Pattern & Sewing Notes
by Don McCunn

Decorative Center Front Openings

Lindsey Watson recently introduced me to a design detail I had never encountered before. She is an independent designer of one-of-a-kind wearable art shirts worn by women participating American Quarter Horse events. I was intrigued to see her embellishments for the center front opening for her shirts such as the one shown here. Initially I was wondering if those could be buttons. Then I learned she was using the embellished "button opening" to cover a zipper.

She had asked me for help in fine tuning the sewing patterns she was using. While she was using a separate strip of fabric to create this "button opening," I was intrigued to see if it could be cut in one with the body of the garment.

Enlarge Photo

I realized the opening was essential a box pleat. A design that has always intrigued me. This made the pattern relatively easy to create. But sewing the pattern proved to be a bit of a challenge. However, once I figured it out it turns out to be a straight forward process. It is essentially a matter of sandwiching the fabric for the opening between the two center front panels. The opening then needs to be shifted from side to side as the shirt is being sewn as you can see in the muslin prototype I made below.

In Steps 7 and 9 if you use a regular presser foot instead of a zipper foot, the stitching will be closer to the edge of the zipper than to the zipper's teeth. This leaves more room to open and close the zipper in the finished garment.


The Pattern This is the good side for right over left opening.	1. Fold over the zipper opening allowances and top stitch.	2. Sew a basting stitch down the center of the zipper opening.


3. Fold the center of the zipper opening, wrong sides together.	4. Pin the other CF panel to the folded edge of the zipper opening.	5. Determine where the zipper stops.

6. With the zipper opening to the side, baste the CF then press open.	7. Baste the zipper down the side opposite the zipper opening, then sew.	8. Fold the zipper opening to the opposite side.

9. Baste the other side of the zipper opening, then sew.	10. Except for the basting from Step 2, remove all the basting stitches including CF.	11. Place the basting from Step 2 over the zipper and press in place.

Patternmaking Notes
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