Shirt Dress with Gathered Sleeves
Introducing a versatile shirt dress pattern featuring a classic collar on a stand, a full button-front closure, a defined waist seam, and distinctive ruched three-quarter sleeves with a pleated lower section.
When To Wear
This sophisticated shirt dress is a perfect choice for a variety of occasions, offering both elegance and comfort:
- Professional Settings: Ideal for office wear or business casual environments, projecting a polished image.
- Smart Casual Gatherings: Suitable for daytime events, lunches, or relaxed social occasions.
- Seasonal Transitions: a stylish and practical choice for spring and autumn, easily dressed up or down.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: a fitted bodice joined at a waist seam to a slim, slightly tapered skirt, creating an elegant knee-to-midi-length silhouette.
Neckline & Collar: Features a classic shirt collar with a stand, providing a refined and sharp neckline.
Closure: a full-length button front from the collar stand to the hem, finished with facings and topstitched along the front edge.
Sleeves: Three-quarter sleeves made of an upper sleeve and a pleated, lined lower sleeve that creates a soft ruched effect below the elbow.
Waist: a horizontal seam defines the natural waist, creating a flattering and fitted mid-section.
Bodice: The front and back bodice are shaped with darts for a contoured fit.
Skirt: The front skirt features soft pleats at the waist seam; the back skirt is shaped with darts.
Back: Designed with a center back seam, a horizontal waist seam and darts for a tailored fit.
Hem: a straight hemline falls to a sophisticated knee-to-midi length.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. This pattern involves skills such as collar and stand construction, facing the front edges, dart and pleat formation, and assembling the two-part lined sleeve.
Fabric Recommendations
Choose elegant dress fabrics that drape well and hold structure, suitable for shirts and dresses:
- Dress fabrics made from natural or blended fibers
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing
- 10 buttons
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: all seams 1 cm, hem allowance – 3 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:
- Upper Back – 2 pieces
- Lower Back – 2 pieces
- Upper Front – 2 pieces
- Lower Front – 2 pieces
- Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Sleeve Lining – 2 pieces
- Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- Back Neckline Facing – 1 piece
- Collar – 2 pieces
- Stand Collar – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing:
- Collar – 1 piece
- Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- Back Neckline Facing – 1 piece
- Stand Collar – 1 piece
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the collar, center front facings, back neckline facing and stand collar.
- Stitch the darts on the upper back and lower back pieces. Press the waist dart folds towards the center. Stitch the lower back to the upper back. Serge the seam allowance and press upwards.
- Stitch the center back seam. Serge the seam allowance and press to the left side.
- Stitch the darts on the upper front pieces. Press the dart folds towards the center. Fold and secure the pleats on the lower front, with the folds directed away from the center. Stitch the lower front to the upper front. Serge the seam allowance and press upwards.
- Stitch the shoulder and side seams, press the allowances towards the back and serge. Stitch the shoulder seams of the center front facings and back neckline facing, press the allowances open. Serge the outer edge.
- Place the upper collar and under collar right sides together, stitch the ends and the outer edge of the collar. Trim the allowances, turn the collar right side out, straighten and press. Place the stand collar pieces right sides together, insert the finished collar between them, match the notches and stitch, stitching the ends of the stand collar at the same time. Start and end the stitching exactly at the marked neckline seam line of the stand collar. Turn right side out and press. Stitch the stand collar with the collar into the neckline.
- Place the joined facings on the garment, right sides together, and stitch along the front edges and the back and front neckline (the collar lies between the layers). Clip the allowances at the curves and trim the corners, turn the facings to the wrong side, straighten and press. Tack the facings to the garment at the shoulder seams and center back seam. Topstitch along the front edge on the marked line.
- Fold the pleats on the lower sleeve, with the folds directed upwards. Stitch the lower sleeve seam. Stitch the sleeve lining seam. Place the lower sleeve and sleeve lining right sides together and stitch along the lower edge. Turn right side out and press the sleeve hem. Baste the upper edges of the lower sleeve and sleeve lining together. Stitch the upper sleeve seam, serge the allowance and press towards the back. Stitch the upper sleeve to the lower sleeve, serge the allowance and press upwards. Set the sleeve into the armhole, matching the notches; press and serge the allowance.
- Serge the hem allowance, fold to the wrong side and topstitch.
- Make buttonholes on the right front and stand collar. Sew on buttons to match the buttonholes.
