Fitted Collared Button-Front Dress with Bow Cuffs
A fitted women's dress just below the knee, buttoned down the centre front with nine buttons, with a wide collar and lapels at an open V-neckline. Long sleeves gathered at the cap and into narrow cuffs whose extended ends tie in a bow.
When To Wear
- At work and for daytime meetings in autumn and spring.
- For dinners and celebrations in the cooler months, thanks to the long sleeves.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted, shaped by waist darts and bust darts on the front and waist darts on the back.
Length: Just below the knee.
Collar: Wide two-piece collar with lapels, set between the dress and the facings; the front edge is understitched 0.2 cm from the seam.
Front: Centre front opening with separate front facings, nine buttonholes on the right front and nine buttons on the left.
Sleeves: Long set-in sleeves gathered at the upper cap. A slit at the wrist is bound with a 4 cm bias strip; the lower edge is gathered into a cuff with long ends tied in a bow.
Back: Two pieces with waist darts and a centre back seam.
Finishing: Collar, front facings and back neck facing interfaced; hem turned up 2 cm and topstitched.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Collar and lapels set between the dress and the facing, a bound sleeve slit, gathered cuffs with ties, nine buttonholes.
Fabric Recommendations
Dress fabrics of natural or blended fibres with added elastane.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (collar, front facings, back neck facing)
- 9 buttons
Cutter's Must
If the patterns have a double contour, seam allowances are included. If the contour is single, the patterns are without seam allowances. Seam allowances: hem allowance — 2.0 cm, other seams - 1 cm. Attention! First, print out the paper patterns and lay them out on the fabric width (fabric width can be from 90 cm to 150 cm) to determine how much material you will need. When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match!
- From main fabric:
- Back – 2 pieces
- Front – 2 pieces
- Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Cuff – 2 pieces
- Collar – 2 pieces
- Front facing – 2 pieces
- Back neckline facing – 1 piece
- From fusible interfacing:
- Collar – 1 piece
- Front facing – 2 pieces
- Back neckline facing – 1 piece
Sewing Instructions
- Interface the pieces with fusible interfacing.
- Stitch the waist darts on the back pieces, folding the pieces wrong sides together, press the dart intakes. Stitch the center back seam, press seam allowances to the left and overlock.
- Stitch the waist darts on the front pieces, folding the pieces wrong sides together, press the dart intakes. Stitch the bust darts, press the dart intakes upwards.
- Stitch the side and shoulder seams, press seam allowances towards the back and overlock.
- Fold the collar pieces right sides together and stitch along the ends and outer edge. Start and end the stitching strictly at the marked collar attachment line. Trim seam allowances at corners, clip at the mark. Turn the collar right side out, shape and press.
- Stitch and press open the shoulder seams of the back neckline facing and front facing. Overlock the outer edge.
- Place the front facing on the right side of the front piece, right side down, pin and stitch the bottom corner and along the front edge. Stitch upwards to the notch indicating the end of the collar attachment. Trim seams at corners. Topstitch the seam allowance of the front edge: on the button placket section – to the front facing, on the lapel section – to the front piece. Position the stitching 0.2 cm from the seam. Turn the front edges right side out, shape the seams.
- Attach the lower collar to the garment neckline, and the upper collar to the back neckline facing and front facing. Clip the collar attachment seam allowances, press open and secure close to the seams.
- Make a slit on the sleeve along the marked line. Cut a bias strip from the main fabric 4 cm wide and a length equal to twice the slit length + 4 cm. Fold the bias strip in half lengthwise and press. Press the outer seam allowances towards the center. Finish the sleeve slit with the bias strip.
- Stitch the sleeve seam, press seam allowances towards the back and overlock. Along the upper of the sleeve cap, stitch with loosened upper thread and gather. Set the sleeves into the armholes, matching the notches. Press and overlock the seam allowances.
- Fold the cuff in half lengthwise right sides together and stitch the ends from the fold to the mark. Trim seam allowances at the corner, clip at the mark. Turn the cuff right side out, shape, and press. Along the bottom edge of the sleeve, stitch with loosened upper thread and gather. Attach the outer side of the cuff to the bottom of the sleeve. Turn the inner side of the cuff inwards and topstitch into the attachment seam.
- Overlock the bottom edge of the garment, press to the wrong side and topstitch.
- On the right front piece, make buttonholes, on the left front piece, sew on buttons.
