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Sleeveless 234 Cameos Modifications

July 20, 2024 3 Comments on Sleeveless 234 Cameos Modifications

by Molly Hamilton

We all really love the 234 Cameos pattern. I love the details, the romance, the fun sewing challenges, and how feminine and pretty the tops come out.

I decided I wanted to make a sleeveless camisole to wear for myself this summer. I had already made one sample of View A (without the tucks and insertion lace) and wanted to try View B with the tucks and lace. After making View A, I knew I wanted to adjust a few things to fit me the way I wanted it to. These are simple adjustments, but I will walk you through what I did.

My daughter wearing View B of the sleeveless 234 Cameo. You can see it flares a bit at the hip and the straps are narrow.

First, I wanted the straps to be wider and closer to my neck (i.e. not so wide across the span). So I adjusted the pattern pieces for the front and back yoke by widening the straps toward the neck and making the neckline a little smaller.

You can see the original pattern piece on this tissue. I extended the line for the shoulder to make the strap wider (about 3" total) and connected this line with the center front (and back) using a hip curve ruler.

I also wanted a bit less flare in the lower part of the cami. This camisole was originally designed to have that flare to go over a back bustle or pad, and the peplum shape is fun. But, I wanted something a bit more fitted and modern. So I just straightened the lower curve of the side back and back pieces using a ruler on the pattern pieces to straighten the seam. This was a very easy adjustment.

I always recommend a muslin of your final pattern to make sure that the garment fits the way you want and to make any final adjustments that might be needed. With this pattern, you would not need to do any tucks, lace, or bias for a muslin. Just stitch together at the seam lines and front darts and try on. It's very quick!

I just used a straight ruler to draw a line from the side seam to the hem in the lower part of the shirt, removing the flare.

Note: I used French seams for all of my seamlines and this is an easy way to get a really nice finish on the inside of this top. French seams are perfect for this cami, especially when using fine and lightweight fabric. The fabric I used for this was a cotton/linen blend in an almond color. I really love the look of this cami in solids and prints, and lightweight fabric is needed.

I made the tucked yoke pieces first from the rectangles of fabric (Pieces N and M). Do not cut out the yokes first. It is far easier to make the tucks from these rectangles and then cut out the yoke pieces after than to try and make the tucks on the smaller yoke pieces. Making all the tucks on Pieces N and M is a bit laborious and takes some time, but it is not difficult.

This is the center back, which I did not cut on the fold, but traced onto the tucked fabric section where it was indicated on the pattern. Note the new strap and neck lines.

I used my modified yoke pieces to cut out the yokes from Pieces N and M after the tucks were made. If you are adding lace insertion, you can add the lace to Pieces N and M before cutting out the yoke pieces as well. I wanted to add lace, but I did not have very much lace of the type I wanted to use, so I added the lace just to the yokes after I cut them out. I also decided not to do true insertion lace. My lace has some scalloping on the edges which can make lace insertion slightly more difficult. And, I didn't really want to spend more time on the lace insertion. If you want to do lace insertion, though, read our blog post about it here.

My new pattern pieces cut from the tucked fabric. And I've added lace to the sections where insertion lace could be added. Note I did not add lace to the center front. This should be done as instructed in the pattern if you want to add it.

I just applied the lace to the top of my yokes and stitched it down with a narrow zigzag stitch. Note that y ou can choose a different width of lace than the pattern calls for. The lace I used was slightly smaller than the lace the pattern recommends, but it was the color and style that I liked best of all the lace we had on hand. You could add lace that is more narrow, or add two rows of narrow width lace (even using two different laces to create the look you want). You could even stitch ribbon down on each side of the lace if you wanted. There are a lot of possibilities.

My edging lace was also a bit narrower than the pattern called for. And was not as gathered as many gathered laces are. So to adjust for this, I eased the lace in places to have some extra room. And to adjust for the more narrow lace, I moved the lace to the edge of my stitching. You could also make a narrower bias binding (1/4" instead of 1/2"), but I like the wider bias to help cover seams and stitching. I moved the edge of the lace near the stitching line of the bias, and was careful to have it caught in the stitching. Again, there is some leniency in the size of edging lace you use. I had some edging lace on hand that I wanted to use - one that was a ecru color with a floral design. And I like the subtle, narrower lace. But you can use a variety of lace here, too.

Note that I placed the lace edge near the stitching line and not all the way into the bias. Because the lace is narrower, placing it this way means that it will not disappear in the bias but be at the edge.

Finally, I took in about 1/2" (13mm) at the back armhole where the side back and back come together. Again, this was an easy adjustment because it was at the seam, but it helped the armhole fit just a little better.

These were all the adjustments I made to this pattern, and I love how it came out. It fits well and is a pretty top. And, let us know what you make from this pattern!