Mock Neck Shirt Sewing Tutorial

Hello! And we are back with a new year and some more sewing. I realize all my favorite clothes are the ones that I’ve made, so I’m trying to do a little more of that this year. And this time, one from scratch, and a not a fixer upper! I still have a bundle of clothes I’d like to refashion, but I am excited to make something new.

This shirt is ultimately 1960s inspired. It will feature a mock turtleneck neckline and short sleeves. I’m going to keep the bodice somewhat loose and will leave the sleeves some extra width for air flow.

The skinny:

This is actually the first step towards making a dress I really love that I want to make, the one that Audrey Hepburn wears in the movie, Charade. It has a sort of mock neck. I figured I would first try to make a pattern for a shirt, before attempting the dress.

Materials:

• tank you will use as a guide
• pattern paper
• scissors/tape/pencil

• 1-1/2 yards of fabric
• matching thread

Mock Neck Shirt Sewing Tutorial

Instructions:

MAKING THE PATTERN

1. I’m going to use my Floral Summer Tank as a guide. I am going to loosely trace out the back of the tank onto a pattern paper. If you need to make any stylistic edits, now is the time to do it. I’m going to make the shirt a bit wider, the armholes a little smaller, and I’m editing the neckline so that it’s higher. Add your desired seam allowance (I’m adding 3/8″), and a little extra at the bottom of the shirt for the bottom hem allowance (I’m adding a 2″ allowance for the hem at the bottom).

Cut this out. Now fold it in half longways, and trim off whatever you need to make both sides the same. This is the pattern for the back of the shirt.

2. Make a copy of the back pattern but slightly modify the neckline to make it discernible as the front shirt pattern.

3. Next, I’m going to make the mock neck pattern which is just going to be a long rectangle. You can find your measurement two ways. Measure the distance around your neck and add 3/8″ for the hem allowance. Mine is 17-1/2″. Or, measure the distance around both necklines and add the sum together. Now draw a rectangle with your measurement as the length and 4-1/2″ as the width. So, my mock neckline pattern will be a 4-1/2″ x 17-1/2″ rectangle. Remember to make the mock neck long enough so that your head can pass through is!

** When you cut out the mock neck fabric, it is very important that the stretch of the fabric goes from side to side, and not up and down, so that the neckline can stretch open enough to fit your head through. I made this mistake and had to recut the neckline fabric.

4. Next, the short sleeve pattern. To make your pattern, fold a piece of pattern in paper in half on the long edge. Tuck this under the armhole on the bodice pattern. Match the angle of the shoulder with the fold of the pattern paper.

Using a pencil, trace around the armhole of the bodice onto the pattern paper. Now, draw a smooth line from the line you just drew to the end of the sleeve pattern.

Cut this out. Unfold it and you have your sleeve pattern.

5. Now that we have all of our patterns made, cut out the fabric pieces. And now, the sewing!

THE SEWING

6. First, we’re going to sew the shoulders together. Right side to right side, pin and sew along the top of the shoulders. Zig zag or serge any raw edges.

7. Now, take the mock neckline lining, and fold it in half lengthwise so the right side is facing out on both sides. I don’t know if this is the proper technique, but I’m going to fold it in half, pin it to keep it in place, and iron it to press the seam into place.

Pin and sew the ends of the neckline lining so you have a loop. This should be able to fit over your head.

Next, we are going to pin the neckline onto the shirt. Right side to right side, pin the seam of the neckline lining to the middle of the back neckline of the shirt. Then pin the rest in place. Sew this together. Zig zag or serge any raw edges.

8. Next, we will attach the sleeves. Right side to right side, pin and sew the sleeves to the shoulder of the tunic part of the shirt.

Turn the shirt inside out and right side to right side, pin and sew one long line, from under the arm, around the armpit, and down the side. Do this for both sides. Zig zag or serge any raw edges.

You can try your shirt on here, in case you want to make any last minute adjustments.

9. Next, hem your sleeves. I’m going to fold mine in 1/4″, then 1-1/2″ and sew a long straight stitch.

10. Last step, hem the bottom of the shirt. First, zig zag or serge the raw edge. Then, fold in the bottom of the shirt, wrong side to wrong side, and hem to your desired length using a long straight stitch. I’m going to fold mine in 1/2″, then 2-1/2″.

All done!

My housekeeping notes:

90/14 Needle:
top shoulders, sleeves to shirt, sides 00, 3.5, 2.5
sewing neckline lining together, sewing neckline to shirt, 00, 3.5, 3.5
sewing first hemline fold, sewing sleeve hem, 00, 3.5, 3.5
sewing second final hemline fold, 00, 3.5, 4.0
zigzag sewn edges, 03, 5.0, 2.0
zigzag unsewn edges, 0.3, 5.0. 2.5