Sleeves On Saturdays

I made this coat.....oh my goodness.....26 years ago! It's still a favorite and I still wear it. Believe it or not, I won a number of awards for the coat, so it has some sentimental value to me and so I keep it.

What I will show you today is how the sleeve is drafted.

It's really quite easy.

 My sleeve has quite a bit of padding in the sleeve head.

The sleeve works well in a coat or a jacket, but will also work well in a softer fabric for a blouse. 

Begin with your sleeve pattern. For the illustration I am using a straight sleeve. If you decide to draft the sleeve, use the sleeve pattern that corresponds to your pattern. 

Draw a horizontal line from one side to the other at the arms eye. The vertical lines are 1" on either side of the center of the sleeve.

Draw in the angled lines as you see in the above picture. They should be equally spaced. 

Cut down the vertical center lines and over to the edge of the sleeve being careful to not cut all the way through. Equally spread each section. Use tape to hold in place. 

As you see in the above picture, you will not follow the exact lines of the original sleeve. Beginning at the top, draw in a curved line that will finish at the horizontal line.

The final pattern. Be sure to add seam allowance. You will sew in your gathering stitches and then sew the seam together as if it were a dart. In the weeks to come, I will do some variations on this sleeve.

Good luck.
Hope you're having a wonderful St. Patrick's Day. My husband told me that the streets here are crazy. Well, we do live in Chicago and everyone is Irish in Chicago on St. Patrick's Day!!!