Hive Pullover Sewalong: View A Yoke

Today we start sewing the meat of the Hive Pullover. This post will be dedicated to View A and we'll be sewing that beautiful, angled front yoke. The order of these instructions might vary slightly from the pattern instructions.

First, cut out all of your pattern pieces. Make sure to interface all four yoke pattern pieces and the two back collars. I recommend block fusing your interfacing.

Next, on the front bodice mark the seam allowance from the notches down the angled part of the yoke and across the bottom yoke seam. Do this on both the right and wrong side.

Pin the shoulder seams and sew with 3/8" seam allowance and a stretch stitch. Press these seams towards the back bodice.

Place zipper face down on the right side of the right yoke, aligning the edge of the zipper tape with the yoke’s center front and the top of the zipper tape with the top of the yoke. The zipper may extend below the yoke; we’ll shorten it later.

Using a zipper foot, sew the zipper to the yoke with a straight stitch and 3/8” seam allowance. 

Press the zipper away from the right yoke. Then, place the left yoke face down on the right side of zipper. Sew with a straight stitch and 3/8” seam allowance. Press the yoke away from zipper. 

This piece will now be called the outer yoke.

Sew a basting stitch with a 3/8” (1 cm) seam allowance down the center front of the remaining two yoke pieces. Press these edges towards the wrong side on the stitch line. These pieces will now be called the inner yokes.

Align the short ends of one back collar piece with the short ends of the outer yoke with right sides together. Sew and press seams towards the center back.

Align the short ends of the remaining back collar piece with the short ends of the inner right and left yokes with right sides together. Sew and press seams towards the front.

Slip the inner collar and yoke over the outer collar and yoke with right sides together, aligning the notches and shoulder seams. Sew around the neckline with a 3/8” seam allowance, making sure to stitch down the center front folds of the inner yoke.

Press the inner yoke up and over so that the yokes are right side out. The top ends of the zipper tape will fold towards the inner yoke.

Align the folded edges of the inner yoke on the wrong side of the zipper tape, so the fold is about 1/8” away from the zipper teeth. (It may be helpful to use Wonder Tape here, as you see I'm doing.)

From the right side, edgestitch with a 1/8” seam allowance on both sides of the zipper, making sure to catch the inner yoke as you sew.

Now, baste the inner and outer yokes together along the bottom edge with a 1/4” seam allowance.

IMPORTANT: Sew a bar tack over the zipper teeth at the bottom edge of the yoke. This will act as the new zipper stop.

Trim the zipper so that it is flush with the bottom of the yoke.

With chalk, mark the 3/8” seam allowance from the notches down on both angled sides and across the bottom of the yoke. Do this on both sides of the yoke.

Align the yoke to the front bodice, so that the outer yoke faces the right side of the bodice. Matching the seam allowance lines, align the zipper with the center front notch and pin.

Then align the yoke notches with the bodice notches and pin. Baste the yoke to the neckline from one neckline notch to the other. When you reach the pivot point, keep the sewing machine needle in the fabric, pivot the yoke, and pull away the excess bodice fabric from underneath the yoke before continuing on.

Finish pinning around the neckline, aligning notches and seams. Sew around the entire neckline with a 3/8” seam allowance.

Snip into just the bodice at the yoke corners (up to, but not through the stitch line) to release any fabric tension there.

I recommend watching this video that shows the detailed process of pinning, basting, and sewing the yoke into the bodice neckline. 

Press the yoke seams towards the bodices. Your yoke should look something like this. Congrats, you just finished the most difficult part of sewing the Hive Pullover!