Rounded Collar Lace Yoke Balloon Sleeve Blouse
A women's blouse with a lace yoke front and back, a rounded collar, and long balloon sleeves whose upper part is lace and lower part is gathered into a buttoned cuff. The body is gathered into the yoke.
When To Wear
- With a pencil skirt or straight trousers for the office or a theatre visit.
- For family celebrations in autumn and winter, under a sleeveless dress or a pinafore.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Loose, gathered into the yoke front and back, hip length.
Collar: Rounded flat collar in two halves, each from two interfaced layers, meeting at the back opening.
Closure: Slit at the back neck, bound with a bias strip, closed with one button and a rouleau loop.
Yoke: Front and back yokes cut from lace; the main fabric of front and back is gathered along the upper edge and stitched to them.
Sleeves: Two-part: the upper part in lace, the lower part in the main fabric, gathered into the seam joining them and again at the lower edge. A topstitched slit and a buttoned cuff at the wrist.
Back: One piece cut on the fold below the yoke.
Finishing: Seams overlocked; hem turned 1 cm, then 1.5 cm, and topstitched.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Joining lace to woven fabric with gathers, a bias-bound slit, a rouleau loop, a two-part gathered sleeve with cuffs.
Fabric Recommendations
Blouse fabrics of natural or blended fibres; lace in the same shade as the main fabric for the yokes and upper sleeves.
Additional Supplies
- Lace fabric
- Fusible interfacing (collar, cuffs)
- 3 buttons
Cutter's Must
From main fabric:
- Back – 1 piece on fold
- Front – 1 piece on fold
- Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Collar – 4 pieces
- Cuff – 2 pieces
From lace fabric:
- Back Yoke – 1 piece
- Front Yoke – 1 piece
- Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
From fusible interfacing:
- Collar – 2 pieces
- Cuff – 2 pieces
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to two Collar pieces and the Cuff pieces.
- Mark and cut the slit on the Back Yoke. Cut a bias strip for binding the slit, twice the slit length plus 4 cm long and 5 cm wide. Press the bias strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together. Spread the Back Yoke open along the slit into a straight line, place the folded strip on the right side, raw edges matching, and stitch. The seam width along the slit is 0.5–0.7 cm, narrowing to 0.2 cm at the bottom of the slit. Turn the bias strip to the wrong side, wrapping it around the seam, and stitch it in the ditch of the attaching seam.
- Stitch the shoulder seams of the Back Yoke and Front Yoke, press the seam allowances towards the back and serge.
- Place the Collar pieces in pairs right sides together and stitch along the outer edge. Start and end the stitching exactly at the marked collar attachment line. Clip the seam allowances at the curves, turn the collar right side out and press. Stitch the upper collar to the neckline, press the seam allowances towards the collar. Turn the seam allowance of the under collar inwards and stitch it in the ditch of the attaching seam.
- 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 the seam allowances close to the stitching, turn the strip right side out and shape the rouleau. Adjust the loop length. Sew the loop to the left side of the Back Yoke. Sew a button to the right side.
- Along the upper edges of the Back and Front, sew a line of stitching with a loosened upper thread and gather. Stitch the Back and Front to the yokes, press the seam allowances upwards and serge.
- Stitch the side seams, press the seam allowances towards the back and serge.
- Along the upper edge of the Lower Sleeve, sew a line of stitching with a loosened upper thread and gather. Stitch the Upper Sleeve to the Lower Sleeve, press the seam allowances upwards and serge.
- Serge the sleeve seam edges separately. Stitch the sleeve seam from the armhole to the slit mark, press the seam allowances open. Topstitch the slit 0.1 cm from the fold. Set the sleeves into the armholes, press the seam allowances and serge. Along the lower edge of the sleeve, sew a line of stitching with a loosened upper thread and gather.
- Fold each Cuff in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch the ends. Turn right side out and press. Stitch the outer side of the cuff to the sleeve, turn the seam allowance of the inner side of the cuff inwards and stitch it in the ditch of the outer cuff attaching seam.
- Turn the hem of the blouse to the inside by 1 cm, then by 1.5 cm, and topstitch.
- Make buttonholes on the cuffs and sew on the buttons.
