Color Block Asymmetrical Tie Waist Blouse
A women's long-sleeved blouse in two contrasting fabrics: a plain upper part with gathered sleeves on cuffs, and a lower part with an overlapping asymmetric front and a pointed hem. Worn with a separate tie belt.
When To Wear
- With straight trousers or a pencil skirt for the office or a day out.
- In spring and autumn, in cotton blouse fabrics.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Upper part with a horizontal seam at the waist; lower part pleated into that seam and drawn in by the belt.
Neckline: Round, finished with facings.
Closure: Slit at the centre back neck, finished with bias binding and fastened with a button and a rouleau loop.
Sleeves: Long, gathered at the sleeve head and at the lower edge, with a slit in the sleeve seam and buttoned cuffs.
Front: Lower front in two pieces: the right lower front overlaps the left with the centre lines matched, giving an asymmetric diagonal hem.
Back: Upper and lower back each cut on the fold, with no centre back seam.
Waist: Upper and lower parts joined at the waist, with a pleat laid in the lower part; separate belt topstitched 0.1 cm from the edge all round.
Finishing: Hem overlocked, turned up and topstitched.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. A bias-bound slit with a rouleau loop, gathered sleeves with cuffs, and an overlapping asymmetric lower front joined to the upper part.
Fabric Recommendations
Cotton blouse fabrics of natural or blended fibres, in two contrasting colours.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (neck facings, cuffs)
- 3 buttons
Cutter's Must
Seam allowances: all seams 1 cm. Hem allowance for the bottom of the garment – 2.5 cm. Attention! First, print out the paper patterns and lay them out on the fabric width (fabric width can be from 90cm to 150cm) to determine how much material you will need (do not forget to account for paired and symmetrical pieces). When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match! Attention! Markings on the patterns are on the right side!
- From main fabric 1:
- Upper back – 1 piece on fold
- Upper front – 1 piece on fold
- Back neckline facing – 4 pieces
- Front neckline facing – 2 pieces
- Sleeve - 2 pieces
- Cuff – 2 pieces
- From main fabric 2:
- Lower back – 1 piece on fold
- Lower right front – 1 piece
- Lower left front – 1 piece
- Belt – 1 piece
- From fusible interfacing:
- Back neckline facing – 2 pieces
- Front neckline facing – 1 piece
- Cuff – 2 pieces
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the designated pieces.
- Cut a bias strip for finishing the back slit, equal to twice the slit length + 4 cm, and 5 cm wide. Press the bias strip in half lengthwise, right side out. Mark the slit line on the back, cut it. Lay the back flat along the slit line, place the bias strip right side down, aligning the raw edges, and stitch. The seam allowance along the slit length is 0.5 – 0.7 cm, decreasing to 0.2 cm at the bottom of the slit. Fold the bias strip to the wrong side, enclosing the seam, and topstitch into the seam line.
- Stitch the back neckline facing to the upper back, press seam allowances towards the facing. Stitch the front neckline facing to the upper front, press seam allowances towards the facing.
- Stitch shoulder seams, press seam allowances towards the back, overlock.
- Along the upper and lower edges of the sleeve, stitch with loosened upper thread and gather. Stitch the sleeve to the garment, press seam allowances upwards and overlock.
- Overlock the sleeve edges separately. Stitch the side seam of the upper simultaneously with the sleeve seam up to the slit mark, press seam allowances open. Topstitch the slit 0.1 cm from the fold.
- Overlock the lower edge of the upper front.
- Cut a bias strip 2.5 cm wide and 10 cm long for the rouleau loop. Fold the strip in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch 0.3 cm from the fold. Trim seam allowances close to the stitching, turn the strip right side out and shape the rouleau. Adjust the loop length.
- Stitch shoulder seams of inner facings, press seam allowances open. Overlock the outer edge. Place facings right sides together with the garment and stitch the neckline edge and center back edges, inserting the loop on the right side. Clip seam allowances, turn the facing to the wrong side and topstitch into the seam line of the outer facing.
- Fold cuff pieces right sides together and stitch the side edges. Start and end stitching precisely at the marked cuff attachment seam line. Turn the piece right side out, press. Stitch the outer side of the cuff to the sleeve, fold the seam allowance of the inner side of the cuff inwards and topstitch into the seam line of the outer cuff.
- Stitch side seams of the lower, press seam allowances towards the back and overlock. Overlock the upper and center edges. Stitch the upper and lower parts from the right side seam to the center edge of the left front. Create a pleat from the lower and topstitch into the attachment seam from the right side seam to the center edge of the left front.
- Stitch the upper corner of the lower right front, turn right side out, press. Press the upper and center edges of the lower right front to the wrong side.
- Overlock the bottom edge of the garment, press to the wrong side and topstitch. Overlap the right front over the left, aligning the center lines, and topstitch.
- Make buttonholes on the cuffs, sew on buttons. Sew a button on the left facing.
- Fold the belt in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch, leaving an opening on the long side for turning. Turn the belt right side out, shape and press. Topstitch the belt around the perimeter 0.1 cm from the edge.
