Chapter 30 - Sleeves

Sleeves can be the telltale mark that a garment is homemade. So make sleeves carefully and set them in with special attention given to pressing top of sleeve. One-piece sleeve is folded right sides together and underarm seam is stitched. Two-piece, or tailored, sleeve is placed right sides together, and stitched along underarm and side seams. Press seams open, turn right side out. Put in elbow or shoulder darts or gathers before sewing up seams.

Types Of Sleeve
 
Top row: Kimono, Puffed, Sleeveless, Cape, Prop
Bottom row: Drop shoulder, Dolman, ¾ Set      in, Raglan, Epaulet

To set in sleeve with little fullness:

1. Make sleeve. Drop, right side out, into armhole from wrong side of garment.

2. Match notches, V and VV, underarm seam, shoulder. Put in all pins perpendicular to edge, points down. Baste around bottom between notches.

3. Divide area between shoulder and notch in half and pin. Subdivide into halves again and pin. Continue until all fullness is pinned in.

4. Baste on seam line with short stitches, keeping left thumb on fullness and flattening fullness down as you ease it on to needle. Stretch armhole tightly as you work. Remove pins.

5. Check appearance of seam on right side for rounded smooth line. Press seam towards sleeve after stitching and press on a tailor's hem to give rounded appearance.

To set in sleeve with a lot of fullness: Work as above with this change. On seam line do a row of tiny running stitches and two more, ¼ inch above and below first line between notches at top. When setting in sleeve, pull up gathers between notches to fit. Or do machine gathering.

Finishing the armscye: Finish sleeve seam with pinking, Overcastting , or a second row of stitching outside first and seam allowance trimmed. Finishing with an overedge stitch on the zigzag machine will give a smooth, strong finish.

Three Ways To Finish Armscye

Kimono sleeve: This is cut in one with blouse. Sew under and side seam in a continuous line with double row of stitching for strength. Clip around underarm curve, and overcast or blanket stitch clips to reinforce.

Or, slash at underarm, and set in a gusset for more ease. Turn under seam allowance at slash, clipping where necessary and baste back. Pin over gusset as for lapped seam (p. 100), baste and stitch. Or join gusset and slash in plain seam, right sides together. Pivot carefully at corners, sewing to within ⅛ inch of corner. Overcast corners to reinforce.

Dolman sleeve is a variation of the kimono sleeve.

Raglan sleeve is like a kimono sleeve but in two pieces. Sleeve is joined to blouse flat in plain seams which slant. Fold right sides together and stitch underarm and garment side seam together. Clip curves.

Epaulet sleeve has a shoulder extension giving the effect of a narrow yoke. Stitch sleeve and side blouse seams. Attach sleeve to garment armhole, right sides together. Attach strap part to shoulders in lapped seam.

Or, pin in entire sleeve to garment starting with epaulet and from shoulder seam, around armscye, and finishing at the back. Baste and stitch as a continuous plain seam. Top stitch on right side.

Puffed sleeve is gathered at top. Set in sleeve, pulling up gathers to fit.

Shirt sleeve is put in after yoke is attached to shoulders. Join sleeve to armhole in stitched fell seam and then underarm seam same way. Girl's soft shirt may be attached with plain seam under the arms.

Shoulder pads: Pattern pieces for making them are given in most patterns. Or, they may be bought at notion counters. Cotton or crepe dresses can have a little ruffle of taffeta sewed into seam at top of sleeve. Wool usually has triangular pad. Cut a square and fold diagonally. Stuff with cotton wadding, more thickly in center, turn in raw edges and slip stitch together. Insert over shoulder seam with edge extending ½ to ¾ inch beyond armhole. In transparent materials, edges are usually bound. Pads may be oval or crescent shaped. Pads may be made of crinoline, or have a crinoline interfacing. Sometimes the pad is stitched on two sides, turned inside out, and the raw edges are then turned under and slip stitched or bound. The exact size and shape of pads is dependent on the style of the garment and the amount of attention to be called to the shoulders.

Tight sleeve:

1. Make bound opening exactly like straight bound neck opening (p. 140). For loop closing, sew loops on garment before applying facing.

2. Hemmed finish: Clip seam at the top of the opening. Fold seam allowance of the back part in half to make a narrow hem, and slip stitch to position. Turn full seam allowance of the front edge and the bottom to the wrong side, and slip stitch all around, mitering the corners. Finish with snap fasteners.

If seam allowance is not wide enough, stitch seam binding to the edges. Turn sleeve opening back on seam lines to wrong side and slip stitch binding to position. Reinforce top of opening by Overcastting the clipped seams at the top of the opening together. Do not allow stitches to show on the right side. Fasten with snaps.

3. Slash opening about 2½ inches. Apply a straight strip two inches wide and five inches long around opening, right sides together. Stitch a V, tapering to nothing at the top. Fold strip in half and hem on wrong side over stitching. Front part forms overlap.

4. Close with zipper, following directions (p. 142) for neck zipper.

Cuffs are made like collars. Where cuff is to have a button closing, be sure it exactly fits the edges of the sleeve opening. When cuff and sleeve are cut in one, make sleeve seam a little wider at cuff end so cuff turns back over sleeve easily.

Wristband: Piece is cut twice as wide as finished cuff plus seams, and as long as wrist plus seams. Fold in half, right sides together, and stitch ends. Turn right side out after trimming seams, and press. Stitch one thickness to right side of sleeve, press seam up towards wristband, hem free edge over seam on inside.

Or, apply on right side. Place bias strip over, stitch all together. Turn bias to inside and hem to position.

Fold back band: Make cuff. Attach right side to wrong side of sleeve through one thickness. Fold to outside and hem free edge over seam.

Man's shirt band: Make placket opening with one piece 5½ inches long and other seven inches. Attach to wrong side and stitch on both sides of opening, short piece to back. Shape long side at top like a triangle, turn in top and side seam allowance. Bring short, then long, piece to outside, fold them in half, baste edges over seam line on both sides. Stitch under lap (shorter one). Baste placket in finished position, stitch around and across shaped top. Rip basting, push under lap out of way, stitch overlap along edges and across. Now apply cuff to wrong side through one thickness, gathering sleeve to fit; baste other edge to right side over stitching, with edge turned in, and machine stitch through all thicknesses with two lines. (When cuff is made, a muslin interfacing may be applied on wrong side of one cuff piece, with two cuff pieces in position, right sides together, for stitching. This is for body, not for stiffening.) Make buttonhole and sew button on.

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