Three-Quarter Length Sleeve Wrap Blouse

Fasten your seatbelts, sewists, because we have the perfect make for testing your technical skills! This gorgeous wrap top requires working with darts, attaching a zip and preparing wrap ties. Not only that, but the blouse is super on-trend for autumn with its three-quarter length sleeves and front detail. Say hello to your new go-to top – you'll thank us later.

Essentials

Fabric, 1.7m (130cm)

Zip, 31cm

Lightweight interfacing

sizes

8-22

Dimensions List

Back: cut one pair
Front: cut one on the fold
Front neck facing: cut one
Back neck facing: cut one pair
Left tie: cut one
Right tie: cut one
1.5cm seam allowance used unless otherwise stated.

1 Download the template at sewmag.co.uk, print out and follow the cutting guide. Create darts in the front panel and, with right sides together, join the shoulders and neaten the raw edges. With right sides together, join the centre back to the notch, then neaten any raw edges. To attach the zip, press under the seam allowance on the right-hand side.

2 Press a little more than the allowance on the left-hand side. Pin the zip to the left-hand folded edge and stitch close to this edge using a zipper foot. Lap the folded edge on the left-hand side, over the zip teeth, matching the folded edge to the line of stitching. Tack the zip, feeling for the teeth as you go, then topstitch.

3 Apply interfacing to the neck facing and, with right sides together, join the front and back pieces at the shoulder seams, then neaten the outer edge of the facing by either overlocking or zig zag stitching the edge, turning a single 5mm hem. Pin and stitch the neck facing to the neck edge so it overhangs the zip edge by the seam allowance.

4 After understitching the neck facing, prepare the wrap ties. Straight stitch a row, 5mm from the raw edge, around the long sides. Turn and press at the stitch line, then turn again to form a narrow double-folded hem. Sew two rows of long gather stitches at the short end of each tie.

5 Pull the gather threads until the tie measures 12cm, then place the wrong side of the tie to the right side of the top at the side seams, matching the notches. Stitch the tie in place at your desired position then, with right sides together, join the side seams and neaten the raw edges.

6 With right sides together, join the underarm seams and neaten the raw edges. Stitch two rows of ease stitches around the sleeve head, then match the underarm seams and notches before pinning the sleeve into the armhole, then neaten the raw edges. Slip-stitch the neck facing to the zip and turn a double-folded narrow hem.