draft straight sleeve slopers I take classes at Fashion University. (Image source: University of Fashion)
sleeve system
If you’ve ever tried to sew sleeves and thought, “How hard can that be?” Welcome to one of the surprising twists of garment making. Drafting, fitting and retail set-up can make all the difference between a “home loving touch” and “couture quality”.
UoF’s retail measurements chart will help you with your retail drafting. suit sleeve measurements (Image source: University of Fashion)
It all starts with retail institutions. This only depends on using accurate body measurements (yes, a tape measure is more important than optimism) and/or measurements from a sleeve size chart.
UoF Women’s Straight Sleeve Measurement Chart (Sizes 2-16 from Draft) straight sleeve slopers class. (Image source: University of Fashion)
Planning Retail Ease
Planning a sleeve ease stitch in a class at UoF Fitting and fitting suit jacket sleeves.(Image source: University of Fashion)
Then comes the secret sauce: the ease of the sleeve. Too many and your sleeves puff up as if you have an opinion. Too little and they will refuse to cooperate. An interesting fact is that the thinner the fabric, the less comfort you need. I think fabric has emotions.
Gather the sleeve shirring starting from the bottom of the sleeve. (Image source: University of Fashion)
Collected sleeve cap shirring is an art form. Most of the shirring remains in the upper quadrant of the sleeve cap and the shirring stitch is pulled from notch to notch at the bottom of the sleeve. Fun tip: Use your fingernail to straighten the shirring and “scratch” it into place.
Our lessons on straight and tailored sleeve drafting guide you step-by-step through the process without any guesswork or drama. hmm… There is less drama.
sleeve settings
Our instructor points out the uneven sleeve creases that are problematic. (Image source: University of Fashion)
Then the real adventure begins. Putting the sleeves into the armholes. Have you ever had a meeting all move to one place? Or did you end up with a surprising wrinkle that you didn’t expect? We have been there.
In our class on fitting and fitting suit jacket sleeves, you’ll learn how to gently gather the sleeve caps from notch to notch, distribute them evenly, and massage the seam allowances into the sleeve caps to create round sleeve headers.
Jacket sleeve fitted
Add sleeve caps and more width to the suit sleeves. (Image source: University of Fashion)For jacket sleeves, after fastening the suit sleeves to the jacket armholes, they should be tested on the dress form to ensure that the cap width is sufficient, that the sleeves do not pull away from the body at the wrist, and that the grain of the jacket matches the side seams of the dress form. Adjustments may be required as needed.
Make sure the sleeve join lines up with the side seams. (Image source: University of Fashion)
Once you’ve mastered the sleeve basics, you can move on to other sleeve drafting lessons.
University of Fashion’s Retail Design Series:
This is UoF’s retail design lesson series. (Image source: University of Fashion)
Sign up for our newsletter
Sign up for our newsletter to get updates on future blog posts, special deals, and new classes. Also visit our main webpage to see all our video lessons.
