Off-Shoulder Puff Sleeve Bow Blouse
A women's off-shoulder blouse with a buttoned front placket, a faced band around the upper edge whose front ends tie in a bow, and full long sleeves with tucks at the top, gathered into deep buttoned cuffs.
When To Wear
- In spring and summer with skirts, jeans or wide trousers.
- For daytime events and evenings out.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Semi-fitted, shaped by bust darts on the fronts and waist darts on the back.
Length: Hip length, with a curved hem turned up and topstitched.
Neckline: Off-shoulder upper edge finished with a band made of front and back facings, interfaced on one side, stitched together along the lower edge, ends and upper edge, and topstitched 0.1 cm from the edge. The ends of the band extend at the centre front and tie in a bow.
Sleeves: Long, very full sleeves joined to the front and back by seams running up to the band, with stitched tucks along the top. The underarm and side seams are stitched in one. The lower edge is gathered into a deep cuff with a buttoned opening above a slit bound with a bias strip.
Closure: Centre front buttoned through an interfaced cut-on placket, folded to the right side and topstitched 0.1 cm from the edge; buttons also on the cuffs.
Back: One piece with two waist darts.
Finishing: Seams pressed and overlocked; neckline edge under the band overlocked, turned in and topstitched 0.1 cm from the edge.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. A cut-on placket, a double band with tie ends, sleeve tucks, gathering into cuffs and bound sleeve slits.
Fabric Recommendations
Shirting fabrics of natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (front plackets, cuffs, one back facing and two front facings)
- 12 buttons
Cutter's Must
- From main fabric:
- Back – 1 piece
- Front – 2 pieces
- Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Back Facing – 2 pieces
- Front Facing – 4 pieces
- Cuff – 2 pieces
- Bias strip for the sleeve slits – 2 strips 18 × 3 cm (cut by measurement)
- From fusible interfacing: cut-on placket of the Front, Cuff, 1 Back Facing and 2 Front Facings.
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the cut-on plackets of the Fronts, the Cuffs, one Back Facing and two Front Facings.
- Stitch the waist darts on the back and bust darts on the front. Press the waist darts towards the center of the piece, and the bust darts upwards.
- Press the long edge allowance of the cut-on placket to the wrong side. Fold the placket along the front edge line to the right side and stitch the upper and lower corners. Clip the neckline seam allowance at the mark. Overlock the neckline edge from the mark to the edge line. Turn the placket to the wrong side, press, and topstitch onto the front 0.1 cm from the inner folded edge.
- Press the overlocked neckline edge to the wrong side and topstitch 0.1 cm from the edge.
- Stitch the tucks on the sleeve according to the markings. Attach the sleeve to the back, press and overlock the seam allowances. Attach the sleeve to the front, press and overlock the seam allowances. Stitch the underarm sleeve seam and side seam in one continuous seam. Press and overlock the seam allowances.
- Stitch the Front Facings to the Back Facing to make two complete bands. Place the two bands right sides together and stitch all around from mark to mark along the lower edge, ends and upper edge. Clip the seam allowances at curves, trim at corners. Turn the facing to the right side, press.
- Stitch the outer band to the upper edge of the blouse, fold under the open edge of the inner facing and topstitch into the attaching seam. Stitch a decorative topstitch 0.1 cm from the edge along the bottom edge, ends, and top edge of the facing.
- Fold each Cuff right sides together and stitch the short ends and the button extension, trim the seam allowances at the corners and turn to the right side. Press the cuffs.
- Cut a bias strip 18 × 3 cm for each sleeve slit. Mark the slit line on the sleeve and cut along it. Spread the slit into a straight line and bind it with the bias strip, turning under the raw edge. The finished binding is 0.5 – 0.7 cm wide; the seam is 0.5 – 0.7 cm along the slit, narrowing to 0.2 cm at its top. Sew a row of long gathering stitches along the lower edge of the sleeve and gather it to the length of the cuff.
- Attach the cuff with the outer side to the bottom of the sleeve. Fold under the seam allowance of the inner cuff and topstitch into the attaching seam.
- Press the bottom of the garment to the wrong side, fold under and topstitch.
- Make buttonholes on the fronts and cuffs and sew on the buttons.
