Ruffled Yoke Blouse
A women's semi-fitted long-sleeved blouse with a rounded front yoke edged by a narrow pleated frill, a stand collar, and a centre front fastening with nine rouleau loops and buttons between two vertical plackets.
When To Wear
- Office wear with tailored trousers or a straight skirt.
- Daytime events and dinners, under a jacket or cardigan in autumn and spring.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Semi-fitted; fronts shaped with bust darts (pressed upwards) and waist darts, back with waist darts.
Length: Hip length, straight hem turned up and topstitched.
Collar: Stand collar with rounded front ends that stop short of the centre front, outer stand interfaced.
Yoke: Rounded front yoke on each side; a pleated decorative trim 1.5–2 cm wide is caught into the yoke seam. The trim can be bought or made from the blouse fabric: a 2–2.5 cm strip with a rolled hem on one edge, pleated evenly along its length.
Closure: A vertical placket is stitched to each front along the opening. Nine rouleau button loops, made from a bias strip of the main fabric, are set into the right front edge under an interfaced facing; buttons sit on the left front, with an interfaced inner placket behind the opening.
Sleeves: Long set-in sleeves eased into the armhole, with an opening in the sleeve seam above the cuff; deep interfaced cuffs with a button extension and one button each.
Back: One piece with no centre back seam, shaped with waist darts.
Finishing: Shoulder and side seams pressed towards the back and overlocked; front facings topstitched 0.1 cm from the fold.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Making and spacing rouleau loops, setting a frill into a curved yoke seam, a faced front with an inner placket, a stand collar and cuffs, all in fine fabric.
Fabric Recommendations
Fine fabrics made from natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (front facings, inner placket, outer stand, cuffs)
- Decorative pleated trim, 1.5–2 cm wide (or made from the main fabric)
- 11 buttons
Cutter's Must
- From main fabric:
- Back – 1 piece
- Front – 2 pieces
- Yoke – 2 pieces
- Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Stand Collar – 2 pieces
- Placket – 2 pieces
- Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- Inner Placket – 1 piece
- Cuff – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing: Center Front Facings, Inner Placket, Stand Collar (outer piece), Cuffs.
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the Center Front Facings, Inner Placket, Cuffs and the outer Stand Collar piece.
- Stitch the waist and bust darts on the Back and Fronts. Press the waist darts towards the center and the bust darts upwards.
- Stitch the Yoke to the Front, inserting the decorative trim into the seam. Press the seam allowances towards the yoke and overlock.
- Stitch the Placket to the Front. Press the seam allowances towards the placket and overlock.
- Prepare the button loops. To do this, cut a bias strip of fabric 2 – 3 cm wide. Fold it lengthwise in half, right sides together. Stitch along the fold with a 0.3 – 0.4 cm wide seam. At the end, increase the seam width to 0.5 – 0.7 cm. Trim the seam allowances to 0.3 – 0.6 cm. Turn the cord right side out using a needle with thick thread. The cord should be firm along its entire length. Cut the cord into 9 pieces, each equal to double the button diameter + 2 cm. Fold them in half, place them on the wrong side of the right front according to the markings, with the folds away from the edge, and secure with machine stitching.
- Fold the Inner Placket in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch the upper edge. Turn right side out, press, place it on the wrong side of the left front with the fold facing away from the edge, and baste. Place the Center Front Facing with its right side against the wrong side of the Front and stitch along the front edge. Turn the facing to the right side of the Front, baste and press. Press under the outer long edge of the facing and topstitch it to the Front 0.1 cm from the fold.
- Place the Stand Collar pieces right sides together and stitch along the outer edge, starting and ending the stitching precisely at the stand attachment line. Clip seam allowances at curves, turn the stand right side out, press.
- Stitch the shoulder and side seams of the blouse. Press the seam allowances towards the back and overlock.
- Attach the outer stand to the neckline, turn under the open edge of the inner stand, and topstitch into the attachment seam.
- Fold each Cuff right sides together and stitch the short ends and the button extension, trim the seam allowances at the corners and turn right side out. Press the cuffs.
- Overlock the sleeve edges. Stitch the sleeve seams, leaving the section below the mark open for the cuff opening.
- Attach the cuff with the outer side to the bottom of the sleeve. Turn under the seam allowances of the inner cuff and topstitch into the attachment seam.
- Set in the sleeves, easing the sleeve cap. Overlock the seam.
- Press the bottom of the garment to the wrong side, fold, and topstitch.
- Make buttonholes on the cuffs and sew on the buttons. Sew the buttons onto the left front to match the loops.
- Tip: You can make the decorative trim strip yourself. To do this, cut a strip of main material approximately 2.0 – 2.5 cm wide, finish one of the long sides with a rolled hem, and create even pleats along the entire length.
