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How to Make a Yoked Blouse

A yoke is a fitted part at the top of clothing, such as a blouse, dress or skirt, which lends support to the lower part of the garment. In blouses, yokes can be round, square, or asymmetrically shaped, and usually hang from the front and back of the shoulders. Yokes are useful in making a garment more fitted, and are also good places for creative embellishment. This round yoked blouse can be made without a commercial pattern.

Things You'll Need

Measuring tape
Pattern paper
Pencil
String
Scissors
Pins
Fabric
Thread
Sewing machine
Iron

Instructions

- 1
  Take the following measurements: from shoulder-to-shoulder; from shoulder to whatever length you wish for the sleeves (for long sleeves, the wrist); around the widest part of the bust; and from the top of the bust to the length you wish for the blouse (generally to the top of the hip, but you can go longer).
- 2
  Tie a piece of string to the pencil. Hold the loose end of the string on the pattern paper, and draw a circle by stretching the string out, using the pencil as a compass. The diameter of the circle should be the shoulder-to-shoulder measurement plus one inch. Decide how wide you wish the yoke to be (usually somewhere between three to five inches works well), and make a second smaller circle inside the first. This gives you a wide O-shaped yoke
  
  pattern. Cut it out. Pin the pattern to a doubled piece of the blouse fabric and cut out the yoke pieces. One piece is the facing and the other is the yoke.
- 3
  Divide the bust measurement in half; add four to six inches to that number for ease, and another inch for seam allowance. Cut two rectangles to that measurement by the blouse length measurement (the blouse front and back). Cut two rectangles 20 inches by the sleeve length measurement, plus one inch for seam allowance (the sleeves). At the top
  
  edge of each rectangle, cut off a three inch triangle from both corners.
- 4
  Sew the yoke to the yoke facing, right sides together, on the inside of the circle only, using a ½-inch seam allowance. Clip the seam allowance, turn the facing to the inside and press flat along the seam. Fold up and press the outer edge of the facing 3/8 -inch all the way around.
- 5
  Sew the front and back to the sleeves at the angled corners, right sides together. Press open the seams. Using a basting stitch, gather the neckline evenly. Right sides together, pin the facing to the neckline, easing where necessary, and stitch in place, using a ½-inch seam allowance. Press the seam up toward the yoke. Bring the facing down to cover the
  
  stitch-line, and sew in place by hand.
- 6
  Sew the sleeve and side seams together, beginning at the outer edge of the sleeve and down the side seam. Press and hem the blouse; hem the sleeves or gather the sleeves and make a narrow band at the edge out of two rectangles of fabric.

Sewing