Belted Short Sleeve Safari Shirt Dress
A fitted knee-length women's shirt dress in safari style: princess seams front and back, a buttoned placket down a V front, flap details on the chest, buttoned shoulder and sleeve tabs, a back vent and a separate belt with a buckle worn through belt loops. All seams are topstitched 0.5 cm.
When To Wear
- In summer for the office or town, with flat sandals or pumps.
- On warm days when travelling, belted at the waist.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted, shaped by princess seams: three panels on each front and two on each back.
Length: To the knee, with a vent at the centre back hem.
Collar: Collar on a stand with a buttoned collar tab, interfaced and topstitched 0.5 cm.
Front: V-shaped opening with interfaced plackets buttoned down to the hem. The fronts are stitched together below the neckline and the dress fastens with a concealed zipper.
Pockets: Two buttoned flaps on the chest, interfaced and topstitched.
Sleeves: Short set-in sleeves with a folded cuff and a buttoned sleeve tab caught into the cuff seam.
Back: Back yoke, princess seams, centre back seam with a vent.
Waist: Separate belt topstitched 0.5 cm from the edge, with a buckle; eight belt loops at the waist, shoulder seams and sleeves.
Finishing: Shoulder tabs (epaulettes) with buttons; hem turned twice (1 cm, then 2 cm) and topstitched.
Level Of Difficulty
Advanced. Many small parts (tabs, flaps, collar tab, belt loops), a collar on a stand, a back vent, a concealed zipper and precise topstitching on every seam.
Fabric Recommendations
Dress fabrics of natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (plackets, collar, collar stand, flaps, collar tab, cuffs, vent)
- Concealed zipper
- Decorative buckle
- 18 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 – 3.0 cm, back vent allowance – 6.0 cm. All other allowances – 1.0 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 yoke - 1 piece
- Center back - 2 pieces
- Side back - 2 pieces
- Side front - 2 pieces
- Middle front - 2 pieces
- Center front – 2 pieces
- Placket - 4 pieces
- Flap – 4 pieces
- Shoulder tab - 2 pieces
- Collar - 2 pieces
- Collar stand - 2 pieces
- Collar placket - 2 pieces
- Sleeve - 2 pieces
- Cuff - 2 pieces
- Sleeve tab - 2 pieces
- Belt loop – 1 piece
- Belt – 1 piece
- From fusible interfacing:
- Placket - 2 pieces
- Collar - 1 piece
- Collar stand - 1 piece
- Flap – 2 pieces
- Collar 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 the back princess seams, press allowances towards the center, overlock and topstitch 0.5 cm from the seam.
- On the left center back piece, trim 5 cm along the vertical edge of the vent. On both center back pieces, fuse interfacing to the wrong side of the vent. On the right side, mark the center seam line (vent fold line). Press the left along the vent fold line. On the right, press only the allowance of the right side of the vent (6 cm) to the wrong side. Align the pieces along the center seam and secure at the upper edge of the vent. Overlock the center back edge separately on each piece. Overlock the vent allowances. Stitch the center back seam from the upper edge to the corner of the vent. Clip the corner of the vent seam allowance on the right piece. Press the center seam allowances open, press the vent allowances and secure them on the right side with machine stitching.
- Attach the yoke to the back, press allowances towards the yoke, overlock and topstitch 0.5 cm from the seam.
- Attach the side front piece to the middle front piece, press allowances towards the center, overlock and topstitch 0.5 cm from the seam. Stitch the front princess seams, press allowances towards the center, overlock and topstitch 0.5 cm from the seam.
- Fold the plackets right sides together and stitch the outer edge. Clip allowances at curves, turn the placket right side out, press. Attach the outer side of the placket to the front, press allowances towards the placket. Turn the inner edge of the placket inwards by 1 cm and topstitch into the attachment seam. Topstitch 0.5 cm from the attachment seam and fold. Overlap the right front over the left front and topstitch, securing the fronts together. The stitching should end at the lower marked button mark.
- Fold the flap pieces right sides together and stitch along the contour. Clip allowances at curves, turn the flaps right side out, straighten seams and press. Topstitch 0.5 cm from the edge. Overlock the raw edge of the flaps. Attach the flaps to the front, turn down and topstitch.
- Overlock the left side edges separately. Stitch the left side seam from the armhole to the upper mark and from the lower mark to the hem, press allowances open. Insert the zipper. Stitch the right side seam, press allowances towards the back and overlock.
- Stitch the shoulder seams, press allowances towards the back and overlock.
- Fold the shoulder tab in half lengthwise right sides together and stitch along the long side and corner. Turn the shoulder tab right side out, straighten, press. Topstitch 0.5 cm from the edge along the contour. Place the shoulder tab on the shoulder seam and secure at the neckline edge.
- Attach the placket to the collar, press allowances towards the placket and topstitch 0.5 cm from the seam. Fold the upper collar with the lower collar right sides together and stitch the ends and outer edge. Trim allowances at corners, turn the collar right side out, straighten and press. Fold the collar stand pieces right sides together, insert the finished collar between them, align notches and stitch, simultaneously stitching the ends of the collar stand. Begin and end stitching strictly at the marked collar stand attachment seam line. Turn the finished collar right side out and press.
- Attach the outer collar stand with collar to the neckline, turn under the raw edge of the inner collar stand and topstitch into the attachment seam. Topstitch 0.5 cm along the collar and collar stand.
- Fold the sleeve tab in half lengthwise right sides together and stitch along the long side and corner. Turn the sleeve tab right side out, straighten, press.
- Stitch the sleeve seam, press allowances towards the back of the sleeve and overlock. Stitch the cuff into a loop, press allowances open. Fold the cuff in half lengthwise right side out and press. Insert the cuff into the sleeve and attach to the lower edge, inserting the tab. Overlock allowances, turn the cuff to the right side.
- Set the sleeves into the armholes, aligning notches, press allowances and overlock.
- Press the lower edge of the garment to the wrong side by 1 cm, then by 2 cm and topstitch.
- Overlock one long edge of the belt loop. Fold the belt loop into three layers and topstitch along the long sides. Cut the belt loop into 8 pieces. Topstitch the belt loops at the waist, shoulder seams, and sleeves.
- Fold the belt in half lengthwise right sides together and stitch, leaving an opening on the long side for turning. Turn the belt right side out and press. Topstitch the belt around the perimeter 0.5 cm from the edge. Thread and secure the buckle.
- Sew buttons on the front, flaps, collar placket, tabs, and shoulder tabs.
