It’s been said before: We LOVE the Oliver + S, Swingset Tunic and Skirt pattern!!  It’s a winner in our books . . .

However, we’ve been stalking the Oliver + S discussion boards on “How to get a cleaner finish” when attaching the bodice and ruffle skirt areas.

Since we couldn’t find too much information regarding the process, we decided to give it a go and do a little tutorial of our own.

And while adding a placket to the swingset tunic is completely unnecessary for fit purposes, it actually helps our “big headed” niece that tends to have anxiety while removing garments from said “big head.”

For this outfit, we paired the Oliver and S, Swingset Tunic with the Oliver and S, Class Picnic Shorts. That “robin’s egg blue” gets us . . .EVERY. SINGLE. TIME!!  Swoon. . .

Adding a placket to the Oliver + S, Swingset Tunic:

{directions may also be used to add a placket to other garments with a bodice and skirt}

Cut 1 placket piece, 1 1/2″ x 6 {this will make a 2.5″ placket once completed}. If you want a deeper placket, cut a longer piece. *You may always cut the placket slightly larger than the 6″ stated to allow room for error. Any excess you have will be trimmed at a later step.

Iron placket in half, wrong sides together. Open the placket, and press placket piece once again. This time, from both sides – meeting in the center pressed crease. Refold all pressed areas, and press once more to create a narrow placket piece. Open, and set aside.

Please note: The placket’s purpose is to “finish” the opening . . . not for ease of dressing oneself. This garment allows plenty of room for dressing ease, without the addition of a placket.

Draw a 3″ line down the center back ruffle. Mark 1/4″ on both sides of center back line and draw a line from each to the end of the 3″ line.

Stay-stitch the two angled lines, pivoting at the point {needle down, one stitch on the pivot}.

Cut the center line, being careful not to cut into the stay-stitching.

Pin the RIGHT side of the opened placket piece to the WRONG side of the tunic ruffle, along the staystitching – spreading the center cut area to create a straight line. Unfold placket and align the outer crease with the staystitched line of the ruffle. Due to the angle of the staystitched line, the width of the ruffle seam will vary {but the placket seam will be consistent}. Stitch in place, following previously sewn stay-stitching.

Press seam away from tunic ruffle.

Refold placket over ruffle’s raw edge, and pin the remaining folded placket edge over the stitching line.

Edgestitch along fold, trim any remaining excess along the top, and press to finish.

Fold ruffle with right sides together. Stitch lower placket edge at a 45 degree angle {see blue marking on photo below}. Backstitch, both at the beginning and end of this area.

Iron the wearer’s right side of the placket to the wrong side, while leaving the left side of the placket unfolded. Baste the folded edge of the placket to hold in place.

Pin left side of  back bodice to left side of tunic ruffle, right sides together, gathering ruffle to fit bodice. The ruffle will stop at the bodice’s facing fold line. Wrap bodice facing around tunic ruffle, aligning folded bodice edge with ruffle placket {flush with one another}, with ruffle being sandwiched between right sides of bodice.

Repeat for the wearer’s right side of the bodice and tunic ruffle.

*Our apologies for the following picture. This one is a difficult one to show . . . E for effort?!?!? Maybe??

Fold / tuck lining to neatly finish bodice area.

Handstitch and press to finish.

*Other “finishing techniques” we incorporated to make a clean finish: We did not trim any excess from the lining, but instead folded it under and covered the stitching line of the main yoke and ruffle.  Then, we handstitched the lining to the yoke before edgestitching {per directions} to finish the garment.

Minor disclaimer: The placket does not line up directly on top of one another once the buttons are sewn. Instead, it overlaps slightly to offset the button placement on the center back yoke. This doesn’t bother us at all, yet we felt it important to mention. The lightweight fabric, as well as the gathered ruffles disguise the overlap nicely, and the cleaner finish of the garment outweighs the overlap in our eyes.

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