Comments on: How to Set in a Sleeve

By: How NOT To Set Your Sleeves In Backwards

How NOT To Set Your Sleeves In Backwards — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 17:35:37 +0000

[…] Sleeves can be tricky. Even for the most experienced seamstress. Take your time. You get better with each pair you set in. […]

By: Jennifer Rosbrugh

Jennifer Rosbrugh — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 16:08:52 +0000

In reply to Libby.

A “general” size like 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick will work. Check the fit of the coat on the wearer to see how thick you need/want them…. Put the coat on then add some layers of muslin on top of the shoulders under the coat and see how it looks; measure that little bit of added thickness for the size pads to get. The pads help keep the structure of the coat but aren’t like 1980s shoulders.

By: Libby

Libby — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 14:37:12 +0000

On a related note, I am making a man’s dress tailcoat 1850’s and need some guidancse on the type of shoulder pads to use. The type is not specified and there are so many variation to choose from. Do you have a suggestion?

By: Jennifer Rosbrugh

Jennifer Rosbrugh — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 16:15:32 +0000

In reply to Kathleen. Great idea!

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 14:59:04 +0000

If you have a dress form, sew the sleeve together and do the gathering or ease stitches at the header. Then set and pin the sleeve onto the bodice armhole on the dress form. This will let you check that the sleeve is hanging properly in relation to the bodice, and you can see any potential fit problems before you sew it to the bodice.

By: Katie mendelsohn

Katie mendelsohn — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 15:24:51 +0000

Take a few minutes and baste the thing in by hand. The 3-5 minutes it takes means you don’t have the bumpiness of the pins to deal with (that pull the fabric out of shape). You’ll discover problems before you do it by machine, and hand basting is very easy to pull out quickly if necessary. Three minutes of basting can save an hour of profanities.

By: Jennifer Rosbrugh

Jennifer Rosbrugh — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 15:24:55 +0000

In reply to Lynn Stevens. This is intermediate to advanced pattern drafting. You can draft up a basic sleeve block then alter from there to your desired shape. My favorite flat patterning book is Pattern Making for Fashion Design by Helen Joseph Armstrong. Be sure to take seam measurements of both bodice and sleeve cap and adjust as necessary for the shape/gathering or pleating you want. And make a mockup! You could also try a sleeve from another pattern and work with that with your bodice.

By: Lynn Stevens

Lynn Stevens — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 14:41:55 +0000

Sleeve question: how do you build a sleeve head if the pattern is sleeveless? Or if you want a different type of sleeve than the pattern offers? Obviously you do it on paper or scrap fabric first, but what are the steps?