If you have a basic blouse pattern that fits you well, you can easily adapt it to create new styles, by adding a back yoke. In “Add a Yoke for Fit,” Threads #206 (Dec. 2019/Jan. 2020), Sarah Veblen explains how a yoke can be used to fine-tune the fit at the shoulders and upper back, while also offering an opportunity for a design feature.

Sarah begins by explaining that, in a traditional blouse or shirt pattern, back shoulder or neck darts provide shaping over the shoulder blades. These darts also control excess fabric at the back armhole. If your pattern doesn’t include these darts, Sarah shows how to drape a dart that removes any gaping at the back armhole.

Once you establish darts that solve your personal fit issues, you can develop yoke seamlines that incorporate the dart shaping. The yoke seam can be a classic horizontal line, or it can be curved, angled, or even broken into two smaller yokes that extend over the back shoulders but leave the neckline as is.

The blouse shown is a modified version of Vogue 8772, a pattern that includes a variety of sleeve and collar options. Sarah closed the shoulder darts and created a gently curved yoke.

The blouse is sewn in Egyptian cotton sateen from EmmaOneSock.com.