Sleeveless Shirt Dress with Flap Pockets
A women's sleeveless shirt dress below the knee, with a waist seam, a button front through the full length, a collar with lapels, and patch pockets with buttoned flaps on the skirt. Armholes finished with bias binding.
When To Wear
- In summer for town, travel and the office.
- Over a thin blouse or fine knit in spring and autumn.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted bodice shaped with darts, skirt widened by pleats at the waist.
Length: Below the knee.
Collar: Two-piece collar with an interfaced upper collar, set into the neckline and the facings; the front edges turn back into lapels below it.
Sleeves: None. Armholes bound with a 4 cm bias strip folded in half and topstitched along the fold.
Front: Darts on the upper fronts; button front from the lapels to the hem, with buttonholes on the right front. Front edges topstitched 0.2 cm from the seam.
Pockets: Patch pockets on the skirt fronts, with a double-folded top edge, under lined, interfaced flaps that are stitched on, turned down and fastened with a button.
Back: Darts on the upper back, centre back seam, pleats on the lower back turned away from the centre.
Skirt: Joined to the bodice at the waist; pleats on front and back turned away from the centre.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. A collar set between the dress and the facings with lapels, flap and patch pockets, bias-bound armholes, buttonholes.
Fabric Recommendations
Dress fabrics from natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (collar, front facings, back neck facing, flaps)
- 8 buttons (front and pocket flaps)
- Bias tape, if not cut from the main fabric
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, top allowance of pocket and flap - 2 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:
- Upper back – 2 pieces
- Lower back — 2 pieces
- Upper front — 2 pieces
- Lower front — 2 pieces
- Collar — 2 pieces
- Front facing — 2 pieces
- Back neckline facing – 1 piece
- Pocket - 2 pieces
- Flap – 4 pieces
- From fusible interfacing:
- Collar — 1 piece
- Front facing — 2 pieces
- Back neckline facing – 1 piece
- Flap – 2 pieces
Sewing Instructions
- Interface the details with fusible interfacing.
- Stitch the dart on the upper back. Press the dart allowance towards the center.
- Lay and secure the pleats on the lower back (pleat depths are directed away from the center). Stitch the upper and lower back parts, press seam allowances upwards and overlock.
- Stitch the center back seam. Overlock and press seam allowances to the left side.
- Stitch the darts on the upper front pieces, trim the allowances with an overlocker and press towards the center.
- Fold the top edge of the pocket twice by 1 cm inwards and topstitch. Fold the side and bottom allowances of the pocket to the wrong side and press. Place the pocket on the front according to the markings and topstitch.
- Place the flap pieces right sides together and stitch along the side and bottom edges. Trim the allowances, turn right side out and press. Place the flap on the front, aligning the raw edge with the topstitching line (the bottom edge of the flap is directed upwards) and topstitch the flap. Turn the flap down and make a securing stitch.
- Lay and secure the pleats on the lower front (pleat depths are directed away from the center). Stitch the upper and lower front parts, press seam allowances upwards and overlock.
- Stitch the shoulder seams, press allowances towards the back and overlock.
- Cut (if not ready-made) a bias binding 4 cm wide and a length equal to the armhole length + 4 cm. Fold the bias binding in half lengthwise, right side out, and press. Place the binding with the armhole edge right sides together and stitch, fold the binding to the wrong side and topstitch along the fold onto the main piece.
- Place the collar pieces right sides together and stitch along the ends and outer edge. Trim allowances at corners, clip at the notch. Turn the collar right side out, straighten and press.
- Stitch the side seams, press allowances towards the back and overlock.
- Stitch and press open the shoulder seams of the back neckline facing and front facings. Overlock the outer edge.
- Place the front facings on the right side of the front, right side down, pin and stitch along the edge. Stitching is done upwards to the notch marking the end of the collar insertion. Trim seams at corners. Topstitch the seam allowance of the front edge: on the fastening section – onto the front facing, on the lapel section – onto the front edge. The stitching is placed 0.2 cm from the seam. Turn the fronts right side out, straighten the seams.
- Insert the lower collar into the dress neckline, and the upper collar into the back neckline facing and front facing neckline. Clip, press open and secure the collar insertion seam allowances close to the seams.
- Overlock the bottom edge of the garment, press to the wrong side and topstitch.
- On the right front, make buttonholes, on the left front, sew on buttons. Sew buttons onto the flaps.
