Sewing DIY – Upcycled Damaged Top
Adding Lace Yoke
A client gave me this top to fix up. She accidentally ironed a hole in it before she was even able to wear it once. It’s made out of a polyester/acrylic blend and you have to iron those fibers on a low heat setting or else the fabric can melt easily.
So, instead of throwing it out she wanted to know if there was something I could do to fix it. Upcycling is a great way to keep clothing out of landfills.
“Instead of throwing it out and replacing with a new one, see if you can fix it first. Learning to sew and how to do your own DIY can be a great money saver in the long run, while lengthening the life of the things you own.” – Glamour Magazine UK
*To learn more about fashion’s effect on the environment see my sustainability page here.
At one of my old design jobs we used to add a lot of lace inserts to garments, so I got the idea to add a lace yoke to the back where the hole was using leftover fabric I already had on hand.
See the full DIY video on my YouTube channel (link below) and all the steps in the rest of this post.
Supplies:
Top/shirt
Fabric for the yoke
3/8″ or 1/2″ Twill tape to match garment – can be found near fabric section in craft stores
Fabric shears
Paper for pattern
Paper scissors
Step One: Marking Seam positions
Using a thin tape mark on the garment where you want the yoke seams to be. I’m doing mine with a point at the bottom so it looks more intentional, but yours can be straight if you want.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to add 1/2″ seam allowances inside these lines.
Step Two: Making the Pattern
First draw the lines where you’re going to cut. Like I said, you need to add 1/2″ inside so that you have room for the seam allowance.
I used fabric chalk to draw the lines, then I added a line 1/2″ in from the armhole trim because I wanted to leave the fabric around the armhole.
An easier way to do this would be to just cut the top and bottom yoke seams straight through the armhole and cut out that portion of the armhole. Just make sure to add 1/2″ allowance to the yoke pattern there to finish the edge. I would recommend doing that before you sew the yoke into the garment.
After that cut out on the chalk drawn lines and the you’ll use this piece to make the yoke pattern.
Once it’s cut grab some paper and trace around the cut piece. Use a ruler to make sure you’re getting straight lines.
After it’s traced you need to add back the 1/2″ you cut off for the seam allowance on the shirt, and then you need to add another 1/2″ for the seam allowance on the yoke. So you’re adding 1″ total around the whole pattern. (Keep in mind if you’re taking the easier route, that you need to add only 1/2″ at the armhole edge, but still 1″ at the top and bottom)
Step Three: Cut Out Yoke Fabric
After the pattern is don’t, cut it out and then use it to cut out your yoke fabric.
Step Four: Sew Bottom Pointed Seam
Once you sew one side you need to clip in the center of the point on the original garment’s seam allowance in order to be able to sew the other side. Clip the seam allowance up to 1/8″ away from the seam so that it won’t cut into where you’ll see it on the garment. (shown in below pic)
Once it’s clipped you can sew the other side.
After it’s sewn, press (iron) the seam with the seam allowance away from the lace.
Step Five: Sew Top Seam & Armhole Seams
Next do the same thing for the other seams. If you took the harder route, you’ll still need to clip in the corners similar to how you did at the point in order to get the fabric to fit.
Once those are all sewn, press those seams too and grab your twill tape for the next step.
Step Six: Sew Twill Tape to Seam Allowances
Attach the twill tape to the seam allowance that will be showing on the inside of the garment with about 1/2″ extending for each seam.
I would do the top and bottom first. Do the bottom pointed seam as 2 separate pieces with the extensions at the center as shown below. Then do the armhole last, if necessary based on which option you chose.
Once that’s done fold under the excess at the center and tack into place, but don’t attach it to the garment just yet.
Step Seven: Top Stitch Twill Tape to Garment
Fold under the excess twill tape ends at the armhole and pin the twill tape to the garment. Once it’s pinned sew the twill tape to the armhole at about 1/4″ in from the edge.
After that, pin the top and bottom seam allowance to the garment, with the pins showing on the back of the garment. Topstitch the twill tape to the garment at 1/4″ above the seam (for the top seam). Do the same with the bottom seam. In order to get a smooth pointed seam, start at one armhole edge and work your way to the point. Stop at the point, put the needle stopped in the fabric, pick up the presser foot, and pivot the fabric to the direction to sew up the other side. Once the fabric is in place, put the presser foot back down and continue sewing to the other edge.
After this step, just clip all the excess threads and you’re done!
I actually wound up adding another row of topstitching 1/8″ away from the first row since the twill tape was wide enough for it. But if you used 3/8″ taping I would just stick with the one row of stitching.
Finished Product!
Leave a comment if you have any questions!
