Fitted Button-Front Shirt with Ray Neckline Darts
A women's fitted shirt with groups of darts radiating from the neckline on each front, waist darts, a shirt collar on a stand, a cut-in-one button placket and long sleeves with a tower placket, pleats and buttoned cuffs.
When To Wear
- For the office, with trousers, a pencil skirt or under a jacket.
- Everyday wear with jeans in spring and autumn.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted, shaped by darts on the fronts and back.
Length: Hip length, hem overlocked, turned up and topstitched.
Collar: Pointed shirt collar set between two stand pieces; upper collar and inner stand interfaced, stand and collar topstitched.
Front: Darts fanning out from the neckline, pressed away from the centre front, plus waist darts pressed towards the centre front.
Closure: Button front on an interfaced cut-in-one placket, turned twice to the wrong side and topstitched along its inner edge; buttonholes on the right front.
Sleeves: Long set-in sleeves with an eased cap. The slit is finished with a separate tower placket with a pointed top, topstitched along its outline and across; the lower edge is pleated into a buttoned cuff.
Back: Centre back seam and darts pressed towards it.
Finishing: Shoulder and side seams overlocked and pressed towards the back.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. A tower sleeve placket, a two-piece collar on a stand, cuffs and a set of radiating neckline darts that must be stitched and pressed evenly.
Fabric Recommendations
Blouse fabric of natural or blended fibres: cotton, viscose, polyester.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (front plackets, cuffs, upper collar, inner stand)
- 9 buttons
Cutter's Must
- From main fabric:
- Back – 2 pieces
- Front – 2 pieces
- Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Collar – 2 pieces
- Stand Collar – 2 pieces
- Cuff – 2 pieces
- Sleeve Placket – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing:
- Collar – 1 piece
- Stand Collar – 1 piece
- Front placket strip (cut-in-one placket) – 2 pieces
- Cuff – 2 pieces
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the cut-in-one front plackets, the cuffs, the upper collar and the inner stand collar.
- Fold the upper collar with the lower collar, right sides together. Stitch the ends and the outer edge of the collar. Trim the seam allowances. Turn the collar right side out, shape, and press. Place the stand collar pieces right sides together, insert the finished collar between them, align the notches, and stitch, at the same time stitching the ends of the stand. Start and end the stitching precisely at the marked line of the stand attachment seam. Turn the finished collar right side out and press.
- Stitch the darts on the fronts. Press the waist darts towards the center front, and the neckline (bust) darts away from the center. Stitch the darts on the back. Press the darts towards the center back seam. Stitch the center back seam. Overlock the seam and press.
- Stitch the shoulder and side seams. Overlock the seams and press towards the back. Turn the plackets under twice to the wrong side and topstitch along the inner edge of the placket.
- Stitch the outer stand with the collar to the neckline, turn under the open edge of the inner stand and stitch it into the attachment seam. Topstitch along the stand and collar.
- Sleeve placket: Cut the sleeve along the marked line, clipping into the corner at the top of the slit. Turn the section from the slit to the marked line, measuring 1.7 cm, inwards twice by 0.5 cm and topstitch. Fold the sleeve placket lengthwise in half, right sides together, and stitch the pointed end down to the cross mark. Trim the seam allowances close to the stitching, clip the seam allowance at the end of the stitching. Turn the placket right side out, press, and topstitch 0.1 cm along the fold from the bottom up to the cross mark. Place the placket on the sleeve, right sides together, and stitch one edge along the marked line. At the end of the stitching, clip the sleeve across from the slit to the stitching line. Fold the placket to the right side, turn under the open edge, and attach. Align the placket with the marked line on the sleeve and topstitch the pointed top along its outline and across at the cross mark.
- Stitch and overlock the sleeve seams. Set in the sleeves, easing the cap.
- Fold the cuffs in half and stitch the short sides and the section up to the notch. Clip the seam allowance near the notch. Turn the cuffs right side out and press. Fold the pleats at the lower edge of the sleeve along the marked lines. Attach the outer side of the cuff to the sleeve. Turn under the inner side of the cuff and topstitch into the attachment seam. Make buttonholes on the cuffs and sew on buttons.
- Overlock the hem edge of the shirt, press to the wrong side, and topstitch.
- Make buttonholes on the right front, and sew on buttons on the left.
