Fitted Utility Shirt with Flap Pockets
A fitted women's short-sleeved shirt with a collar on a stand and an asymmetric front fastening that runs diagonally from the neckline to the hem with nine snaps. Two chest patch pockets with inverted pleats and flaps, and straps with decorative buckles above the pockets.
When To Wear
- In summer with jeans, chinos or cargo trousers.
- With straight or pencil skirts for casual office days.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted, shaped by darts on the fronts and back.
Length: Just below the waist, with a curved hem turned up and topstitched.
Collar: Pointed collar on a stand, topstitched; upper collar and upper stand interfaced.
Sleeves: Short set-in sleeves with an eased cap; hems turned up and topstitched.
Closure: Asymmetric diagonal front edge finished with interfaced plackets (the left placket in two parts), the inner edges topstitched to the fronts; nine snaps.
Pockets: Two chest patch pockets, each with an inverted pleat, under a flap stitched to the front, turned down and topstitched. Above each pocket, a short strap caught into the armhole seam carries a decorative buckle; a longer strap with eyelets is stitched into the placket topstitching above the flap and fastens into the buckle.
Back: Centre back seam and two vertical darts.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. A collar on a stand, an asymmetric front with shaped plackets, pleated patch pockets with flaps, and setting snaps, buckles and eyelets.
Fabric Recommendations
Shirting fabrics and other fabrics of natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (plackets, upper collar, upper stand, two flap pieces)
- 9 snaps
- 2 decorative buckles
- Eyelets for the long straps
Cutter's Must
- From main fabric:
- Back – 2 pieces
- Right Front – 1 piece
- Left Front – 1 piece
- Collar – 2 pieces
- Stand Collar – 2 pieces
- Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Right Placket – 1 piece
- Left Upper Placket – 1 piece
- Left Lower Placket – 1 piece
- Flap – 4 pieces
- Pocket – 2 pieces
- Longer Strap – 2 pieces
- Shorter Strap – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing: Left Lower Placket, Left Upper Placket, Right Placket, upper Collar, upper Stand Collar, upper Flap (2 pieces)
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the Left Upper Placket, Left Lower Placket, Right Placket, upper Collar, upper Stand Collar, and 2 of the Flap pieces.
- Stitch the darts on the back and front. Press the darts towards the center of each piece.
- Fold the strap pieces in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch along the long side and one short end. Trim the allowances, turn right side out, and press. Topstitch along the edges of the straps. Place each Shorter Strap on the armhole at the marks and baste.
- Place the Flap pieces right sides together in pairs and stitch. Trim the corner allowances and turn right side out. Roll the seams to the edge and press. Overlock the raw edge of the flap. Mark the position of the chest pocket. Stitch the flap to the front, turn it down, and topstitch.
- Fold the inverted pleat on each pocket. Press the upper allowance of the pocket to the wrong side, turn under, and topstitch. Press the side and lower allowances to the wrong side. Place the pockets on the fronts at the markings and topstitch them in place.
- Place the Collar pieces right sides together and stitch along the ends and outer edge. Trim and turn out the collar corners. Stitch the Stand Collar pieces together, sandwiching the collar between them. Turn right side out and press the finished collar.
- Press the outer edges of the right and left plackets to the wrong side. Stitch the Left Lower Placket to the Left Upper Placket. Place the plackets on the right side of the fronts, face down, and stitch along the front edge. Stitch the lower edges of the plackets to the fronts exactly at the marked hemline. Turn the front edges right side out, roll the seams to the edge and press. Topstitch the inner edge of the plackets to the fronts. Baste the neckline edge of the fronts and plackets together.
- Turn under the raw end of each Longer Strap and topstitch it above the flap into the placket topstitching.
- Stitch the shoulder and side seams. Press the seams towards the back and overlock.
- Stitch the lower stand with the collar to the neckline, turn under the raw edge of the upper stand, and topstitch it over the attachment seam. Topstitch around the collar.
- Stitch and overlock the sleeve seams. Set in the sleeves, easing the sleeve cap.
- Overlock the hems of the shirt and sleeves, press them to the wrong side, and topstitch.
- Set the top parts of the snaps on the right front and the bottom parts on the left front. Attach the buckles to the Shorter Straps and set eyelets in the Longer Straps.
