| by Kathy Grondin |
A poorly set-in sleeve can scream homemade from across the room. Follow these steps to sew smooth, professional-looking sleeves.
A sleeve cap is typically a little larger than the armscye seam it is to be sewn in to. This is so you have room for your arm and to move about in your garment. Easing in the sleeve cap can be frustrating for many sewers. With patience and diligence, it does not need to be.
I like to use a long straight stitch for ease stitching. Depending on the weight and texture of the fabric, I do not always use the longest stitch length. If your fabric is stiff and has very little "give" to it, a stitch length between 4.5 and 5.5 may work better than a length of 6.0. The slightly shorter ease stitching will make smaller puckers and will make fitting the sleeve into the armscye easier.
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Start the ease stitching at one notch (with a long thread tail) and sew a line of stitching 1/2" (1.25 cm) from the raw edge to the other notch (leaving another thread tail). Repeat a second row of ease stitching 3/8" (0.9 cm) from the raw edge. See photo 1. |
| If you are working with a hard-to-handle fabric such as tapestry or stiff fabric like heavy-weight denim add a third row of ease stitching 3/4" (2 cm) from the raw edge (photo 2). The extra row of stitching outside the seam allowance will help flatten the fabric for a bit more control. This ease stitching will be removed when the sleeve is finished. |  |
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If your sleeve is a two-piece sleeve as in photo 3, sew the upper sleeve and the under sleeve together first. It is important to properly match the dots at the top edge to sew this seam accurately. |
| To help the sleeve cap "learn" a curved shape, draw up the ease threads from each notch until the sleeve is tightly gathered. (Photo 4.) Now gently slide the ease stitches back out. The sleeve will retain some curve making it easier to set in. |  |
If your sleeve is finished with a cuff, facing or other detail at the hem edge, consider completing it now before the sleeve is set in.
Divide and Conquer the sleeve!
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Match the garment and sleeve right sides together working from the sleeve side. (Photo 5.) Pin the underarm seam then the section from notch to underarm seam to notch. There should be very little easing in this part of the sleeve. |
| Next match the top of the cap with the shoulder seam or other dot/marking (in the case of a raglan or other shoulder seam style); pin; working from notch to top dot, divide each in half; pin; divide these two sections in half; pin; divide the four sections in half and pin. Keep dividing until the sleeve is eased in. Next, work from the shoulder dot to the other notch and repeat. Check the over-all sleeve for any excess fabric or tucks. Don't be afraid to use lots of pins. (See photo 6.) |  |
At the Machine
Position the garment with the sleeve facing up and the body of the garment underneath. (See photo 7.) Using a 5/8" (1.5 cm) seam allowance begin sewing at the notch before the underarm seam. Sew around the sleeve, sewing inside the circle, removing the pins as you sew.
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Take this step slowly and only worry about an inch or two of the seam at a time. (If your machine has a needle down feature, engage it.) Join the stitching where you began and then sew OUT toward the raw edge a scant 1/4" (0.6 cm) and continue to sew to the second notch. Back stitch. This second row of stitching reinforces the underarm area of the sleeve. Check the seam from the right side looking for any tucks.
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If you find that you have sewn a tuck or two, just remove the stitching for about 1/2" to 1" (1.25 cm to 2.5 cm) on either side of the tuck and re-ease that section of the sleeve. Use a finger to smooth out the tuck and re-pin and ease the fullness. Drawing up the ease stitching just in that area may help ease the offending tuck back into a smooth seam. If the tuck is in the body of the jacket, loosening the ease stitching may be in order. Re-stitch the opened section of the seam.
At the Iron
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If there are no tucks to be fixed, press the sleeve seam flat as it was sewn. Use steam if appropriate for your fabric. If you stitched three rows of ease stitching, remove the one that shows on the outside (photo 7). Turn the sleeve seam toward the cap and finger press. If you need to press with an iron, use a pressing ham and only press the seam itself. This will retain the curved cap shape. |
Now you have a beautifully set in sleeve you'll be proud to call custom instead of homemade!