inside: Learn how to add a lace yoke to a shirt pattern with this tutorial and pattern hack. Cute detail you can sew with any shirt pattern you have or with my free tee or tank pattern. Adorable lace yoke makes a great addition to any top.
Many years ago I shared this lace yoke shirt tutorial and today I’ve done the same sewing hack on my favorite tank. I thought I would give the post a little update as well as share my tank version of the lace yoke top and give you some summer sewing inspiration to add a fun little detail to a shirt you sew.
Lace yoke shirt sewing tutorial
This lace yoke shirt tutorial is such a fun pattern hack. You can use it with any t-shirt pattern you already have, or grab my womens’ free t-shirt pattern here. It’s time to start thinking about spring sewing, and I AM READY! This is the first springy item I’ve made for myself this season, and I LOVE it… so excited to start sewing for summer. I used my free t-shirt pattern for this lace yoke shirt tutorial and also sewed it up on my FB live show. You can catch the replay on YouTube HERE if you want to see this shirt sewn up in action.. you can also scroll through this photo tutorial for all the details as well.
**note- I like my shirts on the longer side, so I lengthed the pattern a bit to get the long shirt**
I have yards and yards of this lace from a end of season sale last fall. It’s so pretty and I can’t wait to make many more things with it. I made my lace yoke lower on the back than the front, but you can adjust as desired for the look you want. I still have to wear a tank under this shirt, but I like the lace placement.
I also added lace cuffs to the sleeve and bottom edges. You can find the tutorial for adding cuffs in the t-shirt pattern here.
I just love the touch of lace added to my summer tops! It’s a way to make an ordinary tank or tee just a bit more dressy. You may recognize this floral… I just make Rose a crop top from it… it’s so lovely! Check out my spring/summer fabric picks here.
In the original post I used my free tee pattern and this version now I’ve done the same sewing hack with a tank… I think both are pretty amazing.
A few more sewing pattern/hacks to sew with lace
How to sew a shirt with lace –
Ok! let’s walk through how to edit your pattern to create the lace yoke. Photos here are shown using my free tee pattern, but grab your favorite top pattern and let’s get sewing.
Take your pattern pieces and draw a line were you want the lace yoke to be. I wanted the front yoke to meet right at the bottom of the neckline. This way I’m not worried about the see-through part of the lace. Feel free to add more lace if you want though.
The trace with tissue or other tracing paper BOTH top and bottom pieces, meeting at where you drew the line. Add a seam allowance to both top lace and bottom shirt pattern pieces.
See how the top and bottom overlap at where the lace will meet? With right sides together you will sew the lace to the top of the front and back pieces before sewing the rest of the shirt.
Once you have the lace on, then continue as normal for the shirt. If you need help sewing the rest of the shirt you can see the pattern tutorial here.
If your lace yoke meets by the neckline like mine you will might have to trim the neckline after you sew the two pieces together before you add the neckband.
You can add lace cuffs as well..
Top-stitch the seam allowance down towards the knit shirt fabric after you sew the lace and shirt together at both back and front.
I’m super please with the results and I hope you will be able to use this tutorial to make an awesome lace yoke t-shirt for yourself.
Anne says
Love the lace accents! I’ve got a Craft Gossip post scheduled for tomorrow afternoon that features your tutorial: http://sewing.craftgossip.com/?p=92132 –Anne
Ann-Marie Hutchinson says
Thank you for the yoke tutorial, very good for stash busting
Sarah says
Cute! When assembling, are you using a double needle or a coverstitch machine?
Emily says
I’m using my serger to sew all the seams.
Dee Kay says
Hi Emily! I love your website! Thanks for all the tips and tricks. Though I have been sewing costumes for my daughter and other odds and ends since I was a teen, I have gotten sick of ill-fitting clothing and/or poor material in basic clothing. So I have decided to start altering and making my own basic stuff at 52 years old. I have a Janome with basic stitches, double needle capability and some embroidery stitches. I was wondering, your seems look so tidy. Did you use a double needle on it, or were you using a serger to sew this? If so, could I use a double needle set up to get a similar look? My machine has a preset triple stitch, but that seems like overkill for this shirt. Thanks in advance and thank you for all the behind the scenes work you do to share your knowledge, creativity and talents with all of us.
Emily says
hi! I sew all my knit seams with a serger, yes! The double needle works for top-stitching and hemming, but not really for sewing seams. I would use a zig-zag for sewing seams if you dont have a serger..
Julie Petricca says
Does this need to be stretch lace? I couldn’t find the answer in the tutorial, or original post. Thank you!