I was infatuated with this tuck detail shirt from Australian brand Aje and now I’m in love with my handmade version. This 3D design of alternating pin tucks elevates a basic buttoned top and puts artistic focus front and center on the wearer. It’s tactile and it has depth that comes alive with light and shadow. It’s definitely one of my favorite sews of 2022.
My sister recently said my me-made clothing designs are too plain. I was obviously insulted. If you flip through this blog or my Instagram, it’s clear that I use bold color, prints and patterns. But, I do tend to choose silhouettes that are relatively flat. I don’t spend much fabric on whimsical flourishes like rouching, ruffles or layers. I’m also frugal with my energy – my priority for patternmaking and adapting has always been fitting style lines to my curves. A self-taught sewist, my sewing foundation has been focused on sewing cloths that fit well and are well-constructed to withstand repeated washes and wears.
This fabric manipulation technique represents the next level of my sewing journey. I chose to recreate this shirt to learn a new skill for transforming plain cloth into a dimensional textile, adding depth to my designs while maintaining my chic and modern aesthetic. I think I succeeded. Don’t you?
I DIYed it, but this shirt is worth every penny of the $325 price tag from the original designer. Sure, I spent less than $20 in materials to make this crop top. But the investment of time was immense. After figuring out the design, I spent about 5 hours just on sewing the pleated front panels. It required marking, pinning, stitching, pressing, stitching again, and pressing again. After the first inkling of carpal tunnel pain, I used my machine’s knee lift to raise and lower the presser foot while sewing the tucks. At this scale, there are 5 tucks for every 2″ of length, so I needed about 100 stitched lines…and that’s at crop top length!
I absolutely love this elevated tuck detail shirt even though it was a ton of effort. From the Aje inspiration design, I also borrowed the loose fit, slightly flared sleeve, spaced out buttons, and gold top button. I chose not to add an additional row of topstitching because my dense cotton fabric was not a fan of needle punctures and I feared crooked lines.
From design inspiration to finished garment, this is one of my most incredible sewing makes. I’m so excited to have learned a new technique and to continue exploring design possibilities with fabric manipulation!
Pattern
- Butterick B5526, View B
- You could use any shirt pattern to adapt this design. If you want to match the style of the Aje shirt, use a pattern that is loose fitting through the body with no princess seams or waist darts.
- You’ll need a separate button placket. If you’re pattern has an attached placket, you can draft a separate placket by adding seam allowance from the center front.
- Sewing Difficulty – 4/5
- These tucks are tedious!!! Prepare to sew a lot of straight lines.
- Once you add the tuck detail to the front panels, you can mostly sew the top according to the pattern
- Fit Difficulty – 2/5
- Make sure you start by making a muslin or using a tried and true (TNT) pattern for all the effort you’ll put into this shirt
Fabric
- Cotton broadcloth from Metro Textiles
- This cotton is tightly woven and has a super high thread count
Fit & Modifications
- I sewed a muslin of this top with a FBA and I wish I’d taken the extra step to rotate the bust dart into the front seam line
- Before my next sew, I need to check the armscye against other tops that fit well because I don’t have great movement of my arms
- I cropped the shirt to hit just below my waistline and cut short sleeves to hit just above my elbow
How to create this tuck detail
- Measure a rectangle of fabric that is 10″ wide and 3 times the length of your front placket.
- Using a heat vanishing pen, draw lines across the fabric at 3/4″ apart and 3/8″ apart. You’ll need these lines the entire length of the rectangle. I recommend using a clear ruler to measure the lines.
- Fold the fabric between the wider marking to match up the lines. Pin. Stitch along the lines. Repeat through the length of the fabric. You should have gaps of 3/8″ between tucks of folded and stitched fabric that are approximately 3/8″ wide.
- After sewing all of the tucks, press with steam to set the tucks neatly towards one direction.
- Stitch down sides with 1/2″ seam allowance so tucks are all secured down.
- Measure to the lengthwise center and trace a line with chalk. Stitch 1/2″ on either side of the center line.
- Measure to find the center point between stitching lines of your two halves. Measure again to find the distance between that center point and the edge of the fabric. With a piece of tape, mark the distance between your center stitching line and the edge.
- Line up your fabric on the sewing machine so the tucks open away from you. Carefully pull back a few tucks from center and slowly stitch. The tucks and stitching direction of the center should be opposite the direction of the sides.
- Move the tape and repeat to sew the second side in the same manner.
- Press the tucks to create neat triangles.
- Cut the two panels apart along the sides. Use 1/2″ seam allowance to sew the tuck detail to the rest of the shirt front and button placket.
