Drawstring Neck Tie Blouse with Belt
A women's loose tunic-blouse in sheer silk with a drawstring neckline tied through a faced front slit, long wide sleeves ruched up by an inner drawstring casing, and a separate self-fabric tie belt held by loops at the side seams.
When To Wear
- In summer over a camisole, with trousers or a slim skirt.
- On holiday, belted over swimwear or shorts.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Loose and straight, with bust darts on the front; drawn in at the waist by the belt.
Length: Tunic length, to the hip.
Neckline: Wide, with a folded neckline band forming a channel for a self-fabric tie cord, cut 3.5 cm wide. The band ends are turned in 3 cm and meet at the front slit.
Front: Centre front slit faced with a separate facing that is turned to the right side and topstitched round its edge.
Sleeves: Long and widening to the hem, sewn to the front and back along seams that run from the neckline to the underarm. A casing strip is stitched to the inside of each sleeve along its centre line with three parallel rows of stitching; a tie cord in the casing ruches the sleeve and ties at the hem.
Waist: Belt loops on the side seams; a belt stitched on three sides, turned and edge-stitched 0.1 cm from the edge.
Finishing: Hems of the body and sleeves turned up twice and topstitched.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. A faced slit, drawstring channels at the neck and on the sleeves, and sewing sheer silk.
Fabric Recommendations
Sheer silk fabrics.
Additional Supplies
- None besides fabric and thread.
Cutter's Must
- Sleeve - 2 pieces
- Front – 1 piece
- Back - 1 piece
- Belt - 1 piece
- Facing for slit – 1 piece
- Belt loop – 1 piece
- Neckline trim strip – 1 piece
- Casing trim strip – 2 pieces
- Neck tie cord – 1 piece
- Sleeve tie cord – 2 pieces
Sewing Instructions
- Press the seam allowances of the slit facing inwards on three sides. Place it under the front piece, right side up (right side facing the wrong side of the front), aligning the slit lines. Stitch along both sides of the slit line at 0.5 cm, gradually tapering the stitch to nothing at the corner at the end of the line. Cut along the marking, stopping 0.1 - 0.2 cm from the stitching. Turn the trim strip to the right side, press, and topstitch it onto the front around the perimeter.
- Stitch the darts on the front. Press the darts upwards.
- Attach the sleeves to the armholes of the back and front. Overlock the seam and press it towards the sleeve.
- Fold the belt loop in half lengthwise, right sides together, align the raw edges, and stitch. Turn it right side out, straighten the seam, positioning it on the fold, and press. Cut the belt loop according to the markings. Mark and topstitch the belt loop along the side seams according to the markings.
- Stitch the side seams of the blouse, simultaneously stitching the sleeve seams. Overlock the seams and press them towards the back.
- Fold the neckline trim strip in half lengthwise, right side out, and press. Unfold the trim strip, turn the side edges inwards by 3 cm, and fold back. Press. Attach the trim strip to the neckline. Overlock the seam and press it downwards.
- Cut the cord for the neckline and the cord for the sleeves. The length is indicated on the pattern, the cord width is 3.5 cm. Fold the cord in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch 0.5-0.7 cm from the raw edge of the cord. Turn the cord right side out and press. Tuck in the short ends of the ties and secure. Thread the cord through the neckline and tighten.
- Fold the bottom edge of the tunic and the bottom edge of the sleeve to the wrong side, turn inwards 1 cm, and topstitch. Press the hemline.
- Overlock the casing trim strip around the perimeter. Fold and topstitch the bottom short edge of the trim strip. Mark the position of the trim strip on the wrong side of the sleeve, aligning the center line. Attach the trim strip to the sleeve with three parallel stitches: along the long edges and in the middle between them. Thread the drawstring through the created opening and tighten.
- Fold the belt in half lengthwise, right sides together. Stitch the belt on three sides, leaving a small opening for turning. Turn the belt right side out and press it. Topstitch along the contour of the belt at a distance of 0.1 cm from the edge.
