Adding a keyhole back to the Love Notions Lullaby Top

The Love Notions Lullaby Top has earned a quiet cult following among home sewists, and it is easy to see why once you have sewn up a few. The relaxed A-line silhouette, scooped neckline, and breezy short sleeves make it a pattern you reach for again and again during the warmer months. I have made it in linen, cotton lawn, and drapey viscose, and each version feels like a different garment entirely.

For my latest make, I wanted to add a small design tweak that would make the back feel a little more special without changing the easy fit I love. A keyhole back opening, finished neatly with a self-fabric band, seemed like the right balance of detail and simplicity. It is the kind of change that takes a tried-and-true pattern and turns it into something custom.

I sketched the shape on the back bodice piece, then walked to Spotlight at Tea Tree Plaza in Adelaide to pick up a length of cotton poplin. I had a vague plan for a contrasting facing, and a clear plan to drink too much coffee while I drafted. The result is a top I now reach for more than any previous version, and the construction is forgiving for sewists who have only made a handful of woven projects.

If you have sewn the Lullaby Top before and feel ready to branch out, this modification sits comfortably in the gentle-stretch category. You will need basic pattern-drafting tools, a steady hand for curved clipping, and roughly half an hour of extra time. Everything else stays the same, which is the beauty of working with a well-drafted indie pattern.

Getting to know the Lullaby Top base

Before reaching for the scissors, spend ten minutes looking at the back bodice piece on the Lullaby Top. The original is a single, gently shaped panel with a centre-back seam sewn as a straight run from neckline to hem. There is no opening, button, or placket, and the neckline is finished with a simple bias band. The pattern is drafted for both knit and woven versions, with two sets of pieces in the packet.

For this modification I am working with the woven version, since a keyhole sits much more elegantly in a fabric that holds its shape. Cotton poplin, lightweight linen, or structured viscose will all behave beautifully. If you are tempted by a drapey rayon, add extra interfacing on the keyhole area so the curve does not stretch out of shape during wear.

Sourcing fabric and notions around Australia

I do most of my fabric shopping locally before turning to online stores. My usual rotation includes Spotlight at Tea Tree Plaza in Adelaide, the remnant baskets at Lincraft, and a longer drive into the city to visit Tessuti on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy. The Fabric Store in Melbourne is worth the pilgrimage for something more luxurious, and the Brisbane-based Miss Maude is a brilliant source for indie cotton prints if you are up north.

For poplin, I look for a tight weave and a soft hand, and avoid anything with strong stretch recovery. A crisp cotton or cotton-linen blend gives the keyhole a satisfying weight that hangs well without collapsing. I also picked up lightweight fusible interfacing, a vintage button, and a length of narrow elastic for the loop.

While ordering notions online, I stumbled across a few sites I had not used before. One useful find for hardware like D-rings and sliders was outdoor gear suppliers, which carries the metal hardware I sometimes repurpose for adjustable straps on heavier knit makes. It is not a fabric shop, but it has saved me when I needed a particular buckle in a hurry.

Drafting the keyhole shape

The keyhole I added is a teardrop shape, roughly 12 cm tall and 6 cm wide at the widest point, with the centre of the teardrop sitting about 4 cm below the neckline seam. To draft it, I traced the original back bodice onto pattern paper and redrew the centre-back line to mark the new opening. I used a curved ruler for the rounded top and a French curve for the gentle flare at the bottom.

The opening needs to be balanced, with one half on each side of the centre back. Once you have drawn the shape, true the seam allowance so both halves mirror each other, then add 2.5 cm to either side for the facing band. If pattern drafting feels intimidating, a simpler alternative is to draw a straight vertical slit about 10 cm long. A rectangular opening is easier to cut and press, but it loses the softness of the teardrop at the back of the garment.

Before you commit to a shape, it helps to know how your chosen fabric will behave. Here is how the keyhole holds up across a few options.

Fabric	Drape	Sewing ease	How the keyhole behaves
Cotton poplin	Crisp, structured	Very easy	Holds a sharp curve beautifully
Cotton lawn	Soft, lightweight	Easy	Slight relaxation at the curve, very feminine
Linen	Crisp with body	Easy to medium	Wears in nicely, the curve softens over time
Viscose/rayon	Very drapey	Medium	Needs extra interfacing to keep the curve clean

If pattern drafting is a new skill for you, browsing through this influencer sewing community can give you a good sense of how other makers tackle small pattern tweaks. Their tutorials often include photos of in-progress construction, which makes the trickier bits easier to visualise.

Cutting, interfacing, and prep

Cut the back bodice as two mirrored halves if you have drafted it that way, or as a single piece on the fold with the keyhole shape marked on the wrong side. I prefer the mirrored approach because it makes the facing band easier to attach cleanly. Apply a small piece of lightweight fusible interfacing to the wrong side of each half, covering the area where the keyhole will be cut.

Take your time around the curve at the top of the teardrop. Sharp fabric scissors and a steady hand give a cleaner line than a rotary cutter on a curved opening. After cutting, clip into the seam allowance at the top of the curve, almost to the stitching line, so the facing can turn through without pulling. It also helps to stay-stitch the curve at 3 mm from the cut edge, which keeps the bias of the curve from stretching out as you handle the piece.

Before you cut, keep these small habits in mind.

• Mark the keyhole with tailor's chalk and double-check the symmetry before cutting.
• Cut on a single layer of fabric so you can see the curve clearly.
• Test the interfacing on a scrap first to make sure it does not show through.

Sewing the keyhole and facing

The facing band for the keyhole can be cut from the same fabric, from a contrast, or from a lightweight lining. I chose a small floral cotton from my stash, which gives a little wink of pattern when the wearer moves. Cut two facing pieces that mirror the keyhole shape with a 2.5 cm seam allowance on every edge except the bottom, where you can taper to 1 cm.

Place the facing right sides together with the bodice along the cut edge of the keyhole, pin generously, and sew with a 1 cm seam allowance. Trim and grade the seam allowance, then clip the curve carefully. Turn the facing to the wrong side, press the edge so the stitching line sits just inside the fold, and understitch close to the seam to keep the facing on the inside.

At the bottom of the keyhole, pivot the facing so it meets at a sharp point. Fold the facing in half along the bottom of the teardrop, right sides together, and stitch across the bottom edge to form a small triangle. Turn the whole thing through the opening to reveal a neat teardrop with the facing tucked inside. Give it a good press with a steam iron and a pressing cloth to set the shape. If you enjoy this construction, my Love Notions Liesel dress refashion uses similar techniques on a sister pattern and is a good follow-up project once you feel confident.

Hemming, button loop, and styling

The final construction steps mirror the original Lullaby Top instructions. Sew the shoulder seams, attach the bias band to the neckline, set in the sleeves, and close the side seams. The order does not really matter as long as you press the keyhole band flat before attaching the neckline binding.

For the closure, I added a small fabric loop at the top of the keyhole and a button at the neckline. The loop is a 5 cm length of narrow elastic folded into a tube and stitched to the centre back. A vintage shell button from my grandmother's tin sits at the back neckline, with the loop fastening over it neatly. You could also use a hook and bar, or a small snap, depending on your stash.

I have been wearing my Lullaby Top with high-waisted linen trousers for a breezy look on weekends at the farmers' market, and tucked into a linen skirt on teaching days. The keyhole back peeks out just enough to feel interesting without being fussy, and the whole project came in at under three hours once I had drafted the pattern piece.

A few finishing touches I find worth the effort.

• Topstitch around the keyhole at 3 mm to keep the facing flat.
• Hand-stitch the button loop to the bodice for a cleaner finish.
• Press the whole top with a damp cloth before wearing for the first time.

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