Slow Shirt – Popover Hack

All About a Popover

As soon as I saw Judith’s initial prototype of the Slow Shirt I knew I wanted to try to make a popover version. There is just something about a popover that feels both fresh and timeless. Since I would be pulling it over my head, I chose a woven fabric with a little crosswise stretch and great drape. I decided to size down from my usual 4 to a 0, to have just a bit less ease to compensate for the different visual weight of a partial placket. And I knew I wanted to skip the buttons for this version, so mine is what I’d call a quarter placket. You could make your placket longer, for a half placket version and add buttons and buttonholes. 

My placket finishes to 6” by 1”. 6-7” is a good length for a button-free placket for sizes 0-10. Any longer and it might show a little too much without buttons. For sizes 12-24 7”-8” is a good starting place. And for 26-34 8-8.5” is where you will want to start.

If you have a larger bust (and often do and an FBA) regardless of starting size, you will want to add 1-2” more inches. We recommend both measuring from your collar bone to your chest apex or measuring a shirt you have, as well as making a muslin to determine the best finished length for you. 

How to make a Popover Placket 

1. Create your pattern piece. Our example is for a 6” x1” (15.24 x 2.54 cm) finished Placket.

• Draw a 6” wide by 8.5” long rectangle (15.24 cm x 20.32 cm) (If you want your finished Placket longer, add 2.5” (6.35 cm) to your desired Placket length to determine the length of your rectangle) Remove a 1” tall by 2.5” wide (2.54 x 6.35 cm) rectangle from the bottom left corner. 
• Draw a line down the center of the piece, the desired length of your Placket plus 1.5” (3.81 cm). On ours it is 7.5” (19.05 cm) for a 6” (15.24 cm) finished Placket length. 
• Draw lines 1/2” (1.27 cm) on either side of the center line
• Draw a line to square off the bottom and two short diagonal lines from the corners to the inner line at a 90 degree angle
• Next you will mark the fold lines: 1/2” (1.27 cm) in from each outer edge, and 1” (2.54 cm) in from that line. 1/4” (6 mm) on the hanging bottom edge. 

2. Cut your shirt front on the fold, using the dotted center front line as your guide. Stay stitch as directed in the pattern. 

3. Lay your Placket pattern piece on the wrong side of your fabric and cut out. 

4. Using the pattern piece as a guide, mark the center line and Placket lines for sewing. 

5. Apply two 1” (2.54 cm) strips of interfacing on either side of the Placket markings

6. Following the fold line guides, press either outer edge to the wrong side by 1/2” (1.27 cm), and then again to the wrong side by 1” (2.54 cm). Unfold and press the hanging bottom edge up 1/4” (6 mm).

7. With the right side of the Placket to the wrong side of the shirt, line up the center of the Placket piece (using the drawn line as your guide) with the center of your shirt front. Overhang (extend) the top of the Placket by 1/2” (1.27 cm) over the neck edge. Pin in place. 

8. Sew, following the lines you drew (the sewing lines on the pattern piece), down alongside the interfacing, pivoting across 1” (2.54 cm) and back up. Optional: As you near the bottom of the Placket, reduce your stitch length to 2mm. 

9. Cut down the center line to the top of the diagonal lines. Snip into the markings, near the corner, but not into the stitching, about 1/16” (1.6 mm) from the corner.

10. Pull the Placket all the way through the opening to the right side of the shirt. Press lightly.

11. Press the left side (as worn) of the Placket on the 1” (2.54 cm) fold, lining up the folded edge just to the stitching line. 

12. Fold the right side (as worn) of the Placket overtop the left, then press back following the 1” (2.54 cm) line you already pressed, so that the edge is just over the stitching line. 

13. Pull this Placket (right, as worn) back and edgestitch the left Placket, just down to where they meet. Optional: edgestitch the inner side of the Placket. 

14. Folding the left Placket under and out of the way, repeat with the right Placket, edgestitching only the inner side. 

15. Press the right Placket over the left Placket, placing a pin through all layers where the two Plackets meet at the back, about 1” (2.54 cm) up from the bottom of the Placket. The pin will be parallel to the folded edge on the wrong side of the Front. Make sure the raw edges are tucked under, out of the way, including the bottom edge that you pressed up by 1/4” (6 mm). This may require aggressive pressing. Take your time.

16. Edgestitch down the outer edge of the Right Placket, through all layers, over your previous stitching, from the pin to the bottom corner (1). Pivot at the bottom, stitch across to the left side of the Right Placket (2), then stitch up the placket until you meet your previous edge stitching (3). You should be in line with the horizontal pin now. Pivot and stitch across, completing the square (4), then pivot and sew diagonally across the square to the bottom left (5). Stitch across the bottom again (6), then from the bottom corner to the top left (7). 

17. Press, then trim the top edge to be even with the shirt neck edge. Follow the Slow Shirt instructions to add your collar and complete your shirt. 

I hope you love your Popover Slow Shirt! It is a fun twist on an already fun shirt, that changes it just enough to fill another hole in your wardrobe while still maintaining the style and ease of the original.