Sewing Shirt Cuffs and Sleeve Plackets

A placket finishes the opening in the lower sleeve so the cuff can open wide enough for the hand to pass through and then button snug at the wrist. The tailored placket does this with two overlapping pieces: a narrow underlap and a wider overlap that finishes in a pointed tower, which covers the opening completely when buttoned.

The opening also allows the sleeve to be gathered or pleated into a cuff narrower than the sleeve itself. Without a placket, the cuff would either be too tight to pass the hand or too loose to sit at the wrist.

Accuracy starts with the slit. The placket position and length are marked on the sleeve from the pattern, and the fabric is cut precisely along that line, stopping short at the top where the tower will cap it. A small triangular clip at the top of the slit, cut right into the corners, is what allows the pieces to fold flat later.

Interface the overlap piece, particularly the tower point, so it holds its shape and the buttonhole worked there stays crisp. Mark the fold lines on both placket pieces clearly, because the folding sequence depends entirely on them.

1. 1.Stitch the narrow underlap to one side of the slit and fold it to enclose that raw edge.
2. 2.Stitch the overlap to the other side of the slit, right sides together, along its marked seam.
3. 3.Fold and press the overlap so it covers the opening, forming the tower point at the top.
4. 4.Tuck the small triangle at the top of the slit up under the overlap.
5. 5.Edgestitch the overlap down, pivoting cleanly around the tower point, and stitch across the base to lock everything in place.

A cuff is essentially a folded band interfaced for body. Interface one half, fold the cuff right sides together and stitch the short ends, then trim and grade the corners and turn it right side out for crisp points, exactly as you would a collar. Press it flat with the seam rolled slightly to the inside.

Before attaching the cuff, reduce the sleeve to the cuff length by forming the pleats or gathers marked on the pattern, positioned so they fall to the back of the sleeve. This controlled fullness is what lets a wide sleeve close into a trim cuff.

Sandwich the pleated sleeve edge between the two layers of the cuff, or stitch the interfaced layer to the sleeve first and fold the inner layer over the seam. Match the cuff ends to the placket edges so the overlap and underlap align with the cuff opening. Edgestitch around the cuff to finish, echoing the topstitching on the collar and placket for a consistent look.

Work the buttonhole in the overlap end of the cuff and place the button on the underlap so the cuff closes with the tower placket lying smoothly over the wrist.

• Position pleats toward the back of the sleeve so the fullness falls naturally over the back of the hand.
• Keep topstitching distance identical on placket, cuff and collar for a unified finish.
• Test the cuff opening against the hand width before committing the buttonhole placement.
• Bar-tack the base of the placket for strength if the shirt will be worn hard.