Chiffon-Sleeve Blouse with Flutter Shoulders
A women's hip-length blouse with gathered chiffon sleeves on tie cuffs, double-layer frills over the armholes and a short front opening fastened with six buttons and rouleau loops.
When To Wear
- In spring and summer with trousers, jeans or a straight skirt.
- Tucked into a skirt or worn loose for daytime events.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Straight, slightly loose body shaped with bust darts; front and back each cut in one piece on the fold.
Neckline: Round neckline finished with a double facing: the outer facing is stitched to the right side and shows as a band around the neck.
Front: A short slit at the centre front, finished with a placket, closed with six buttons and six loops of bias rouleau.
Sleeves: Set-in, above the elbow, cut from chiffon and gathered at the head and at the hem. The sleeve has a slit bound with bias binding and is gathered into a cuff with rouleau ties at both ends. Over the sleeve head sits a frill, cut double, gathered along its inner edge and stitched to the armhole.
Back: Plain, without a centre back seam.
Finishing: Hem turned 1 cm, then 1.5 cm and topstitched.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Sewing chiffon, making rouleau loops and ties, a slit placket, a bias-bound sleeve slit and gathered sleeves set into cuffs.
Fabric Recommendations
Thin blouse fabrics of natural or blended fibres for the body, cuffs and frills; chiffon for the sleeves.
Additional Supplies
- Chiffon for the sleeves
- Fusible interfacing (neckline facings, placket, cuffs)
- 6 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: all seams 1 cm. Hem allowance for the bottom edge of the garment – 2.5 cm. Attention! First, print out the paper patterns and lay them out on the fabric width (fabric width can be from 90cm to 150cm) to determine how much material you will need (don't forget to account for paired and symmetrical pieces).
- From main fabric:
- Back - 1 piece on fold
- Front – 1 piece on fold
- Back neckline facing — 2 pieces
- Front neckline facing — 2 pieces
- Placket – 1 piece
- Cuff – 2 pieces
- Flutter sleeve – 4 pieces
- From chiffon:
- From fusible interfacing:
- Back neckline facing — 1 piece
- Front neckline facing — 1 piece
- Placket – 1 piece
- Cuff – 2 pieces
Sewing Instructions
When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match!
- Fuse interfacing to the designated pieces.
- Stitch bust darts, press seam allowances upwards.
- Fold back neckline facings right sides together and stitch the neckline edge. Clip seam allowances, turn facing to the right side, straighten and press. Stitch the outer facing to the back neckline, press seam allowances towards the facing. Fold the seam allowance of the inner facing inwards and topstitch into the seam of the outer facing.
- Fold front neckline facings right sides together and stitch the neckline edge. Clip seam allowances, turn facing to the right side, straighten and press. Stitch the outer facing to the front neckline, press seam allowances towards the facing. Fold the seam allowance of the inner facing inwards and topstitch into the seam of the outer facing.
- Cut a bias strip 2.5 cm wide and 30 cm long for the loop closures. Fold the strip in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch 0.3 cm from the fold. Trim seam allowances close to the stitching, turn the strip right side out and press into a rouleau. Cut into six pieces, adjust loop length. Topstitch loops onto the front, positioning the ends flush with the marked cut line.
- Place the placket on the right side of the front and stitch along both sides of the slit at 0.5 cm, tapering the stitching to nothing at the bottom. Cut the front and facing along the marked line, turn the facing to the wrong side, fold the raw edges inwards and topstitch onto the front.
- Stitch side and shoulder seams, press seam allowances towards the back and serge.
- Fold flutter sleeve pieces in pairs right sides together and stitch the outer edge. Clip seam allowances, turn flutter sleeve to the right side, straighten and press. Stitch along the inner edge with a loosened top thread and gather. Stitch the flutter sleeve to the armhole.
- Make a slit on the sleeve along the marked line. Cut a bias binding from the main fabric 4 cm wide and a length equal to twice the slit length + 4 cm. Fold the binding in half lengthwise and press. Press outer seam allowances towards the center. Bind the sleeve slit with bias binding.
- Stitch the sleeve seam, press seam allowances towards the back and serge. Stitch along the upper and lower edges of the sleeve with a loosened top thread and gather. Set sleeves into armholes, press seam allowances and serge.
- Cut 4 bias strips 2.5 cm wide and 30 cm long for the sleeve ties. Fold the strip in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch 0.3 cm from the fold. Trim seam allowances close to the stitching, turn the strip right side out and press into a rouleau.
- Fold the cuff in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch the short sides of the cuff, inserting the ties. The stitching should start and end exactly at the marked seam line for attaching the cuff. Trim seam allowances, turn the cuff to the right side and press. Stitch the outer side of the cuff to the sleeve, fold the seam allowance of the inner side of the cuff inwards and topstitch into the seam of the outer cuff.
- Press the bottom edge 1 cm, then 1.5 cm and topstitch.
- Sew buttons onto the left side of the front placket.
