How to Draft and Adjust Sleeves

Hey guys!

I have here my most favourite tutorial ever! I’ve basically gone from sleeves skeptic to sleeves believer. I love drafting sleeves, I love making sleeves, I love sleeves! Sleeves are the best.

With this tutorial, made specifically for beginners, I make drafting sleeves ridiculously easy. So easy, you’ll soon become a sleeves convert like me! Ever since I discovered this new love, I’ve tried to incorporate sleeves into as many of my garments as possible. I even secretly added hidden sleeves to my little red dress

Not really.

But I did use this exact method to create sleeves for my neoprene dress and green jumpsuit.

This tutorial also includes how to adjust your sleeves, covering techniques such as walking the sleeve cap around the armhole to check whether or not it will fit once sewn in. Depending on whether the cap is too big or too small, I show ways to adjust these so that it can fit perfectly into your armhole.

These sleeves can be used in conjunction with my simple bodice block tutorial, which I also created for beginners.

Definitely give it a go and let me know what you think! If you have any questions, you know how to reach me! Good luck!

Enjoy! And feel free to comment, share, like and SUBSCRIBE!

Pattern Drafting for Beginners – Drafting and Adjusting Sleeves

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5 Comments

  1. Thank you so much for this, Elewa. I’ve been sewing household items for over 30 years (I feel so old now!) but have only just got into dressmaking as part of my hospital therapy, after two strokes took the use of both legs and part of one arm. I’m having to re-learn sewing on a start/stop button machine. It’s a totally different technique, hand-wise, but better than no sewing at all!

    You have helped me to understand in 5 minutes what my Nan failed to do in 25 years. It always looked so complicated, and as my Nan never used a pattern or measurements – she did it all by eye, and it was always correct – it scared me away from tackling clothing.

    I look forward to seeing more of your blog and following your tutorials.

    Oh, and congratulations on the forthcoming nuptials! Xxx

    • Victoria, I am so moved by your story! I should be saying thank you to you – stories like yours make what I do worth doing. I’m so glad the incidents didn’t stop you from sewing! You, my friend, are a sewing warrior and you should keep fighting for your passion! You’re amazing!
      Everyone has methods that work for them, and I’m only here to share different techniques and I’m so glad mine is working for you!! Keep dressmaking and definitely send in anything you draft and make! I’d love to see them 🙂
      And thanks! I really can’t wait to get married, wedding planning on the otherhand is lot more strenuous than I’d like 😛

  2. Do what I did – get married abroad with a few close friends. It removed 100 guests from the list and £15k in one fell swoop! Plus, you get to go straight to your honeymoon. My advice is that this is your day (and your fiancé’s) so don’t let anyone guilt trip you! 🙂

    Thank you for your kind words. I’ll send you a picture of the double pannier set I’m making for my wheelchair. Stupid manufacturers forget that some of us can’t reach round to the back of the chair, so I’m making mine to go under the seat cushion and over the arms.

    Xxx

    • If only I could Victoria, if only I could. I’m having a 600 guest wedding which means I’ll have to somehow find a venue that can accommodate them all without spending millions. It’s annoying.

      Yes, please do, I’d love to see it. That’s really clever of you to modify it for your own accessibility, I hope it works out!

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