We've finally reached the end of our Kalle Sewalong! If you'd like to see all the posts in one place, check out our sewalong page where everything is organized in sequential order.

Today we will be covering the installation of the arm cuffs, a post a few of you have requested over the past few weeks. It's easy to get a little confused here since we drafted the cuffs with an angle to match the angle of the shoulder seam (I hate when sleeve cuffs like this are rectangular and stick straight out) but sometimes people aren't sure what side goes where. Hopefully this tutorial will clarify all of your questions.

Your shirt should be completely assembled; seams finished, plackets sewn, collar installed. The only thing left to do is to sew the sleeve cuffs to the shirt.

To start with, you'll have four pieces - two front cuffs and two back cuffs.

Pin the front cuffs to the back cuffs, right sides together. The front cuffs are a little bit shorter than the back ones.

Stitch together along the two short ends; make sure you are following the angle of the cuff along the top edge. Clip through the center of the cuff to the point of stitching along the top of the cuff.

Press the seams open on each cuff; the clip you made in the previous step will let you press the seam open along the angled part.

Press the cuffs in half, wrong sides together. Clip off the bits of seam peeking out along the angled side.

Now figure out what cuff goes where. As I said, the angled part of the cuff is the top; it will match up with the shoulder seam and create a nice, consistent slope. The straight part of the cuff goes along the underarm.

You need to decide which cuffs goes where because we need to press in the seam allowance on the inside of the cuff; if you press them both in on the same side you'll have one cuff backwards.

Staystitch along the side of the cuff you'll be pressing in at 5/8". Press the seam allowance in, wrong sides together along this line of stitching. Your cuffs should basically be mirrored as they are below.

Pin the raw, unpressed edge of the cuff to the sleeve opening, matching side seams. You may find the sleeve opening seems slightly longer than the cuff depending on your fabric; they are drafted to  be the same length but the fabric can stretch out a little here. If that's the case, do your best to ease the cuff and opening together.

Stitch all the way around. Press the seam away from the shirt and grade the seam.

Fold the cuff along the crease you pressed earlier. The seam allowance you pressed along the stay-stitched line should line up with the seam line of the cuff.

Topstitch the cuff in place on the right side of the shirt, 1/8" away from the seamline. Ensure you are catching the underside of the cuff in your stitching as you go around.

The final cuff should neatly encase the arm opening.

And that's it for this step and for our sewalong! If you haven't done so already,  go ahead and sew your buttonholes and buttons.  I suggest taking a look at our post on sewing perfect buttonholes if this strikes fear into your heart.

 

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See all posts in our Kalle Sewalong series. Get the pattern here.

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Our sewalong for the Kalle Shirt & Shirtdress pattern is drawing to a close. Later this week we will cover inserting the arm cuffs, but today we'll wrap up our series on sewing shirt collars by demonstrating how to sew a band collar (also known as a stand collar or collarless collar).

Earlier in the sewalong I showed you two techniques for sewing a regular collar; the traditional method, and an easier alternative method with a different construction order. The technique I am going to demonstrate for the band collars is basically a mix of the two.

To start with, cut out your two band collars. Please note this is a different pattern piece than the one you use with the regular collar; it is narrower and a little daintier (one of my drafting pet peeves is when patterns use the same piece for stand and regular collars). Interface one of the bands. If you’d like to reduce bulk, you can trim the interfacing so it doesn’t extend into the seam allowance, but we didn’t do so in this example.

Staystitch along the neckline, just inside the seam allowance.

Pin the interfaced band along the neckline. Clip to the staystiching along the curves to get it to lay flat.

The band collar should extend past the edges of the shirt by 5/8" on either side.

Stitch shirt to collar at 5/8" seam allowance and press seam up.

Finger press the seam down near the edge of the shirt on either side.

Pin non-interfaced band collar to the interfaced collar, right sides together.

Roll the shirtfront out of the way of the seam allowance; it should sit in the finished area of the band collar.

Pin the collars together all the way around as far as you can without catching the shirt front in the seam.

Starting on one side of the shirt, sew along the bottom of the collar, stitching as far as you can in, without catching the shirt front that is rolled out of the way.

Stitch all the way around at 5/8" using a short stitch length, pivoting at the corners with your needle down. As you come back around to the other side, stitch as far as you can along the bottom edge of the band collar without catching the rolled up shirt with your stitching.

It should look something like this on both sides when you're done.

Trim close to your stitching, and grade remaining seams as necessary.

Turn right side out and press thoroughly. You should have a nice clean corner where the edge of the stand meets the shirt.

Here it is on the wrong side:

Press the raw seam of the inner band under along the neckline seam in between the two corners you just sewed, and then secure it in place.  You can slipstitch it in place by hand, use wonder tape, or use a fabric glue stick and glue baste in place. You can also try pinning it in place but I find you’re more likely to get puckers and misalign the inner band this way.

With inner band secured, it’s time to topstitch. This is one of the trickiest parts of sewing shirts because it can be challenging to get your stitching even on both inner and outer band. Most instructions call for you to topstitch on the outside of the shirt, but if you always wear your shirt unbuttoned like I do,  you may want to do it from the inside so you can guarantee the topstitching is even on the side of the stand you’re most likely to see.

Start your stitching at the center back of the shirt. You’ll be topstitching about 1/8″ from the edge; an edge stitch foot can help you get even stitching here.

Continue all the way around until the band collar is topstitched all the way around.

At this point you can go ahead and sew your buttonholes and buttons.  I suggest taking a look at our post on sewing perfect buttonholes if this strikes fear into your heart.

Our last post in the sewalong will be here in a few days where we tackle the arm cuffs. See you then!

 

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See all posts in our Kalle Sewalong series. Get the pattern here.

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Yesterday I showed you a slightly unconventional method for sewing a collar for the Kalle Shirt & Shirtdress. While this is my preferred construction technique for shirt-making, I thought I'd demonstrate the traditional method as well; you should try both and see what you prefer.

To start with, you’ll need the collar stands and top and under collar cut out. Interface one of the collar stands and the top collar piece only. If you’d like to reduce bulk, you can trim the interfacing so it doesn’t extend into the seam allowance, but we didn’t do so in this example.

Sew your collar pieces right sides together. I suggest using our tutorial on sewing sharp collar points first. The under collar is slightly smaller than the top; this helps roll the top collar over the under collar a little bit so it doesn’t peek out. Grade your seams. Press thoroughly and topstitch 1/4″ away from the edge. This collar was actually sewn before I tested sewing sharp collar points and was done using the "miter" corner method with a squared off corner - you can see how blunt it is. Use the thread pulling technique for sharper corners!

Sandwich the collar in between the two stands, right side together. The interfaced side of the collar should be touching the interfaced side of the stand. Pin into place.

Before stitching along the top edge of the stand, you may want to draw in the curved seam allowance using a seam gauge or use the pattern piece as a template. This makes it easier to get a consistent curve when you're sewing.

Stitch the collar and stands together using a short stitch length (2mm).

Grade and trim the collar stand to reduce bulk and let you easily turn the stand right side out. Don't clip the curve, just trim close to the seam allowance.

Turn right side out and press thoroughly.

Measure and mark the seam allowance along each shirt front at the neckline. Staystitch just inside the seam allowance all the way around the neckline of your shirt.

Pin the stand to the neckline of the shirt, matching up the edges of the stand with the edges of the shirt. Only pin the outer stand to the neckline, and leave the seam allowances free.

Clip along the curves of the neckline to the staystitch line to “flatten” the seam and get the neckline and stand lined up.

Starting on one end, stitch the stand to the shirt as close as possible to the edge as you can get, without stitching the seam allowance of the stand itself (tuck that seam allowance up and out of the way when you get started).

Continue stitching to the end, again, not catching the seam allowance of the stand itself in the stitching at the other end. The edge of teh stand should be even with teh edge of the shirt on either side when you're finished.

Here's the tricky part. The outer stand is now to sewn to the neckline like so:

In order to get a nice clean joint here, we are going to tuck everything inside the corner of that stand and sew about an inch or so in. It's kind of hard to show in a picture, but essentially you want to roll the collar out of the way, and then turn the stand wrong side out.

The inner stand should fold over along the outer stand, with the collar and edge of the shirt in between rolled out of the way of the seam allowance. You are only catching the seam allowance of the shirt (not the front of the shirt) and the two collar stands with a few pins. The collar and shirt front are rolled out of the way and won't get caught in the stitching. It will be very tight, but the goal is to stitch that corner for an inch or so, to create a super clear join on front and back.

At your machine, stitch those seam allowances together at 5/8" as far as you can without catching the shirt front in your stitching. Use a short stitch length, and then trim around the corner and grade seams to reduce bulk.

When you pull the stand right side out, you should have nice clean corners on either side where all the seam allowances are tucked inside. This can be a tricky step so don't be too hard on yourself if it takes a few tries to get right.

Press the raw seam of the inner stand under along the neckline seam in between the two corners you just sewed.

Before we topstitch the collar into place, we want to secure the inner stand in place. You can slipstitch it in place by hand, use wonder tape, or use a fabric glue stick and glue baste in place. You can also try pinning it in place but I find you’re more likely to get puckers and misalign the inner stand this way.

With inner stand secured, it’s time to topstitch. This is one of the trickiest parts of sewing shirts because it can be challenging to get your stitching even on both inner and outer stand. Most instructions call for you to topstitch on the outside of the shirt, but if you always wear your shirt unbuttoned like I do,  you may want to do it from the inside so you can guarantee the topstitching is even on the side of the stand you’re most likely to see.

Start your stitching at the center back of the shirt. You’ll be topstitching about 1/8″ from the edge; an edge stitch foot can help you get even stitching here. Ignore the pins in the picture below; if you’ve glue or hand basted the stand in place you won’t need them.

Continue sewing all the way around the perimeter of the stand. When you approach the corners, leave the needle down and turn your work.

Continue all the way around until you've secured the stand completely.

As I've said, I do prefer the more unconventional method, but to each their own!

What's your preferred method for installing a collar?

 

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See all posts in our Kalle Sewalong series. Get the pattern here.

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We're rounding the finish line in our Kalle Shirt & Shirtdress sewalong! Over the next couple of days, I am going to show you two methods for sewing a shirt collar, and then we'll be able to finish up next week with the band collar and cuffs.

In this post I am going to further explain the order of construction for the collar we included in our instructions. I first encountered this method on the Four Square Walls blog, and I know I'm not alone in finding it much easier to sew than the traditional way (although I will show you that as well tomorrow, since you may prefer one over the other).

To start with, you'll need the collar stand, top and under collar cut out. Interface one of the collar stands and the top collar piece only. If you'd like to reduce bulk, you can trim the interfacing so it doesn't extend into the seam allowance, but we didn't do so in this example.

Sew your collar pieces right sides together. I suggest using our tutorial on sewing sharp collar points first. The under collar is slightly smaller than the top; this helps roll the top collar over the under collar a little bit so it doesn't peek out. Grade your seams. Press thoroughly and topstitch 1/4" away from the edge.

This is where the order changes a bit. Normally you would assemble the collar and stand fully and then sew the entire thing to the shirt neckline. Instead, we are going to pin the top collar stand (the interfaced one) along the neckline. Makes sure your neckline is staystitched at this stage just inside the seam allowance to prevent the neckline from stretching out.

Clip along the curves of the neckline to the staystitch line to "flatten" the seam and get the neckline and stand lined up. Ensure that the stand extends past each side of the shirt by the 5/8" seam allowance.

Stitch the shirt to the stand at 5/8" seam allowance.

Press the seam up towards the stand.

Now pin the collar to the top edge of the top collar stand, matching notches. Stitch together at 5/8".

You still have a collar stand piece, this one non-interfaced. Press the bottom seam up 5/8", wrong sides together. Now place the inner collar stand on top of the collar, right sides together, sandwiching the collar between the two stands. Pin into place.

Again, the stands should extend past the edge of the shirt by 5/8". Ensure that the folded edge of the inner stand lines up with the seam line where the outer stand is sewn to the shirt. This ensures that when you flip the entire thing right side out, the two stands will meet up at that seam.

Stitch the stands together at 5/8", catching the collar in between your stitching. As you turn the corners, you want to be sure you're not accidentally catching the shirt itself in your stitching. If you have trouble getting a nice smooth curve there, you may find it easier to draw in a guideline using the pattern piece as a template.

Once the collars have been stitched, trim and grade the seam. You'll want to trim somewhat close to the curve so it turns nicely on the inside. Try to leave a little bit of fabric on the outer edges of the stand; it gives you a little bit to hold onto and tuck out of the way. If you trim it too close you may see it peeking out when the stand is topstitched later.

Turn the collar right side out and press thoroughly. Ensure the folded edge of the inner stand lines up with the seamline of the outer stand. Grade seams to reduce bulk and press thoroughly.

Before we topstitch the collar into place, we want to secure the inner stand in place. You can slipstitch it in place by hand, use wonder tape, or use a fabric glue stick and glue baste in place. You can also try pinning it in place but I find you're more likely to get puckers and misalign the inner stand this way.

With inner stand secured, it's time to topstitch. This is the trickiest part of sewing shirts because it can be challenging to get your stitching even on both inner and outer stand. Most instructions call for you to topstitch on the outside of the shirt, but if you always wear your shirt unbuttoned like I do,  you may want to do it from the inside so you can guarantee the topstitching is even on the side of the stand you're most likely to see.

Start your stitching at the center back of the shirt. You'll be topstitching about 1/8" from the edge; an edge stitch foot can help you get even stitching here. Ignore the pins in the picture below; if you've glue or hand basted the stand in place you won't need them.

 

Continue sewing all the way around the perimeter of the stand. When you approach the corners, leave the needle down and turn your work.

When complete it should look something like this (but hopefully with less puckers - this fabric was a beast to sew!)

At this point you can go ahead and sew your buttonholes and buttons.  I suggest taking a look at our post on sewing perfect buttonholes if this strikes fear into your heart.

Tomorrow I'll show you the "traditional" method for sewing collars. Hope you consider trying this method for your Kalle or other shirts though - I really do find it much easier to get good results!

 

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See all posts in our Kalle Sewalong series. Get the pattern here.

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This week we are talking about installing the collar for our Kalle Shirt & Shirtdress. I am going to show you two methods for doing so, but in the meantime I thought it would be fun to take a little detour to discuss how to sew sharp collar points.

If you've made a few shirts, you've probably struggled with getting nice, sharp collar points. I wanted to experiment to see what got the best results, so I tried three different methods. The first one is commonly called for in shirt pattern instructions; as you approach the corner, you use a short stitch length to square it off with 1-2 shirt stitches. The second method is the one most commonly employed by professional shirt-makers, at least according to David Coffin in his Shirtmaking book. In the last method, you sew the corner stitch over a piece of thread and then use that thread tail to pull the corner clean out.

Here is a quick look at my results.

The fold-over and thread tail method are the clear winners here. I believe I got the sharpest results with the thread tail method, but I am going to show you both techniques and you can choose the one that works best for you. Since I have never gotten great results using the square off method, I won't be explaining that one any further.

The Fold-Over + Turn Method

If you are sewing shirt collars this way, simply sew your seam allowance normally, pivoting at the corner. Trim the entire seam down to 1/4".

It isn't necessary to trim too closely around the seams, but you do not want to remove a bit of thickness. I graded the interfaced seam down in the below example; if I wanted to remove bulk even more, I would cut  my interfacing to the size of the finished collar and not apply any along the seam allowance at all.

Next, fold over the edge of the corner right at the point and try to crease the edge with your finger.

Next, fold over the seam along the stitch line and crease it in place.

Repeat for the other side.

Now you'll need a pointy pair of tweezers. I find the ones that come with most sergers work well - it's important they have a long, pointed edge so you can get right into the corner. Push the tweezers into the corner and try and grab this little folded over area of fabric as you hold it steady with your fingers. The tweezers should be grabbing the right side of the collar on the other side.

Hold the tweezers tightly and then flip the corner to the inside. The collar should naturally align along the crisp folds of fabric you made into a nice point.

If you're having trouble getting the point entirely out, David Coffin recommends using a large needle to nudge the point out - just be careful you don't use too much force or you may nick a thread.

I find the tweezer method gives pretty good results, but it's a little fiddly. I am super happy to have discovered the following technique. It gives super sharp corners and is pretty easy to sew, one of those sewing moves that feels like magic.

Getting Perfect Collar Points Using a Thread Tail

This method is done at the sewing machine, but I like to mark my stitch line before I get  there so I know exactly where to pivot my stitching.

At your sewing machine, sew the seam allowance normally, but switch to a short stitch length before you get to the first corner (around 2mm). Right before you make the stitch that you will pivot from to turn the corner, cut a length of thread. Leave your needle down and raise your presser foot. Bring the piece of thread in between the two collar pieces on either side of the needle until it is touching the needle itself. Use your left hand to keep this piece of thread taut.

Put your presser foot down and sew one stitch, leaving your needle down. You have just sewn over your thread tail.  Now, pull the thread on the right side over to the left, around the base of the needle. You should now be holding  both threads in your left hand.

Leave the needle down, and turn the collar so you are ready to sew the next side. Pull the thread tail as far to the left as you can so it is out of the way when you begin stitching. Now sew one stitch. You have now "trapped" the thread tail in between the two stitches that meet at the corner.

Continue sewing, and repeat the same steps as above for the other corner.

Once your collar is stitched, grade your seams and trim close corner without cutting your stitch line.

Now here's the fun part! Gently pull on  your thread tail and turn the collar right side out. Don't pull too hard, or you risk popping a stitch or pulling the corner too far out.

You'll find you've created a remarkably sharp collar point! Press into shape and you're good to go.

Hopefully, you'll get great results sewing your next collar with one of these methods. What is your favourite way to sew collars?

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See all posts in our Kalle Sewalong series. Get the pattern here.

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Earlier this week we covered sewing finishing our curvy hems with bias tape. For the cropped variation of the Kalle Shirt & Shirtdress pattern, a different technique is required: a hem facing. A little more involved than your standard hemming routine, our curved, faced hem creates a beautiful finish inside and out, in addition to creating the right amount of weight and body for the structure of the shirt.

Before we can sew the hem, we need to finish the side seams of the shirt. Pin front and back together along the side seams, right sides together.

Stitch along the length of the side seam, stopping at the circle mark as indicated on your pattern.Clip through your seam to this circle, being careful not to cut into your stitch line.

Finish the seam above the cut notch with serging or a flat fell seam. If serging, wind your thread tail back into the serging with a darning needle so it doesn't unravel.

Press the seam to the back – use a tailors ham to press the curve flat under the arm opening. If you cannot get the curve to lay flat, you may need to clip to the original stitch line. Topstitch the seam in place to secure.

Time to prepare the hem facing. Match up the front and back facing along the side seams, right sides together. They should meet up at the top, with the back hem facing extending a little bit lower.

Stitch facings together along seams and press seams open along stitching.

For a super clean finish on the inside, press in the top edge of the entire facing about 1/4". You can use a line of stay-stitching to use as a pressing guide. You can also serge this seam if you're feeling lazy.

Now it's time for the tricky part. Since we are sewing a facing to a shirt with two curves meeting at a point, it's not as simple as simply matching up the seams and stitching. In order to get a nice crisp point at the side seam, we need to sew the facing in stages.

Start by matching the back shirt to back facing, right sides together.

Match up the side seams and curves on the facing and shirt. You are only pinning through the back shirt and facing here; the front shirt and front facing should be free and clear.  Pin right up to the circle mark on the shirt; this is where you will start and stop your stitching. Since you clipped through the seam allowance of the shirt earlier, you should be able to pull the lower seam allowance of the shirt back so it lines up with the facing seam.

Stitch along the back hem, from one circle at the side seam to the other. Ensure the only thing captured in this stitching is the back shirt and facing.

This is what it will look like on the other side of the seam; the lower part of the hem from the shirt itself is being pulled in between the  side seam joint as a result of the clipping you did earlier.

Now pin the right shirt front along the right hem facing.  You will have a little bit extra hanging off the ends.

Again, you are matching up the facing and shirt along the side seam point; the pins should only be securing the front part, the back should be free and clear.

Stitch the facing to the shirt front. Stop sewing precisely at the circle point. The goal is for the stitching on front and back to match up precisely at that spot on both sides. Tuck the back shirt out of the way so it's not getting caught in the stitching. Repeat for the other side of the shirt.

Fold the raw edge under on either side of the shirt so it lines up with the shirt placket. Press.

Clip along curved seams so everything lays smooth and flat. Grade seams as necessary.

Turn facing to the wrong side of the shirt and press. Ensure you have a nice, sharp point where front and back side seams meet.

Press the hem thoroughly.

Use lots of pins to secure the facing in place, or glue baste with a fabric glue stick. Ensure the facing edge is folded evenly against placket on either side.

Stitch facing in place, 1/8" from the edge of the facing seam. If the stitching on the bobbin side is pretty, you may find it easier to do it on the wrong side up so you can ensure you're catching the facing in place. Finish by hand-stitching the facing down along the plackets on both sides of the shirt.

When you're finished, you should have two curves meeting at a perfect point at the side seam. This hem facing is definitely a  bit of work and requires some precise sewing, but I love the final result. It looks unique and unusual, and creates a nice heft at the seam.

With the base of our shirts now finished, next week we can start to focus on collar construction. I have a few fun posts planned, including one on getting really sharp collar points! Until then, let me know if anything is unclear about this step in the comments below.

 

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See all posts in our Kalle Sewalong series. Get the pattern here.

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Ready for the next step in our Kalle Shirtdress sewalong? Last week we used the Burrito Method to neatly encase the shoulder seams in the yoke. Now it's time to sew to assemble the shirt along the side seams and finish the hem. Technically you could finish the collar first, but I prefer to get the hem done at this stage in the game.

Today's focus is on finishing an ultra curvy hem with bias tape. I tried a few different finishing methods when this pattern was in development, and ultimately bias tape gave the neatest finish. Feel free to use a baby hem if you prefer, but the bias tape will ensure you get a nice flat finish along the curviest bits. However, before we get cracking on the hem, we'll need to sew and finish our side seams.

Start by lining up the side seams of front and back shirt and pining into place.

Stitch the seams at a 5/8" seam allowance. Finish the seam by flat felling or serging. If serging, try to trim about 1/4" off the seam.

Press the seam to the back - use a tailors ham to press the curve flat under the arm opening. If you cannot get the curve to lay flat, you may need to clip to the original stitch line.

Topstitch the seam in place to secure.

With the side seams completed, it's time to make the bias tape. You can use a matching fabric here, but don't hesitate to use a contrasting fabric if you want a little flash of fun on the inside.

Join your bias strips into one long strip. This is accomplished by matching up the square ends of the bias tape, right sides together, at a 90 degree angle. Sew them together using a diagonal stitch - you may find it easier if you mark the sewing line with some chalk. You can also overlap the edges of the tape slightly so you ensure a nice, clean edge.

Press the seams open.

INSTALLING BIAS TAPE ALONG CONTINUOUS TUNIC HEM

If you are making the tunic with a popover placket, the bias tape needs to be installed in one continuous motion. To begin, pin the tape into place along the hem, right sides together. The seam of the bias tape should fall along the center back.

Continue pinning until the tape matches on either side.  Mark the seam with chalk on both sides of the tape where it meets up along the hem.

Remove pins and stitch along this line. Press seam open.

INSTALLING BIAS TAPE ALONG REGULAR SHIRT FRONT

If the bias tape will end at the placket on right and left side of the shirt, pin into place along entire hem, right sides together, leaving at least 1/2" extra hanging off each end.

SEWING BIAS TAPE HEM

Stitch bias tape along entire hem at 1/4" seam allowance. Press bias tape down. You may gently grade the seams if your fabric is very thick. Understitch the shirt hem to the bias tape, 1/8" away from the seam line. Use your edgestitch foot if you have one - it helps you get consistent stitching at this step.

If you're sewing the regular shirt, you'll still have a little bit extra hanging off the placket after you've understitched.

Now press the bias tape up. Be careful around the curves - ensure you press smoothly here, and try to keep the folded over bias tape a consistent width.

Press the raw edge under about 1/4". I find it will wrap nicely around the hem of the shirt. You can pin the hem into place, but I love using wonder clips here; they really anchor the seam securely.

If you're sewing the shirt, tuck the little raw edge under at each side, so it's in line with the placket.

Stitch the hem in place about 1/4" from the edge. I find it's easier to do this from the wrong side so you can ensure you're catching the bias tape in your stitching.

Give the entire hem a really good press with lots of steam so all the curves lay nice and flat.

And that's it! I'll be back later this week with a post on sewing the faced hem of the cropped View A.

 

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See all posts in our Kalle Sewalong series. Get the pattern here.

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Today we are going to actually see our Kalle shirt & Shirtdresses coming together. Next week we'll be focusing on sewing seams and finishing hems, but before we can do that we have to assemble the front to back. If you prefer to watch by video, check out our quick Youtube video for this technique. Otherwise, read on!

I think there is a more complicated method to sew the yoke, but the only one I've ever used is the Burrito method, as outlined in Shirtmaking by David Coffin (such a great resource for your sewing library!) This method lets you sew the shoulder seams with a completely clean finish, since everything is encased in the yoke. Let's get started!

First you need to decide what kind of pleat you want at center back. The box pleat is a little more graphic and sculptural while the inverted pleat is more subtle and fluid.

To make the box pleat, press along the notches as indicated below. The two outer notches should meet at center back, with the box pleat centered on the two folds. Pin into place so pleat is laying flat.

For the inverted pleat you will just do the opposite; the box pleat will be created on the wrong side of the shirt rather than the right side.

Baste the pleat into place within the seam allowance.

Once the pleat is sewn into place we can attach the top yoke. Take one of your yokes and line it up along the top seam of the back shirt, right sides together. Pin into place and sew.

Do the same thing on the wrong side of the shirt with the remaining yoke piece, this time right side of yoke on wrong side of shirt. Stitch in place and grade seam. Sew on top of your existing stitch line so you don't have any stitching peeking out when you're finished.

Press the yokes up along the seam. Now line up the back yoke to the front shirt along the shoulder seams. Pin into place and sew.

The shirt will now be assembled along the shoulder seams, but the top yoke will be hanging down in the back. Lay the shirt on your work surface with the front shirt facing you and the top yoke open and laying flat on the table.

To enclose those shoulder seams, roll the front and back shirt together very tightly up towards the shoulder seams. Do not include the top yoke in the roll.

Ensure the shirt is rolled tightly enough that you can flip the top yoke on top and match up the shoulder seams. Pin into place.

Sew the shoulder seams at the 5/8" seam allowance ensuring you're not catching your burrito "filling" in the burrito "wrapper". Grade shoulder seams (the bottom yoke is the one being graded).

Now comes the fun part! Pull the rolled shirt or burrito filling through the neck hole.

Once everything is pulled through you will find the back and front are sewn together with all construction seams at yoke and shoulder concealed between the two yokes. Press everything thoroughly.

To secure, topstitch along the shoulder seam on the yoke side, as well as along the bottom edge of the yoke, 1/8" away from the edge. Also stay-stitch just inside the 5/8" seam allowance along the neckline.

Burrito Method Video Tutorial

If you're a more visual learner, check out this short video to see it in action!

And that's it! Your shirt is now ready for side seams and hems, which we'll be covering next week.

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See all posts in our Kalle Sewalong series. Get the pattern here.

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Last week we covered how to sew a standard placket, hidden placket and tunic or popover placket for our Kalle Shirt & Shirtdress pattern. This week we'll assemble the body, and today's post will focus on sewing the optional patch pocket.

The construction of this pocket is a little different than the traditional shirt pocket due to the pointed flap at the top. It's also curvy to mirror the curves happening along the hem. I suggest sewing the pocket once you've finished the plackets (although in the example below I haven't installed the placket yet). Please note that the top of the finished pocket will show the wrong side of the fabric since it's folded over -- if the wrong side of your fabric isn't pretty, you may want to consider subbing in a more traditional shirt pocket.

To get started, fold and press the edges of the top of the pocket down 3/8”, right sides together.

Fold the top of the pocket down along the notches, right sides together. The main part of the pocket will be the right side of the fabric; the pointed flap will show the wrong side.

Now topstitch the flap to the pocket, 1/8” from the edge of the seam

Time to press in the raw edges of the pocket. Pressing along a curve can be tricky, but I find it's easier to get even results by using a cardboard template. You can make one by tracing the pocket minus the 3/8" seam allowance on some sturdy card stock. Alternatively, you can baste inside the seam allowance and then use the tail ends of the thread to ease the curve in.

To get a nice smooth curve along the bottom corners, you may find it necessary to cut notches along the curve (try not to cut to cut too close to where the fabric is folded under - you don't want it to fray!) I finish pressing from the outside so I can smooth out any weird jagged corners with my fingers.

Using the circle marks on the pattern as a guide, locate the position of the pocket.  Make sure the edge of the pocket is parallel to the center front of the shirt. Pin or glue baste the pocket in place (use a glue stick designed for fabric so you don't gum up your needle). Trim the top edges of the pocket seam allowance at a 45 degree angle if they are visible from the right side.

Now it’s time to topstitch the pocket in place. You may find it easier to draw in the topstitching guide with chalk before you begin. The goal is to start on the inside edge of the flap, stitch up at an angle to the top of the pocket, go across 3-4 stitches, and then down the exterior edge of the pocket at a 1/8” seam allowance. I've used chalk in the image below to draw a guideline for the stitching.

Start on the left side of the pocket. As you approach the corners, leave your needle down and turn your work. I like to use an edgestitch foot for this step. If you're having issues with tension like I was, try threading the bobbin thread through the arm in your bobbin case; I just learned I have to do that every time I use my edgestitch foot on my Bernina to get a balanced stitch.

Getting even stitching around the curve can be tricky. Take your time and slowly rotate your work as you sew.

Finish the way you started on the other side of the pocket, ending with the stitch line angling towards the inner corner of the pocket flap.

The finished pocket will look this on right side and wrong side:

And that's it for today! Later this week I’ll explain the best way to assemble a yoked shirt using the burrito method.

 

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See all posts in our Kalle Sewalong series. Get the pattern here.

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Today's post is all about installing a tunic or popover placket in your Kalle Shirt & Shirtdress (or any shirt pattern for that matter). I spent a lot of time working on this pattern piece and its installation and I think we came up with a fairly simple method for sewing it.

If you've ever sewn a traditional tower placket on a shirtsleeve you will feel comfortable sewing a popover placket. Essentially, you are cutting an opening into your shirt and then inserting a double-sided placket into that opening. There are quite a few steps but it's very satisfying to sew, and the finished result is very polished.

MARKING LOCATION OF POPOVER PLACKET

To start, ensure you transfer the placket opening location from the pattern piece onto the shirt. Include the center front line and the diagonal lines in the corners.

Just like with the hidden placket, you will interface select areas rather than the entire popover placket. Cut two long strips of fusible interfacing 1” wide and apply them in between the notches, as indicated on the pattern piece. Ensure the opening location is also transferred to the wrong side of the popover pattern piece as well.

Fold the placket and press along the indicated lines. This will make it easier to assemble later; ensure the 3/8” seam allowance is pressed inwards on either side of the placket.

SEWING THE PLACKET

To attach the popover placket to the shirt, line up both pieces with marked openings aligned. The right side of the placket should be on top or touching the wrong side of the shirt. Pin into place around the perimeter of the opening.

At your sewing machine, sew the shirt front to the placket along the marking you made earlier, ensuring the fabric doesn’t shift and everything stays lined up.

Use a short stitch length, and as you approach the corners, leave your needle down, rotate the fabric, and continue sewing.

Here’s the sort of scary part. To get the placket on the right side of the fabric, cut down the center of the opening, and then along the diagonal lines to the corners.

Cut as close as you can to those corners without cutting into your stitching.

Turn the placket to the right side of the shirt and press around the crisp rectangular opening you just created. Ensure there is no puckering around the corners. If it’s not flat you may need to go back and clip further into the corner.

Fold the left placket side (as you are wearing it) over to the center of the shirt. This is the “under” placket and is slightly shorter in length than the corresponding “over” placket. The seam allowance you pressed under earlier should conceal the seam allowance below. Press thoroughly and grade seams if the fabric is very thick. Use a pin to mark the bottom of the shirt opening.

At your sewing machine, sew the under placket into place along the folded seam, about 1/8” away from the edge. Make sure your previous stitching line is covered with the placket.

Make sure the placket is flat along the bottom of the opening and the triangular wedge you created when you made the opening is flat as well. Stop sewing just after the pin marking the bottom of the opening in the shirt. Backstitch.

This is what it will look like from the wrong side.

Time to sew the “over” placket.

Fold the right placket side (as you are wearing it) over to the center of the shirt. It should cover the under placket. Press thoroughly into place, ensuring the folded edge of the placket conceals the stitch line and seam allowance of the shirt below. Grade seams if necessary, and use a pin to mark the bottom of the shirt opening.

Starting on the inside seam, stitch the placket to the shirt, 1/8” from the edge, ensuring the stitch line below is concealed.

Continue sewing, stopping at the pin marking the bottom of the opening, again ensuring the seam allowance around the bottom of the opening is flat against the shirt. Backstitch.

Repeat for the other side of the upper placket, stitching 1/8" from the edge, stopping as you approach the opening in the shirt front. Do not catch the under placket in your stitching.

The bottom of the placket should now look like this.

You can make a simple squared off finish here by tucking under the raw edge, but I think a pointed or tower placket looks more elegant.

To sew, fold the raw edge of the placket under so it is inline with the opposite edge of the upper placket. Press.

Fold the opposite side under as well and press, creating a neat triangle under the upper placket.

This area can now be quite thick – grade seams as necessary to reduce bulk. Ensure the seam allowance of the under placket is flat on the right side of the shirt. You will be enclosing it shortly with stitching.

You can now pin the bottom of the placket tower into place, but I prefer to use a fabric glue stick. You have to do some tight sewing in this area and it’s easier to do so without pins in the way. Make sure the under placket seam allowance is also secured underneath upper tower placket.

At your sewing machine, sew the remaining bit, 1/8” away from the edge. Leave your needle down as your turn corners.

You now need to secure the entire construction. Using a washable marking tool, draw two horizontal lines across the placket. One should sit just below placket opening; the second should connect the bottom corners of the placket. Draw an X through this box, and sew at your machine.

This is what it will look like on the wrong side of the shirt. All the raw edges you made when you created the opening have now been secured inside the placket on the right side of the shirt. Like magic.

When finished, your popover placket will look like this.

And that’s it for placket week! I’m traveling for the next ten days so our post schedule will be a little lighter; you can expect posts on sewing the curved patch pocket and assembling our front and back shirt using the burrito method next week.

 

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See all posts in our Kalle Sewalong series. Get the pattern here.

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Placket Week continues! One of the things you guys suggested for the Kalle Shirtdress pattern was some more advanced shirt-making options (in fact, I think it was Sophie who suggested we include a hidden button placket). I'd never made a hidden placket before I started working on this pattern, and I was happy to discover it's not that complicated to sew - just a few extra steps than the standard placket we discussed earlier this week.

If you've never encountered one before, a hidden placket simply has an extra fold of fabric on top of the portion you sew the buttonholes through, essentially hiding the buttons from view. It creates a clean, minimalist look, and with our pattern you can use it on any one of the three length variations.

To start, stabilize the left shirt button placket (the "under" placket). Cut a 1″ wide piece of interfacing as long as your shirt front, and apply it in between the first set of notches on the left shirt front, on the wrong side of the fabric. To prepare the right shirt front (the side where we will be attaching the hidden placket), trim off the excess as indicated on your actual pattern piece. Here is what your pattern pieces will look like (I've highlighted the interfaced area in pink so it's easier to see).

Now it's time to interface the hidden placket. Rather than interfacing the entire thing (which would create too much bulk and stiffness) we only need to interface two areas; the layer that will include the buttonholes, and the top layer that will hide this portion.

Before we sew the placket to the shirt, press it like an accordion along the indicated notches. Press in the seam allowances as well; this will make it easier to sew later.

It's easier to install the buttonholes now. Use the buttonhole guides on your pattern piece, or use a ruler or seam gauge to locate them.  I always suggest holding the pattern piece up to your bust to determine the best location for you. I generally like a slightly more open shirt front, so I always locate the bust button first and then equally distribute the remaining buttonholes from there. One thing to note if you are making the  cropped shirt; the hem facing will eventually conceal a portion of the hidden placket. If you are going to shift the location of the buttonholes, make sure you will not be sewing one of your buttons closed by comparing the front facing and hidden placket pieces.

Sew your buttonholes centered on the second fold of your placket. If you need help sewing the buttonholes, see this post.

In the instructions, at the end of the hidden placket installation we tell you to use a few handstitches to sew it closed in between buttonholes to prevent gaping. However, I recently learned it's faster to machine stitch through the placket at this step. You will have visible stitches on the bottom of the placket, but if you hate hand-sewing, this will save you some time. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of what this looks like before the placket is sewn to the shirt. Try to visualize it: open up your placket and sew in between the buttonholes through the second, third and fourth layers, leaving the top interfaced layer unsewn. I used a thin bar tack to secure the stitches. Here is what this technique looks like when finished:

Once the buttonholes are sewn, it's time to attach the placket to the right shirt front. Pin into place and ensure the right side of the placket is being sewn - the buttonholes should be further away from the center front seam. If you've already tacked down the placket in between the buttonholes as I just suggested above, the placket will not be as wide open as shown in the following image.

Stitch the placket to the right shirt front and press the seam towards the center.

Fold the placket closed and press. Ensure the seam allowance on the bottom is folded under and concealing the stitch line. If your seams are thick, grade them now, ensuring the seam touching the outside of the placket is left longest. This ensures you don’t have a big thick seam allowance showing on the right side, but rather a gradual “stepping down” of seam that will be invisible from the outside of the shirt.

Pin the placket in place from the right side, ensuring the bottom seam allowance is folded under neatly along the stitch line you made earlier.

From the right side, topstitch the placket down 1/8″ away from the seam line. Ensure you are catching the folded seam of the placket on the wrong side with your stitching (you can use an edge stitch foot here for more even results). It will look this when you are finished.

If you didn't machine tack the placket closed in between the buttonholes, you can do that now with a few hand stitches.

You still need to finish the left shirt front;I covered how to do so in this post so we'll finish up today with the plackets sewn on either side of the shirt front.

And that's it! Not so complicated, right? We'll be finishing up placket week on Friday, when I cover installing a tunic placket. Let me know if you have any questions!

 

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See all posts in our Kalle Sewalong series. Get the pattern here.

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Today is the first day we actually start sewing our Kalle Shirt & Shirtdresses! This sewalong is skipping the cutting stage since I don't really have anything new to say about that process. I will mention that someone noticed we accidentally included notches on the center front of the bodice for the popover placket - please note when you're cutting that piece on the fold to not cut those notches, or else you'll be cutting straight down the middle of your shirt. We are going to issue an errata and will include a note in all outgoing paper patterns.

Okay, Placket Week commences! Kalle includes three placket options for your pleasure. The standard placket is the one you're probably used to seeing, and it's the one we'll be focusing on today. It's the easiest to assemble and gives shirts that classic "shirty" look.

To start with, prepare your front shirt pieces. The right shirt front (as you are wearing it) needs to be trimmed to accommodate the placket we will sew on in a later step. The left shirt front (as you are wearing it) will be folded under several times along the center front to create a stable base to attach your buttons. Please note that the right and left sides are reversed for a men's shirt, although honestly, I think gendered shirt plackets are silly and you shouldn't worry about it if you get it mixed up. It will button up one way or another.

Time to stabilize the left button placket. Cut a 1" wide piece of interfacing as long as your shirt front, and apply it in between the first set of notches on the left shirt front, on the wrong side of the fabric.

You also need to cut a piece of interfacing half as wide as the button placket and apply it to one side (the side that will be facing outwards). Once interfaced, fold the button placket in half along the notches on either end, wrong sides together.

Once done, the three pattern pieces we are sewing today should look like the following when the wrong side of the fabric is facing up (Top: Left shirt front with interfaced center front edge, Middle: Half interfaced placket and Bottom: Right shirt front, trimmed along indicated line):

To start sewing, place the button placket along the front seam of the right shirt, right sides together. The interfaced portion should be touching the shirt front.

Sew the placket to the shirt along the entire length.

Fold the placket over and press along the seam line, pressing the seam allowance towards the placket (as seen on wrong side of fabric below):

And on the right side of the fabric:

I realized we forgot to show this on the green sample so here's what it should look like at this stage on another sample:

Fold the placket along this creased edge. Press the raw side of the placket under 5/8", ensuring that when it lays flat it is even with the stitch line attaching placket to shirt.

If your seams are thick, grade them now, ensuring the seam touching the outside of the placket is left longest. This ensures you don't have a big thick seam allowance showing on the right side, but rather a gradual "stepping down" of seam that will be invisible from the right side.

Pin the placket into place.

From the right side, topstitch the placket down 1/8" away from the seam line. Ensure you are catching the folded seam of the placket on the other side with your stitching (you can use an edge stitch foot here for more even results). Topstitch the other side of the placket at the same 1/8" distance.

When the right side is finished, it should look like this:

The placket will look nearly identical on either side.

To finish the left shirt front, fold the center front in along the first set of notches, wrong sides together. Press.

Repeat again, folding along the second set of notches and press. Pin folded placket in place with pins along the length.

To finish, stitch the folded edge down 1/8" away from the seam line.

It will look like on either side when finished:

Here is what both shirt fronts should look like. The side that is topstitched twice will lay on top of the side that is only stitched once. If you'd like to add a contrasting fabric to the underside of the placket, you should trim both shirt fronts and sew a placket to each side.  The contrasting fabric would be on the bottom placket.  

And that's it! Back later this week with directions on sewing a hidden placket.

 

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See all posts in our Kalle Sewalong series. Get the pattern here.

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