Setting in a sleeve smoothly

One of my friends, who reads my blog, asked me about setting in sleeves on a shirt, or a dress, where the sleeve needs to lie flat, and not gathered at the shoulder seam.  It can seem quite daunting when you see how much bigger the sleeve is compared to the armhole on the body - just how do I get rid of all that extra fabric?  I thought it might be worth writing down my way of doing it.

Firstly, make sure to transfer all the pattern markings to the body and sleeve of your garment.  You will be glad you did this!

Next, set your machine to the longest stitch and make three (not two, as most commercial patterns say!) lines of ease stitching from notch to notch.  I do two inside the seam line and one outside, at about 3/4 of an inch.  That way they don't get caught in the actual seam stitching.  Leave long tails on these rows of stitches, and don't back tack.

Then, pull up the stitches as much as you can without making gathers on the sleeve head.  As you do this, ease the fabric along the stitches with your thumbnail or fingernail, and  you will be surprised at how much you can pull the threads up.  You are aiming to end up with a rounded sleeve head, not a gathered up or bunched one.

With the sleeve right side out, insert it into the body of the shirt, right sides together.  Make sure you put the correct sleeve in each armhole!  This is easy to check by making sure the notches match (remember the double notch is the back of the garment).

Start by matching and pinning the underarm sleeve.  When you do this, make sure you don't twist the sleeve seam, by following it down to the cuff or hem and checking you pin it at the armhole so it is lying the same way.  This will make pressing it neatly later on a whole lot easier.

Then, pin the top of the sleeve to the shoulder seam.  Incidentally, instead of a dot, I cut a notch on the sleeve head, as I find it easier to locate.  Next, pin the notches, and dots, if your pattern has them.

Now what you need to do is distribute and smooth all the fullness until the two pieces fit together perfectly.  You may need to pull up the threads a tiny bit more, or even let the fabric out a little bit.  Take your time doing this, as it is so important to make sure you have no gathers or tucks under the seam line.  Remember, you are adding fullness and roundness to the sleeve head, but no gathers!

Once you are satisfied, pin the two pieces together securely.  Don't skimp on the pins - a pin every every inch to inch and a half is ideal.  Because of the curved shape of the sleeve, it is all too easy for the two pieces to pull away from each other as you sew.

Convert your machine to free arm if you can but do not push the free arm into the sleeve, otherwise you will distort it.  Instead, ease the armhole over the very edge of the free arm, so that is is mostly on top of the machine, using your hands to coax it around the machine as you sew.  Take your time sewing, easing the fabric around and making sure the two layers are smooth, and not bunching up, as you go.

When you have finished, inspect the stitching line carefully. Make sure you haven't caught the fabric up where you shouldn't have, and ensure you have no gathers. If you do, carefully unpick a few stitches, smooth them out with your nail or a pin, and sew again.

Next you need to finish the seam.  I use an overlocker, but you can zigzag stitch if you haven't got an overlocker.  If you zigzag, carefully trim the seam allowance a little first.  Obviously you won't need to do this if you use an overlocker, but you will need to be super, super careful not to cut the sleeve head with the knife as you sew.  It is all too easy to do so (don't ask me how I know this...)  Take your time, sew slowly, using  your fingers to 'feel' the fabric as you go, making sure it is lying flat, and looking carefully as you go.

Then, the pressing!!  Press the seam allowance first, towards the sleeve, and then press the body, right up to the seam line.  The sleeve head should look curved and rounded, but not puckered.

You've done it!

The more you do, the easier it becomes, but trust me, as someone who regularly makes shirts, it will never be quick!  Take your time and you will be pleased with your sleeves.

Here is the finished shirt I made.  You may recognise the pattern as my favourite Vogue pattern, but can you spot the 'deliberate' mistake???  

Yes, the buttonholes are on the wrong side for a female shirt!  This is the first time I have ever made this mistake and I was sooooo cross and upset with myself!  However, I have been reassured by my daughter (the eventual wearer of the shirt) that she really couldn't care less which side they are on, plus my friends at Cooper's Creative assure me that this whole different side for men and women thing isn't as important now, and that some manufacturers use the same side for both.  That made me feel a whole lot better :)

I hope you will find some of this useful.  There is something quite satisfying about sleeve setting in - and I hope if you have never tried a smooth sleeve insert that you will be inspired to give it a go.

Donna x