Gathered Long Sleeve Button-Front Blouse
A women's long-sleeve blouse with front and back yokes, soft pleats below the yokes, a split stand neckline and a button front on a separate placket. The sleeves are pleated into buttoned cuffs with a sleeve placket.
When To Wear
- For office wear with trousers or a pencil skirt.
- In spring and autumn with jeans, or under a jacket or cardigan.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Loose fit; fullness released from the yokes by pleats.
Length: Hip length, with a curved hem turned up 1.2 cm.
Neckline: Two-layer interfaced neck band forming a low stand, open at the centre front above a short V opening.
Front: Shaped front yokes; the fronts are laid in soft pleats under the yokes. Separate interfaced button plackets; 7 buttons down the front.
Sleeves: Long, set-in, full sleeves, pleated into interfaced cuffs with a step and 2 buttons each. Sleeve opening finished with a placket topstitched at the top corner.
Back: Straight back yoke; the back is cut on the fold, with pleats under the yoke turned towards the centre.
Finishing: Yoke, shoulder and side seams overlocked; sleeve seams pressed into the sleeve.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Sleeve plackets, cuffs with a step, separate front plackets, a two-layer neck band and pleats under yokes, all in a fine blouse fabric.
Fabric Recommendations
Blouse fabrics of natural or blended fibres, chiffon.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (cuffs, neckline facings, outer plackets)
- 11 buttons
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 - 1.2 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:
- Back yoke – 1 piece
- Back — 1 piece on fold
- Front — 2 pieces
- Sleeve — 2 pieces
- Cuff — 2 pieces
- Placket — 4 pieces
- Front yoke – 2 pieces
- Front neckline facing – 2 pieces
From fusible interfacing:
- Cuff - 2 pieces
- Front neckline facing — 2 pieces
- Placket – 2 pieces
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to cuffs, facings, and outer plackets.
- Form and secure pleats on the back (depths directed towards the center). Stitch the back yoke to the back, press seam allowances upwards and overlock.
- On the front, form and secure arbitrary pleats, stitch the yoke to the front. Overlock seam allowance and press upwards.
- Stitch shoulder and side seams, press seam allowances towards the back and overlock.
- Sleeve placket construction: Cut the sleeve along the marked line, clipping the corner at the top of the cut. Turn under the section from the cut to the marked line, measuring 1.7 cm, twice by 0.5 cm and topstitch. Fold the placket lengthwise in half right sides together and stitch the corner up to the transverse mark. Trim seam allowances close to the stitching, clip seam allowance at the end of the stitching. Turn out the placket, press, and topstitch along the fold line from the bottom to the transverse mark at 0.1 cm. Fold the placket with the sleeve right sides together and stitch the inner side along the marked line. Clip the sleeve transversely at the end of the stitching from the cut to the stitching line. Fold the placket to the right side, turn under the raw edge and topstitch. Align the placket with the marked line on the sleeve and topstitch the upper corner along the contour and along the transverse mark.
- Stitch the sleeve seam. Press seam allowances towards the back. Form and secure pleats on the sleeve. Fold the cuff lengthwise in half, right sides together, and stitch the short sides and the step. Begin stitching strictly at the marked line for attaching the cuff to the sleeve. At the mark, clip seam allowances, turn out the cuff and press. Stitch the outer side of the cuff to the bottom of the sleeve. Turn under the inner side of the cuff and topstitch into the attachment seam.
- Set the sleeve into the armhole. Overlock seam allowances and press towards the sleeve.
- Fold neckline facings right sides together and stitch. Trim seam allowances, turn out to the right side and press. Stitch the upper facing to the neckline. Turn under the seam allowance of the lower facing and topstitch into the attachment seam.
- Fold plackets in pairs right sides together and stitch along the upper and outer edges. Trim seam allowance at the corner, turn out and press. Stitch the outer placket to the front. Turn under the seam allowance of the inner placket and topstitch into the attachment seam.
- Overlock the bottom edge of the garment, press to the wrong side and topstitch.
- Make buttonholes. Sew on buttons.
