75 cms, notches and label the pattern with pattern information. Fig. 2.12 final pattern in open
form; fig.2.13 is final ready pattern.

Fig.2.12 Fig. 2.13

 III. CONCEALED PLACKET

3.2 cms

3cms

Ready placket width = 3cms.

“A two layered placket where buttons are placed on the lower layer and upper
layer covers it”
 STEPS OF DRAFTING
Step 1: Draw a straight line A (fig. 3.1), followed by line B at a gap of 13.4cms(3.2+3.2+3+3+1) from line A as shown in fig.
3.2. Ready width of placket is 3cms, 0.2cm is taken extra in upper layer to cover under placket layer which is 3cms. Now, mark
line C 1cm away fromline A and line D so that CD=6cms.

Fig. 3.1 Fig. 3.2 Fig.3.3

Step 2: Draw line E and F at the middle of CD and BD respectively. These are the fold lines of upper
layer and lower layer. AC, shaded area is seam allowance for turn and stitch and finish raw edge of
fabric at the time of stitching. Cut along line A as shown in fig. 3.5 and 3.6

Fig.3.3 Fig.3.4 Fig.3.5

Step 3: Fold 0.75 cms of shaded area towards back side as shown in fig. 3.7. Now, fold line E and F
so that E and F coincides one over another. Fig. 3.9 is representing wrong side of pattern.

E
0.75 cms
(fold inside)
0.25 cms
(extra left for
stitching)

Lower layer is 0.2cms less

than upper layer so that it
should not be visible from
right side; Ready placket
width is 3 cms.

Fig. 3.7 Fig. 3.8 Fig. 3.9

Step 4: Do button placement as shown in fig. 3.11, place basic bodice block coinciding at center
front and trace as shown in fig. 3.12

Fig. 3.10 Fig. 3.11 Fig. 3.12

Step 5: After tracing, extend neck line from center front as shown in fig. 3.14. Put seam allowances
as follows - Shoulder line, armhole, side seam, waist line and line C - 1cm; Neck line - 0.75 cms and
cut along seam allowance line as shown in fig. 3.15.

Fig. 3.13 Fig. 3.14 Fig. 3.15

Step 6:Final Pattern - mark grain line, notches and pattern information

LOWER
LAYER

UPPER
LAYER

Fig. 3.16 Fig. 3.17

________________________________________________________________________

REFERENCES

 www.atailoredsuit.com
 blog.artvictus.com
 artofstyle.hucklebury.com
 www.office-dress-shirts.com
 www.threadsmagazine.com
 ARMSTRONG, H. J. (2014) Pattern Making for Fashion Design
 SHOBEN, Martin M.(1997) Pattern cutting and Making Up, Oxford Butterworth Publication - Heinemann Ltd.