Classic Button-Up Shirt with Flap Pockets
A hip-length women's shirt with a shoulder yoke, a collar on a stand, two flap patch pockets on the chest and long sleeves with bias-bound plackets, pleats and cuffs.
When To Wear
- For the office with trousers or skirts, tucked in or worn loose.
- Open over a T-shirt or with jeans for everyday wear.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Straight, with bust darts pressed downwards.
Length: To the hip.
Collar: Shirt collar with pointed ends on a separate collar stand; upper collar and stand are interfaced.
Sleeves: Long, one-piece set-in sleeves with eased caps. Each sleeve has a placket opening finished with bias binding and pleats at the lower edge, gathered into an interfaced buttoned cuff.
Front: Button front with interfaced facings; buttonholes on the right front, buttons on the left.
Pockets: Two patch pockets on the chest, stitched on 0.2 cm from the edge, each covered by a flap topstitched 0.5 cm from the edge.
Back: One-piece yoke continuing over the shoulders to the front; the back below it is cut in two halves with a centre back seam.
Finishing: Seams overlocked; 2 cm hem, turned up and topstitched.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. A collar on a stand, bias-bound sleeve plackets, cuffs, set-in sleeves, flap pockets and a yoke.
Fabric Recommendations
Blouse fabrics.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (front facings, upper collar, collar stand, cuffs)
- 10 buttons
- Bias binding (sleeve plackets)
Cutting Plan
From main fabric:
- Yoke – 1 piece on fold
- Back – 2 pieces
- Front – 2 pieces
- Collar – 2 pieces
- Stand Collar – 2 pieces
- Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- Cuff – 2 pieces
- Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Flap – 4 pieces
- Pocket – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing: Center Front Facing, upper Collar, Stand Collar, Cuff.
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the Center Front Facing, upper Collar, Stand Collar and Cuff.
- Mark and stitch the darts on the Front. Press the darts downwards.
- Overlock the inner edge of the Center Front Facing.
- Place the Flap pieces right sides together and stitch around. Trim the seam allowances at the corners and turn the flaps right side out. Topstitch around the outer edge of the flaps 0.5 cm from the edge and overlock the upper edge of each flap.
- Overlock the outer edge of the Pocket and press the allowances to the wrong side following the pattern. Turn the upper edge onto the pocket and topstitch it, mark the pocket position and stitch the pocket on around the edge, 0.2 cm from the edge. Place the flap on its marking and stitch it on. Turn the flap down and topstitch 0.5 cm from the seam.
- Stitch the center back seam and overlock it. Press the center back seam towards the right back.
- Stitch the Yoke to the Front. Overlock the seam and press it towards the front.
- Stitch the Center Front Facings to the front edges, trim the excess fabric at the corners and turn the facings to the inside. Press the front edges.
- Stitch the Yoke to the Back. Overlock the seam and press it towards the back. Stitch the side seams of the shirt and overlock them. Press the side seams towards the back.
- Mark and cut the placket opening on the Sleeve. Fold the bias binding in half lengthwise and press. Bind the placket opening with the bias binding and bar tack the top corner of the opening. Stitch the sleeve seam and overlock it. Press the sleeve seam. Fold the pleats at the lower edge of the sleeve between the notches.
- Set in the sleeves, easing the sleeve cap.
- Stitch the upper Collar to the under Collar, turn the collar right side out and press.
- Stitch the Stand Collar pieces together with the collar sandwiched between them. Press the stand.
- Stitch the under Stand Collar, together with the collar, into the neckline; turn under the open edge of the upper Stand Collar and stitch it in the ditch of the seam.
- Stitch the side edges of the Cuff and turn it right side out. Press the cuff into its finished shape.
- Stitch the outer half of the cuff to the lower edge of the sleeve, then turn under the edge of the inner half and topstitch it over the seam.
- Overlock, turn up and topstitch the hem of the shirt.
- Work the buttonholes on the right front and sew the buttons on the left front.
