Hooded Tunic Dress with Ruched Hem and Puff Sleeves
A women's above-the-knee tunic dress with a drawstring hood, a three-button front placket, short puffed sleeves and a bubble hem gathered into a shirred band. Gathered curved welts frame the side pockets.
When To Wear
- Warm summer days, made in a light blouse fabric.
- Casual daywear; the hood gives some cover on breezy days.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Loose through the body, blousing over a shirred hem band to a bubble shape.
Length: Above the knee.
Collar: Two-piece hood with a cord casing along the front edge, with a buttonhole for the cord. The hood is set into the neckline with bias binding.
Front: Front yoke with the front gathered into the yoke seam; a slit placket opening with three buttons and a triangle-shaped finish at the base.
Sleeves: Short set-in puff sleeves with an elastic casing at the hem.
Pockets: Side pockets with a two-layer pocket bag; the welt is gathered into a semicircle at the pocket opening.
Back: Back yoke and a box pleat at centre back below it.
Finishing: Hem band folded double and shirred with five rows of elastic thread.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. A cut-in placket with a triangle finish, gathered pocket welts, a hood set with bias binding and shirring with elastic thread.
Fabric Recommendations
Blouse fabrics of natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (placket)
- Elastic thread
- Elastic tape, 1 cm wide
- Cord for the hood
- 3 buttons
- Bias binding, 4 cm wide (or cut from the main fabric)
Cutter's Must
If the patterns have a double contour, they include seam allowances. If the contour is single, the patterns do not include seam allowances. Seam allowances: along the longitudinal edges of the placket - 0.7 cm, along the placket opening of the front and yoke - 0.7 cm, along the sleeve hem - 1.5 cm, other seams 1 cm. Attention! First of all, 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). When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match!
From main fabric:
- Back – 1 piece on fold
- Front – 1 piece on fold
- Front yoke – 2 pieces
- Back yoke – 1 piece
- Hood – 2 pieces
- Hood placket – 1 piece
- Welt – 2 pieces
- Small pocket bag – 2 pieces
- Large pocket bag – 2 pieces
- Bottom placket – 1 piece on fold
- Fastening placket – 4 pieces
- Sleeve – 2 pieces
From fusible interfacing:
- Fastening placket – 2 pieces
Attention! when cutting the front on the fold, carefully make a cut for the fastening from the upper edge of the front to the fold line along the outer line, not reaching the single line by 1.5-2 cm.
Sewing Instructions
- Fold the welt in half lengthwise and mark the fold line on the right side. Mark 2 more lines: at a distance of 2 cm and 5 cm from the fold line. Unfold the welt and stitch along the fold line. Then fold the welt in half lengthwise again, right side out, and stitch 2 lines along the marked lines. Gather only on the stitch near the edge (5 cm from the fold).
- Place the small pocket bag on the front, right sides together, insert the welt between the pieces. The fold of the welt is directed towards the center of the front. Align the edges and stitch the pieces along the pocket opening line. Clip the seams, press open, and overlock. Turn the pieces right side out.
- Gather along the remaining stitches on the welt, forming a semicircle from the welt. Place the front with the small pocket bag on the large pocket bag. Stitch the pocket bags along the outer edge. Overlock and press the seam. Secure the welt and the large pocket bag along the side seam.
- Stitch along the upper edge of the front with loosely tensioned stitches and gather. Attach the yokes to the front. Press the seam towards the yoke and overlock.
- Interface 2 plackets with fusible interfacing. Fold the plackets in pairs, right sides together, and stitch: the left placket along the outer edge to the bottom, the right placket – along the outer edge, simultaneously stitching the bottom edge to the notch (2 cm from the bottom). Seam allowance 0.7 cm. On the right placket, clip the seam allowance at the bottom notch. Turn the pieces right side out and press. On the front, strictly according to the marking, clip the seam allowance for the placket at the corners, not reaching the seam line by 1 mm. Attach the outer parts of the plackets to the front, aligning the notches. Seam allowance 0.7 cm. Turn the plackets to the right side, straighten and press, pressing the seam towards the placket. Turn in the seam allowance on the wrong side of the plackets and baste. Turn the end of the left placket to the wrong side together with the triangle, leave the end of the right placket on the right side. Topstitch along the edges of the plackets, simultaneously attaching the inner edge. On the wrong side, secure the triangle with the end of the left placket. Topstitch the end of the right placket to the front crosswise.
- On the back, create a box pleat according to the marking. Attach the back yoke to the back. Press the seam towards the yoke and overlock.
- Stitch the shoulder seams, press allowances towards the back and overlock.
- Stitch the hood pieces. Press and overlock the seam.
- On the hood placket, interface the buttonhole area. Make the buttonhole according to the marking. Fold the placket in half lengthwise, right side out, and press. Unfold the placket, attach the outer edge of the placket to the hood. Press the seam towards the placket. Turn in the inner edge of the placket and topstitch it into the seam of the outer edge.
- Cut a bias binding 4 cm wide for finishing the neckline. (If not ready-made). Fold the bias binding in half lengthwise, right side out, and press. Unfold the binding and press the longitudinal edges towards the fold line. Fold the binding in half and press again. Place the hood on the dress along the neckline, right sides together. From the front side, place the bias binding, unfolded, on the neckline edge, extending the ends by 2 cm. Stitch the hood into the neckline together with the bias binding. Press the seam towards the hood. Turn in the open edge of the bias binding and topstitch it onto the hood, thereby covering the seam of attaching the hood to the neckline. Previously fold the ends of the bias binding inwards under the seam allowance.
- Stitch the sleeve edges, press allowances towards the back and overlock. Set the sleeves into the armholes, matching notches, press allowances and overlock.
- Fold the bottom placket in half lengthwise and mark the fold line on the right side. Mark 4 more lines according to the marking. Unfold the placket and stitch into a ring. Press the seam. Stitch with elastic thread along the fold line, placing the elastic on the wrong side. Then fold the placket in half again, right side out, and stitch 4 lines with elastic thread along the marked lines. Attach the bottom placket to the dress, slightly stretching the edge of the placket. Press the seam upwards and overlock.
- Overlock the bottom edge of the sleeve, press to the wrong side and topstitch, forming a casing. Thread elastic tape through the casing, secure.
- Sew buttons onto the placket (through all layers).