The Wisteria Shirt – Free Sewing Pattern

Fall is quickly approaching and with it the excitement of a new fall wardrobe, however, we still need to make it through the dog days of summer! Finding great transitional items can sometimes be tricky. Enter The Wisteria Shirt! The perfect high fashion yet comfy linen shirt to get you through the transitional season! Pair it with palazzo pants and heels for a sophisticated look or dress it down with your favorite pair of shorts to make you the most stylish garden party guest! No matter what the temperature you are sure to be on the chic list!

Fabric and Materials Used:

• 2.5 yards of Sanremo Indigo and Black Two-Tone Linen Woven
• 1 spool of 266 Dark Blue 500m Gutermann Sew All Thread
• .5 yard of Black Weft Fusible Interfacing
• 1 Dritz Tapered Awl
• 1 3-in-1 Mark & Trace Chalk – 7 Piece
• MDF071 – The Wisteria Shirt Sewing Pattern (Free download below)

All seam allowances are 1/2″ unless otherwise stated. See chart below for sizing specifications. Note, this specific pattern is available up to a size 30.

Start by cutting out all of your pattern pieces according to their instructions. Make sure to mark any notches, use the awl and the chalk marker to mark the dart placements.

Next, close the darts on both the front and back bodice pieces

Once all the darts have been closed, take the two Back Bodice pieces and sew the center back seam closed. I used a french seam to keep the inside of the garment nice and clean.

Do the same on the Front Bodice, but leave the last 4 inches open to create the keyhole opening.

Make a small rolled hem around the opening then connect the bottom like this.

Now pin, then sew the pleats on the top of the peplum closed. Make a small rolled hem around the keyhole opening of the peplum as well.

Connect the Back Peplum to the Back Bodice pieces. Finish with a French seam.

Now let’s put the sleeves together. Connect 2 of the sleeve bottom pieces to each other to create one full bottom half of the sleeve.

Next, connect the larger Top Sleeve piece to the bottom pieces you just connected. Finish with French seams.

Now it’s time to connect the Front Peplum to the Front Bodice! This part can get tricky, but with patience and lots of pinning you can create the desired look! In the image above I started by visualizing how the keyhole would connect in the front and pinning it in place. Then I began connecting the Front Bodice panel to the peplum from the outsides in and stopping about 2″ before the keyhole itself.

Here you can see how I pulled the fabric through to interlock the keyhole design, I  secured it by tacking together the ends of the openings.  To finish I folded down the rest of the pleats on the peplum and the open fabric on the bottom of the Bodice to keep everything in place.

This is how it looks when complete.

Now let’s sew in the sleeves! Pin the sleeve in place keeping in mind that the sleeve will be attached using French seams, so be cautious to make sure your sleeve is not inside out when pulled through.

This is how the sleeve should look after putting in your first seam. Trim down the excess fabric in the seam allowance then complete your french seam by turning the seam in and sewing it again inside out. Almost done!

Now let’s work on the Neck Facings! Attach the fusible interfacing to your fabric pieces and press. Once fused, attach the Neck facings to each other on the ends (See above)

Place the Neck Facing piece over the opening for the neck of the shirt lining up the seams of the facing with the shoulder seams of the shirt (right sides of the fabric touching)  Pin, then sew into place. I like to clip notches into the seam allowance here so that the piece will lay flat when flipped. Flip the Facing in and press. Tack the ends of the facing to the seam allowances inside the shirt to prevent it from flipping out. Sew the hem on the bottom of the peplum and the sleeves, press, and voila! You now have a completed shirt! Enjoy!