Need help altering set-in sleeve

To get greater freedom of movement in the sleeve head and shoulder area, you may need to RAISE the underarm, not lower it! Think about it... you want MORE fabric there, not less, but you still want the close fit when the arm is lowered. You may also need to put in greater width across the sleeve head itself... And possibly add a little to the back shoulder width. It's amazing what a half inch here or there can do.

Bolero patterns generally have very little ease in the sleeve cap and upper arm. I have a lot of vintage (40s & 50s) shrug/bolero patterns and without exception, they are very tight fitting. You were just not supposed to move around very much I guess!

To adjust for a *tight armhole* on a set-in sleeve, you slash the bodice front and back horizontally about one third of the way from the shoulder point and then add in the amount you need, making sure to adjust the pattern line as needed at the neck/front and to keep the armhole smooth. This lowers the depth of the armhole and shortens the side seam. You do the same thing to the sleeve pattern, slashing it horizontally thru the cap, about 1/3 of the way down from the center seamline and adding the same amount that you did to the bodice front and back.

For a *full upper arm* adjustment, you slash the sleeve pattern vertically thru the middle and horizontally thru the underarm seam intersections so you can add width to the sleeve in the middle with the most width occurring at the line of the underarm sleeve intersection. This one is very difficult to explain so you might want to look for a diagram online. For a two-piece sleeve, you have to put the pattern pieces together as though they were one to make this type of adjustment to the pattern.

Phae

I'd adjust the armscye first on the muslin, and balance it. You'll want it high under the arm, but not tight. Then I'd draft a custom sleeve for it, and finally, adjust the custom sleeve for more movement. Do you have access to Connie Crawford's Art of Fashion Draping, or her new pattern book? If so, turn to the chapters on fitted sleeves... it's a very straightforward process.

If the customer is well into the plus sizes, be sure you fit the sleeve "tailorwise" -- she'll probably need more room in the upper back sleeve, so you'll be wandering out onto the seam allowance there on the sleeve only. That adjustment is unusual for smaller sizes, but I've seen folks who needed it.

Kay

Thank you, Kay!

I do have Connie Crawford's book, and will take a look today. I was worried that I had explained the problem poorly, especially considering the first response. Regarding the upper back sleeve, I pinned out along both the sleeve and back seamline, and it looked okay and gave her the ease she needed. I'm tempted to add a center back seam with vent, though, instead of messing with the sleeve so much. I'll admit I'm leary of drafting a sleeve--it's the one thing my pattern drafting class in college didn't cover...

Juliette in Texas

Dear Juliette,

I posted this yesterday, but apparently it got lost in space. I hope this will be helpful.

Altering the armscye of a garment is usually not a good idea. It seems impossible, but that's the most difficult part of a bodice to "get right" when it has been changed. Instead, start by giving the sleeve more room by using the pivot and slide method. Here's how: Put the sleeve pattern down on a large piece of paper, and draw a ling across the paper at the location of the bicep (the widest part of the sleeve at the underarm). Stick a pin in the dot at the shoulder in the cap, and pivot the sleeve in one direction, so that the underarm section is about one inch above the drawn line. Trace the new cap. Do the same thing in the other direction. You may have to re-draw the top of the cap to fill in the "dent" from the alteration. What this does is widen the bicep, but without changing the size of the armscye or cap. They should still sew together without a problem.

Kate is right about RAISING the underarm seam for more room. But if you don't have that much to add, this adjustment works very well without the hassle of trying to make the armscye and sleeve match again. As always, do a muslin first to test.

Teri

If you look at the sleeves of commercial jockey silks (those guys are definitely reaching forward!), you'll see the back of the armscye is not shifted outward onto the arm (as it would if you add more ease to the back of the garment), but there is more room in the upper back sleeve. That gives them the freedom of movement without having the back armscye bind. The actual seam stays on the anatomical joint. I don't know how to "predict" how much extra to build into the back sleeve any way except by direct draping/pinfitting.

Easy. Just remember to walk the sleeve into the armhole first, and then adjust it for more movement, which involves drawing a new biceps line higher, and pivoting the original sleeve to give a longer underarm seam. Don't forget your notches, too!

If you've got the second edition of the draping book, you want chapter

7, basic sleeve, and chapter 14, the section on "adjusting the sleeve for more arm movement".

Kay

Dear Friends,

I just tried to post instructions for drafting a sleeve, and it wouldn't go through--too big. So, if anyone wants them, please e-mail me and I will be happy to send them. snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com.

Teri