Maxi Tunic Shirt with Concealed Placket
A women's long shirt dress below the knee, with a shirt collar on a stand, a concealed button placket at the upper front, bust darts, a back yoke with an inverted pleat, and side slits.
When To Wear
- In spring and summer as a dress, with flat sandals or sneakers.
- Over slim trousers or leggings, worn as a long tunic.
- For the office in autumn, with boots and a jacket or cardigan.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Straight, slightly flared towards the hem, shaped at the front by bust darts pressed upwards.
Length: Mid-calf.
Collar: Shirt collar on a separate stand, both interfaced; the stand closes with one button.
Closure: Centre front opening with a concealed placket: the buttonholes are worked on the right front facing inside a frame made of interfaced lining pieces, with bar tacks between each pair of buttonholes; buttons sewn on the left front.
Sleeves: Long set-in sleeves with a slit at the hem, pleats pressed towards the seam, and interfaced cuffs with buttons.
Back: Back cut on the fold with a centre inverted pleat, stitched 0.2 cm along the inner folds, set between two yoke pieces.
Finishing: Side seams open from the slit mark, slits topstitched 0.2 cm from the edge; front facings joined to a back neckline facing; hem turned up and topstitched.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. A concealed placket made with lined buttonhole frames, a collar on a stand, a double yoke, sleeve slits and cuffs.
Fabric Recommendations
Blouse fabrics of natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (front facings, collar, stand, cuffs, back neckline facing, placket lining)
- Lining fabric (for the concealed placket lining)
- 10 buttons
Cutter's Must
If the patterns have a double contour, seam allowances are included. If the contour is single, seam allowances are not included. Seam allowances: hem allowance – 2 cm, all 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 (do not forget to account for paired and symmetrical pieces).
- From main fabric:
- Yoke – 2 pieces
- Back – 1 piece on fold
- Front – 2 pieces
- Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Collar – 2 pieces
- Stand Collar – 2 pieces
- Cuff – 2 pieces
- Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- Back Neckline Facing – 1 piece
- From fusible interfacing:
- Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- Collar – 1 piece
- Stand Collar – 1 piece
- Cuff – 2 pieces
- Back Neckline Facing – 1 piece
- Hidden Button Placket Lining – 2 pieces
- From lining fabric:
- Hidden Button Placket Lining – 2 pieces
Sewing Instructions
When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match!
- Fuse interfacing to the Center Front Facings, Collar, Stand Collar, Cuffs, Back Neckline Facing and Hidden Button Placket Lining pieces.
- Fold the inverted pleat on the Back. Along the inner folds of the pleat, stitch a securing line 0.2 cm from the edge. Secure the pleat at the upper edge. Stitch the lower edges of the two Yoke pieces, placing them right sides together with the Back inserted between them. Fold the yokes upwards and press. Continue to treat as one piece.
- Mark and stitch the bust darts on the front, press the darts upwards.
- Stitch the shoulder seams, press allowances towards the back and serge. Serge the side seams separately, stitch the seams from the armhole to the slit mark. Press allowances open. Topstitch along the slit 0.2 cm from the edge.
- Mark the button placket opening on the right side of the right Center Front Facing: the first line is parallel to the placket edge and runs 1.5 cm from the finished placket edge; the second and third lines define the length of the placket. Place the interfaced Hidden Button Placket Lining on the right side of the facing, right side down, in the direction from the placket edge, aligning the edge of the lining piece with the marked line. Stitch 0.5 cm from the marked line along the placket opening up to the lines defining the placket length. Place the second placket lining piece edge-to-edge with the stitching line of the first lining piece and stitch 0.5 cm away. Check the correctness of the lining attachment from the wrong side (stitches should be parallel). Cut the opening. Make diagonal cuts 1-1.5 cm from the end of the placket opening. Turn the lining pieces through the opening to the wrong side, forming a frame from the interfaced lining, equal to the width between the stitch lines. Topstitch along the seam line of the lining attachment. Press the second lining piece towards the inner edge of the placket and topstitch 0.1 cm from the lining attachment seam. Mark and work the buttonholes. The buttonholes are worked on the facing together with the interfaced lining. Straighten and secure the ends of the placket from the wrong side with a double backstitch at the base of the corners. Stitch the edges of the lining pieces. Place bar tacks between each pair of buttonholes; the length of the bar tack is equal to the width of the frame. Press the facing. Trim excess lining.
- Place the two Collar pieces (upper and under collar) right sides together. Stitch the ends and outer edge of the collar. Trim seams. Turn the collar right side out, shape and press. Place the Stand Collar pieces right sides together, insert the finished collar between them, align notches and stitch, simultaneously stitching the ends of the stand. Turn the stand right side out and press.
- Stitch the shoulder seams of the Back Neckline Facing and Center Front Facings. Press allowances open. Serge the outer edges.
- Place the facings on the right side of the garment, pin at the seams and stitch, inserting the collar. Turn the facings to the wrong side and press the front edges. Topstitch securing lines along the hidden placket.
- Serge the sleeve edges separately. Stitch the sleeve seam from the armhole to the slit mark. Press allowances open. Secure allowances along the slit 0.2 cm from the edge. Set the sleeves into the armholes, press allowances and serge. Fold and secure the pleats on the sleeve. Press the pleats towards the seam.
- Fold the Cuff in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch the short sides. Attach the outer side of the cuff to the sleeve. Fold the allowance of the inner side inwards and topstitch into the attachment seam.
- Fold the hem of the garment inwards and topstitch.
- Work a buttonhole on the right end of the stand, sew a button on the left. Work buttonholes and sew buttons on the cuffs. Sew buttons on the left front.
