Sewing Instructions Shirt Dress “Quentina”

Shirt dresses are not a new fashion invention; they have been around since the 1950s. There was something austere yet very feminine about the emphasis on the waist and the shirt collar. Our shirt dress has classic elements such as the collar with a bar, the continuous button placket and the body-hugging cut as well as new, sometimes playful details. You can choose between a narrow 3/4 sleeve with an open slit and a puff sleeve with a closed cuff. There are also two variants of tie belts: one is shaped but otherwise smooth and one with a pleat in the back.

Length in the center back 104-108cm

→ To the pattern “Quentina”

The Quentina in these instructions was sewn from a linen fabric.

To sew this dress you will need a sewing machine and an overlock sewing machine, or alternatively the zigzag stitch on your sewing machine to neaten the raw edges.

In addition to the description, the colorful lines in the pictures show you where a seam needs to be sewn or something needs to be glued.
When sewing, pay attention to the seam allowance included in the pattern.
Have fun sewing!

First, take the two front pieces and sew in the darts. You then iron these upwards and neaten the side seam.

Sew the yoke to the back piece and press the seam upwards. You can now also close the shoulder seam. Then neaten the seam allowances of the yoke base, shoulder seam and the side seams of the back piece.

Now you have to connect the skirt parts to the top parts. To do this, place the folds so that they open towards the side seam. Fasten the folds once and then connect the top and skirt parts.

We continue with the seam pockets. Before sewing them to the dress, you need to chain the straight edge of all four bags. Then place one bag, right sides together, on each side seam of the front and back pieces so that the clips are on top of each other. Now you sew the bags from clip to clip.

Now it's time to close the side seam. To do this, place the front piece on the back piece, right sides together, so that the pocket bags are also on top of each other. Fold the bags away, because the seam allowance of the bags must not be sewn on at this point and sew the side seam up and down from the clips. Iron the side seams apart.

After that's done, now it's time to close the bags. To do this, sew the bags together along the blue line and bind off the edge. Then place the pocket bags in the front pieces and attach the finished top edge of the bags with a stitch to the seam allowance of the waist seam. Finally, just clip in the seam allowance of the upper pocket bag and iron it apart. This means the bag sits better in the dress and doesn't stick out strangely.

Next we move on to the hem. You neaten this up and iron the hem allowance. You sew the addition onto the dress.

Now you can continue with the button placket. You fold this in twice and sew it on with a narrow edge.

We continue with the collar. To do this, first sew the two collar parts together, right sides together, and cut off the seam allowance at the corners. Then you turn the collar over and iron it. Finally, the collar is stitched with a narrow edge.

Now place the finished collar between the two bars. The clips on the curves show you where the collar goes (marked in yellow). A little tip: I ironed the bar that is sewn on the outside of the dress by 0.9cm beforehand. This makes it easier for me to set it up later. You also have to trim the curve of the bridge a little.

And you're already getting started. The collar is sewn from the inside out. This means that the seam allowance that was not ironed is sewn onto the inside of the dress (right to left). This seam allowance is then ironed up into the collar. Fold the collar outwards and pin it so that it just covers the neck seam. The bridge is sewn to the other bridge with a narrow edge all around. This is how a collar is put on.

The sleeve: First, overcast the side seams of both sleeves. There is a slit hidden in the sleeve cut. The blue line in the picture is the seam, the content is the seam allowance. First, iron the hem allowance over so that the right side is on the right side. The diamond in the cut has now become a triangle, which you can now sew along the long legs of (see blue pins). Sew a line up to the tip, leave the needle in the fabric and lift the quilting foot to turn the sleeve and sew down the other side. Lock the ends well, otherwise the slot will open again too quickly. Carefully cut the slit up to the tip and turn the whole thing over so that the seam allowance from the slit is hidden in the sleeve.

Then iron everything flat and turn the top edge inwards by 1cm. You will later sew this hem onto the sleeve with a narrow edge, but before that happens you first have to close the side seam of the sleeve and iron it apart. Now just sew the hem tight from the inside.

The sleeve is ready, but before you can put it in, you have to gather the sleeve a little. Otherwise it won't fit in the armhole. At this point you sew the shoulder seam and finish the seam allowances together.

Now you insert the sleeve into the armhole. Make sure that the clips and the seams line up. The seam allowance is neatened back together and ironed into the sleeve. Now just sew the buttonholes and sew on the buttons.

All that's missing is the belt. To do this, sew a side strip to each side seam of the back piece. You iron these seams apart. Place the two belts on top of each other, right sides together (make sure the seams line up) and sew them together all the way around.

Leave an opening of approx. 10cm; you will need this to turn the ribbon. Clip the seam allowance slightly, especially in the curves, so that the seam allowance fits better when you turn the belt over. Now you need to turn the belt through the hole and iron it flat. Finally, just topstitch the belt with a narrow edge and sew the turning hole closed.

Your QUENTINA is ready!

If you don't know what to do next or if you have any questions, please contact us by email at info@schnittmuster-berlin.de. We will respond to you as quickly as possible.

Have a lot of fun with your new designer piece!

Warmest regards, Dagmar and Ellen.

The post sewing instructions for the shirt dress “Quentina” first appeared on Blog Sewing Patterns Berlin .