I wasn’t sure what to call this.  Basically, it is a tutorial on how to draft and make a shirt where the yoke is enclosed.  This helps protect precious princess skin from irritating seams.

I try to deter the complaints before they hit my desk.

I figured since I was making it, I might as well take some pictures.  Hope you get the gist of it.  You can use this same concept for an adult sized shirt, as well.

Oh, and on a side note, make sure you are pinning the body pieces to the right side when you are doing that part.  Ripping out serged seams is no fun. 😉

1.  Grab a pattern that fits for a knit shirt.   Trace a copy of it.

2.  Mark a line on the front and back bodice piece in the same spot.  I chose to go about halfway down the arm.  Cut the line and mark it up, so you don’t forget to add a seam allowance.  I use bright red to make sure I don’t forget.  You could re-trace the pieces, too.

3.  Take the traced arm piece and cut a line and mark the seam allowance.  I cut up around 6 inches from the bottom.

5.  Cut one each of the yoke pieces of the outside fabric, and one each of the inside.

6.  Sew the shoulder seams on both the inside and outside pieces.

7.  Sew the neckline, right sides together and turn out and iron.

8.  In order to get the yokes to have the seams enclosed you need to do a “burrito style” sewing.  Lay out the pieces flat, sewing the smallest yoke first, and roll the opposite yoke towards the yoke you are sewing.

9.  Take the inside yoke piece and lay flat.

10. Roll up the body piece and lay it right side to the outside yoke right side.

11. Lay the opposite yoke over the top and pin in place.  Sew.

12. You can see we have two rolls on the inside.  Make sure when you are sewing it up, you just catch the three layers.  When done, pull the rolls out the same side.

13. Now repeat the above steps with the other yoke.  You do the smallest yoke first, because you are rolling up a body piece, as well, with the second yoke.

14. Pull the rolls out and you have the body pieces together.

15. Pin the arm pieces together and sew.  Iron flat.

16.  Pin the arms to the sides, and sew up.

17. Sew up the side seams.

18. Sew up the bottom seam, with a casing wide enough for the elastic. I cut the elastic 1″ less than her low waist measurement.

19. Leave a 1″ opening to thread the elastic through.  Ignore my fingers.  Apparently, you are supposed to wear gloves when you are dying leather a dark brown.  Who knew??

20. Pull the elastic through the casing.

21. Stitch the elastic ends together and stitch up the hole.

22. Hem the sleeves.  This is a pretty sticky fabric, so I used my Teflon foot for it.

23. All done!