Classic Tee: Scoop Back Hack!

Aug 10, 2018 | Classic Tee, How To, Pattern Hack | 1 comment

Classic Tee: Scoop Back Hack!

Hi, I’m Shelly from Sew Shelly Sew (@sewshellysew) and I am always looking for a fun new tee!! I love the versatility of The Classic Tee Shirt Pattern. It can be easily hacked into a million different styles. My Scoop Back Hack is super simple and inspired by a trend I’m so fixated on lately.

Scoop Back Tees

I have been crushing on this cute little tee from Athleta all summer!

Enter The Classic Tee…

I wanted to make a tee with a similar scoop back. The Classic Tee Shirt is the perfect pattern for the job! The slightly relaxed fit of the Classic Tee is my favorite. I made size small according to measurements and also cut off some length to make my tee cropped.

First, I cut out the pattern pieces using the classic neckline option for the front piece. To scoop out the back neckline, I layed the back pattern piece over the front piece. Initially, I traced the front scoop neckline option onto the back pattern piece.

I wanted the back scoop to be a little wider than a front scoop would be, so I drew the curve about 1/2″ wider on the sides, keeping the scoop depth the same. The black line is the line I traced from the front scoop neck curve and the red line is my new wider scoop drawn free-hand.

I cut the neckline for the back pattern piece along the red line. For the neckband piece, I used the same width but lengthened it since the neckline is now longer. To find a good length for my neck-band, I measured the finished neckline after sewing the front and back shoulders and used 80% of that width plus 3/4″ for seam allowance (2 x 3/8″).

Super easy-peasy but I’m so in love with the result!

Had to Crop It!

I also cropped the tee to hit just below my belly button.

To do that, I just cut off 4 1/4″ from the bottom in the center of the shirt. At 5’6″ tall, that was the perfect amount for me. To crop, I cut a line that slightly curved up from the center so that it made a 90° angle with the side seam line. I wanted to keep the sides trued at a 90° angle since it flares out at that point. I did this to both the front and back pattern pieces.