Trench Style Belted Shirt Dress
A women's below-the-knee button-front dress with a notched collar and lapels, buttoned shoulder tabs, long sleeves with cuffs and a self-fabric tie belt threaded through a casing stitched over the waist.
When To Wear
- In spring and autumn, on its own or over a thin knit.
- At the office or in town, with boots or loafers.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Straight, loose cut, drawn in at the waist by the belt.
Length: Below the knee, with side slits at the hem topstitched 0.1 cm from the edges.
Collar: Notched collar with lapels; the undercollar is set into the dress neckline and the upper collar into the facings.
Front: Button closure with buttonholes on the right front, finished with interfaced front facings.
Sleeves: Long sleeves with a slit bound with bias binding and a buttoned cuff. The sleeve and side seams are sewn in one continuous seam.
Back: One piece cut on the fold.
Waist: A casing strip is topstitched onto the right side of the dress along the markings; the belt, topstitched 0.1 cm around its edges, passes through it.
Finishing: Shoulder tabs laid over the shoulder seams, caught into the armhole seam and buttoned at the neck end.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. A notched collar set between dress and facings, a bias-bound sleeve slit, cuffs, shoulder tabs, side slits and an applied casing.
Fabric Recommendations
Dress fabrics of natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (front facings, back neckline facing, collar, cuffs, belt, shoulder tabs)
- 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 90cm to 150cm) 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 - 2 pieces
- Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Front facing - 2 pieces
- Collar - 2 pieces
- Cuff – 2 pieces
- Back neckline facing – 1 piece
- Casing – 1 piece on fold
- Belt – 1 piece on fold
- Shoulder tab – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing:
- Front facing - 2 pieces
- Collar - 1 piece
- Cuff – 2 pieces
- Back neckline facing – 1 piece
- Belt – 1 piece on fold
- Shoulder tab – 2 pieces
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the designated pieces.
- Stitch shoulder seams, press allowances towards the back and serge.
- Fold collar pieces right sides together and stitch along the ends and outer edge. Start and end stitching strictly at the marked collar attachment line. Trim seams at corners, clip at the mark. Turn collar right side out, shape and press.
- Stitch shoulder seams of front facings and back neckline facing, press allowances open. Serge the outer edge.
- Place front facing on the right side of the front piece, right side down, pin and stitch the lower corner, along the front edge and lapel. Stitch upwards to the notch indicating the end of collar attachment. Trim seams at corners. Turn front edges right side out, shape seams.
- Attach the undercollar to the main garment neckline, and the upper collar to the neckline edge of the back facing and front facings. Press collar attachment seam allowances open and secure close to the seam.
- Fold shoulder tab in half lengthwise right sides together and stitch along the long and short sides. Turn the piece right side out, shape, and press. Serge the short side. Place shoulder tab on the shoulder seam and secure to the armhole.
- Make a slit on the sleeve along the marked line. Cut a bias strip from the main fabric 4 cm wide and a length equal to double the slit length + 4 cm. Fold the bias strip in half lengthwise and press. Press outer allowances towards the center. Finish the sleeve slit with the bias strip.
- Attach the sleeve to the main garment, press allowances and serge.
- Serge side seams and sleeve seams separately. Stitch sleeve seams and side seams in one continuous seam up to the slit mark. Press allowances open, pressing the slit. Stitch a decorative and securing topstitch 0.1 cm from the edges of the slit.
- Serge short side allowances of the casing, press towards the wrong side and topstitch. Press long side allowances of the casing towards the wrong side. Place casing according to markings on the right side of the garment and topstitch.
- Fold cuff in half lengthwise right sides together and stitch the short sides of the cuff. Start and end stitching precisely at the marked cuff attachment line. Trim allowances, turn cuff right side out and press. Attach the outer side of the cuff to the sleeve, fold the allowance of the inner side of the cuff inwards and topstitch into the seam of the outer cuff attachment.
- Serge the bottom edge of the garment, press towards the wrong side and topstitch.
- Make buttonholes on the right front piece, sew buttons on the left front piece. Make buttonholes and sew buttons on cuffs and shoulder tabs.
- Fold belt in half lengthwise right sides together and stitch along the long and short sides. Turn belt right side out, shape, and press. Serge the short side. Stitch a decorative topstitch 0.1 cm around the perimeter. Thread the belt through the casing.
