Maeve Trellis Lace Crochet Vest Pattern: Your New Favorite Boho Layering Piece

There is something quietly magical about a handmade lace vest. It sits at the intersection of structure and softness, of something modern and something that feels borrowed from another time. The Maeve Trellis Lace Crochet Vest is exactly that kind of piece — a design that will earn a permanent place in your wardrobe rotation the moment you finish the last stitch.

Whether you are a seasoned crocheter looking for a project that stretches your skills in the best possible way, or an adventurous intermediate maker who has been wanting to try lace work, Maeve is the pattern you have been looking for. In this post, you will find everything you need to know about this design: the inspiration behind it, what makes the trellis stitch so special, how to wear it, what yarn works best, and a full walkthrough of the construction so you can dive in with confidence.

The Inspiration Behind the Maeve Design

The name Maeve comes from an old Irish word meaning “she who intoxicates” — a fitting title for a garment that tends to stop people in their tracks. The design was inspired by the kind of effortless, wandering aesthetic you see on long summer walks, at outdoor markets, and on the kind of woman who seems to dress entirely by instinct.

The trellis lace pattern mimics the crosshatched latticework you find on cottage garden fences, sun-dappled porches, and old stone walls draped in climbing roses. It is a structure that suggests both wildness and order — vines growing through a frame — and that tension is what gives this vest its particular personality.

Boho layering has been at the heart of slow-fashion dressing for years now, and for good reason. A lightweight crochet vest transforms everything underneath it. It takes a simple linen tee and a pair of jeans from basic to intentional. It adds movement and texture to a flowy dress without adding bulk or warmth. It works over a turtleneck in cooler months and over a bikini top on the beach in summer. The Maeve vest lives comfortably in all of those worlds.

What Is the Trellis Lace Stitch?

If you have not worked with trellis lace before, you are in for a treat. The trellis stitch is one of those techniques that looks far more complicated than it actually is. Once you understand the rhythm of it, it becomes almost meditative — one of those repetitive, satisfying patterns that you can work through while listening to a podcast or watching television in the evening.

The trellis stitch creates a diagonal mesh of chain spaces connected by slip stitches or single crochets, forming a diamond-shaped lattice. Depending on how you adjust the chain length between anchor points, you can make the mesh tighter and more structured or more open and floaty. The Maeve pattern uses a slightly elongated trellis with chain-five spaces to give the vest that unmistakably airy, boho silhouette.

What makes this stitch particularly wonderful for a vest is that it gives you drape without weight. The openwork nature of the fabric means it layers beautifully — you can see hints of whatever you are wearing underneath, which creates that effortlessly styled, intentional look that is so central to boho fashion.

Materials You Will Need

Before you cast on — or in this case, chain up — it helps to have everything gathered and ready. Here is what you will need to make the Maeve Trellis Lace Crochet Vest.

Yarn: The Maeve vest is designed for a fingering-weight or light DK yarn. Natural fibers are strongly recommended here, not only for their aesthetic but for their feel and drape. A cotton-linen blend is the author’s top choice for this pattern. It gives the finished vest a beautiful slight sheen, holds the trellis structure well, and softens beautifully after a wash. Other excellent options include bamboo-blend yarn, Pima cotton, or a silk-blend fingering weight for a more elevated version of the design.

Avoid acrylic for this one if you can. Acrylic tends to be bouncier and less drapey than natural fibers, which works against the floaty, flowing quality you are trying to achieve with trellis lace.

You will need approximately 600 to 800 yards of yarn for a size small through medium, and 800 to 1,000 yards for a large through 2XL, though this varies depending on your gauge and the specific sizing you choose.

Hook: A 4.0mm to 5.0mm crochet hook works well for most fingering-to-DK yarn combinations. Because the trellis stitch uses lots of chain spaces, you may find you need to go up half a hook size compared to what you usually use with a given yarn. The goal is a fabric that has drape and movement, not one that feels stiff or dense.

Notions: You will also need a yarn needle for weaving in ends, scissors, stitch markers, and a measuring tape. Blocking mats and rust-proof pins are highly recommended and will make a significant difference in the finished look of your vest, since lace always benefits from a good blocking.

Sizing and Fit

The Maeve pattern is designed to be worn with positive ease — meaning it is intended to be slightly larger than your actual measurements for a relaxed, draped fit. This is very intentional. A lace vest with no ease can feel constricting and loses some of its flowing quality. With positive ease, it sits on the body beautifully and moves with you.

The pattern includes sizing from XS through 3XL, with the following approximate finished bust measurements:

XS fits a 32 to 34 inch bust with roughly 4 inches of positive ease, S fits a 34 to 36 inch bust, M fits a 36 to 38 inch bust, L fits a 38 to 40 inch bust, XL fits a 42 to 44 inch bust, 2XL fits a 46 to 48 inch bust, and 3XL fits a 50 to 52 inch bust.

The vest length hits at approximately hip length in all sizes, though you can easily adjust this during construction by working more or fewer rows before the armhole shaping. Instructions for lengthening and shortening are included in the notes section of the full PDF pattern.

Construction Overview

One of the things that makes Maeve approachable even for crocheters who are still building their garment-making confidence is the construction method. The vest is worked in two flat panels — a front panel and a back panel — which are then seamed at the shoulders and sides. There are no armhole pick-ups or in-the-round shaping to navigate. You simply make two panels, seam them together, and add a simple single-crochet border around the armholes and neckline.

The body panels begin with a foundation chain. After working a few rows of setup in a simple stitch to create a stable lower hem, you transition into the trellis lace pattern and work it all the way up to the underarm. At the underarm, you work a series of decrease rows to shape the armholes and create the shoulder shaping. The neckline is formed by leaving the center stitches unworked and shaping each shoulder strap separately.

The full pattern PDF includes a written stitch-by-stitch pattern, a full glossary of stitches used, notes on tension and gauge swatching, assembly instructions with photos, finishing and blocking guidance, and tips for adjusting the length and ease.

How to Wear the Maeve Trellis Vest

One of the most common questions people have when they first see this vest is simply: how do I style it? The good news is that the answer is almost anything.

For a classic boho summer look, try the Maeve vest over a thin white eyelet camisole or a simple ribbed bralette, paired with high-waisted wide-leg linen trousers or a flowy midi skirt in a warm earth tone. Let the vest hang open, or tie a loose knot at the front for a more cropped silhouette. Add leather sandals and a stack of rings, and you have an outfit that takes almost no effort and looks entirely considered.

For a festival or outdoor event, layer the vest over a colorful printed slip dress or a halter top and denim cut-offs. The open lattice of the trellis pattern lets color from whatever is beneath peek through, which adds visual depth and keeps the look interesting.

In cooler weather, the vest becomes an unexpected layering hero. Wear it over a fitted long-sleeve tee or a thin turtleneck, with wide-leg trousers or dark jeans and ankle boots. The lace adds texture without adding warmth, which makes it ideal for those in-between days in spring and autumn when you want some extra visual interest but not an extra layer of insulation.

You can also wear the Maeve vest as a beach cover-up, thrown over a swimsuit with bare feet and salt-wavy hair. In a natural cotton-linen yarn, it is lightweight enough to stuff into a beach bag without a second thought.

Tips for Success With This Pattern

A few notes before you begin that will make the whole process smoother and more enjoyable.

Gauge swatch first. This is advice you will hear from every pattern designer, and it is advice that is always worth following. With a garment like a vest, a small gauge discrepancy can mean the difference between a vest that fits beautifully and one that is two sizes off from what you wanted. Work a gauge swatch of at least four by four inches in the trellis pattern, block it, and measure it before you begin the vest itself.

Count your chain spaces. Trellis lace is a pattern where counting matters. At the end of each row, count your chain spaces to make sure you have not accidentally gained or lost one. It only takes a moment and saves a great deal of frustration later.

Mark your right side. Because the trellis pattern can look similar on both sides, it helps to place a stitch marker at the right side of your work at the beginning so you always know which side you are working from.

Block your panels before seaming. This is the single most transformative step you can do for a lace project. Wet blocking your panels — soaking them gently, pressing out the excess water in a towel, and then pinning them to your blocking mats in the correct dimensions — opens up the lace, evens out the tension, and gives you a much easier time seaming. It also shows you exactly what the finished fabric will look like, which is deeply satisfying.

Weave in as you go. Because the trellis mesh has relatively small attachment points, weaving in ends properly can be a little fiddly. It is worth taking a moment to weave in each end when you start a new ball of yarn rather than saving them all for the end.

Yarn Substitution Suggestions

If the yarn used in the original sample is not available to you or you prefer to work with something different, here are some well-loved options that work beautifully for this pattern.

Paintbox Yarns Simply DK in 100% cotton is a widely available, affordable option with a lovely matte finish and great stitch definition. Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton in DK weight is another reliable choice with a smooth texture and a wide range of colors. For a more luxurious version of the vest, consider The Fibre Co. Luma or Quince & Co. Sparrow, a linen-blend fingering weight that gives the vest a beautiful texture and a sophisticated drape. For makers in the UK and Europe, Paintbox Simply Cotton DK or Rico Creative Cotton is a solid and easily sourced option.

Whatever yarn you choose, aim for something in the 180 to 280 yards per 100 grams range and test your gauge carefully, especially if you are substituting a yarn with a different fiber content than the original.

About the PDF Download

The Maeve Trellis Lace Crochet Vest pattern is available as an instant-download PDF, which means it comes directly to your inbox the moment you complete your purchase. No waiting, no shipping. The PDF is printer-friendly and formatted for both US letter and A4 paper sizes.

Inside the PDF you will find the full written pattern in US crochet terminology, a stitch glossary, gauge information, yarn requirements by size, construction notes, assembly instructions, a size chart, and finishing tips. The pattern also includes a section on how to adjust the length of the vest and how to add optional fringe to the hem for a more dramatic boho look.

The PDF is yours to keep forever and to print as many times as you need. It is a single-user license, meaning it is intended for personal use by the purchaser, but it is yours to print for your own project without limitations.

Why Lace Crochet Is Worth Learning

If you have been hesitant to try lace crochet because it sounds complicated or delicate, let this be the pattern that changes your mind. Lace crochet is genuinely accessible, and the trellis pattern is one of the gentlest entry points into the genre. There are no complex stitch clusters, no post stitches, no cables — just chains and slip stitches or single crochets, arranged in a pattern that is easy to memorize within the first few rows.

The payoff is enormous. Lace crochet produces fabric that looks exquisite, wears beautifully, and photographs in a way that makes people immediately want to know what you made. More importantly, wearing something you made by hand — something with this much texture and intention — is one of the quiet, everyday pleasures that handcraft offers. You made this. You carried it to completion with your own hands, one chain at a time. That matters.

A Few Final Thoughts

The Maeve Trellis Lace Crochet Vest is the kind of design that rewards the time you put into it many times over. It is a pattern that will become a beloved part of your making library, one you will return to for gift-making, seasonal updates to your own wardrobe, and as a satisfying, meditative project whenever you need something beautiful to work on.

If you make Maeve, please share your finished vest on Instagram or in your Ravelry project library. Seeing this design made up in different yarns, different colorways, and on different bodies is genuinely one of the great joys of releasing a pattern into the world. Tag your project so the community can find and admire your work.

Now gather your yarn, find a comfortable spot, and begin. The trellis is waiting.