Pintuck Button Front Tab Sleeve Tunic
A women's button-front tunic with a shirt collar on a stand, stitched tucks on the upper front, a piped high-waist seam with soft pleats in front and gathers at the back, and roll-up sleeves held by buttoned tabs.
When To Wear
- Over leggings or slim trousers in spring and summer.
- With sleeves rolled up and fixed by the tabs on warm days, or down with the cuffs buttoned.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted above a high waist seam, fuller below it.
Length: Tunic length, below the hip, with a curved hem.
Collar: Shirt collar on a separate stand, opening into a V at the front.
Front: Stitched tucks on each upper front, folds facing the side seams, plus darts pressed upwards. The lower fronts have soft pleats turned towards the centre front.
Closure: Separate interfaced button plackets; buttonholes on the right front.
Sleeves: Set-in sleeves gathered at the cap, with stitched tucks on the sleeve, gathered into a buttoned cuff. A topstitched tab with a buttonhole is stitched to the inside of each sleeve and buttons onto the outside to hold the sleeve rolled up.
Back: Upper back in one piece; the lower back is gathered into the waist seam.
Waist: Horizontal seam joining the upper and lower parts, with piping set into it.
Finishing: Tabs topstitched 0.1 cm from the edge; hem overlocked, turned up and topstitched.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Tucks and pleats to marked lines, piping in a seam, a collar on a stand, separate plackets, cuffs and sleeve tabs.
Fabric Recommendations
Shirting fabric of natural or blended fibres: cotton, viscose, polyester.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (collar, collar stand, plackets, cuffs)
- 9 buttons
- Piping tape
Cutter's Must
If the patterns have a double contour, they include seam allowances. If the contour is single, the patterns do not include seam allowances. Seam allowances: Hem allowance – 1.5 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 (do not forget to account for paired and symmetrical pieces).
- From main fabric:
- Upper back - 1 piece
- Lower back - 1 piece
- Upper front - 2 pieces
- Lower front - 2 pieces
- Placket – 4 pieces
- Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Collar – 2 pieces
- Collar stand – 2 pieces
- Tab – 4 pieces
- Cuff — 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing:
- Collar – 1 piece
- Collar stand – 1 piece
- Placket – 2 pieces
- Cuff — 2 pieces
Sewing Instructions
When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match!
- Fuse interfacing to the plackets, cuffs, upper collar, and inner collar stand.
- Place the upper collar and lower collar right sides together. Stitch the ends and the outer edge of the collar. Trim the seams. Turn the collar right side out, shape, and press. Place the collar stand pieces right sides together, insert the prepared collar between them, align the notches, and stitch, simultaneously stitching the ends of the collar stand. Start and end the stitching strictly at the marked line of the collar stand attachment seam. Turn the finished collar right side out and press.
- On the upper front, create and stitch the pleats along the marked lines. Note: the pleat depths are directed towards the front edge, and the folds are directed towards the side seam. Press the pleats.
- Stitch the darts on the upper front. Press the darts upwards. On the lower front, create and secure soft pleats. The pleat depths are directed towards the center front.
- Along the upper edge of the lower back, stitch with loosely tensioned stitches and gather. Stitch the side seams separately on the upper and lower front and back parts. Overlock the seams and press towards the back. Stitch the upper and lower parts together, inserting piping into the seam. Overlock the seam and press upwards.
- Place the plackets right sides together and stitch the pieces along the outer edge. Turn the plackets right side out and press. Attach the outer placket to the front. Press the seam towards the placket. Fold the inner placket inwards and topstitch into the attachment seam.
- Stitch the shoulder seams. Overlock the seams and press towards the back.
- Attach the upper collar stand with the collar to the neckline, fold the open edge of the lower collar stand inwards, and topstitch into the upper collar stand attachment seam.
- Place the tab pieces in pairs right sides together and stitch the long sides and the corner. Turn the pieces right side out, press, and topstitch 0.1 cm from the edge. Create a buttonhole according to the markings. On the wrong side of the sleeve, topstitch the open edge of the tab strictly along the marked lines.
- On the sleeve, stitch the tucks: fold the piece along the marked line and stitch 0.1 cm from the fold. Press the piece. Overlock the sleeve edges. Stitch the sleeve edges up to the notch. Press the seams open. Along the sleeve cap, stitch with loosely tensioned stitches and gather. Set the sleeves into the armholes. Overlock the seam and press towards the sleeve.
- Fold the cuffs in half lengthwise right sides together and stitch the side edges. Start and end the stitching strictly at the marked line of the cuff attachment. Turn the cuffs right side out and press. Along the bottom of the sleeve, stitch with loosely tensioned stitches and gather. Attach the outer side of the cuff to the sleeve. Fold the inner side of the cuff inwards and topstitch into the attachment seam.
- Overlock the bottom edge of the garment, press it to the wrong side, and topstitch.
- On the right front, create buttonholes; on the left, sew on buttons. Create buttonholes and sew on buttons on the cuffs. Sew buttons on the right side of the sleeve, centered on the tab topstitching.
