Hi, I'm onto the making the sleeves section and I need to reduce the size of the sleeve cap. The right armscye is 22 1/2" and the Left is 23". Both Sleeve Caps are 25", so I assume i need to reduce the sleeve cap by 3/4".
However, I am struggling with reducing the size of the sleeve cap. I have shifted the marking over by 3/4", this is show as the blue marking in the first photo. When I baste along the sleeve using the blue line (Photo 3) I'm finding the that the sleeve cap remains 25". It looks like this is because when I redraw the line between the top sleeve and the under sleeve (the blue line in Photo 3), this line is becomes longer than the original line (the white line in Photo 2 where I have basted the sleeve based on the original mark stiching.
I can't see where I'm going wrong with this adjustment, should I taper the top of the top sleeve to make this adjustment instead?
What I do now on all my sleeves is to use the trick of the two machine sew lines to ad in the fullness before setting the sleeves.
It's a good method when there's ample or excess fullness. I think I should this method in the ladies coat series
But it isn't the best way, more like a quick fix when dealing with lazy cutters, which the trade is full of.
But to answer your question, if one did need to reduce the sleeve down, it should really be taken from both the top and the under-sleeve. That is you should narrow the top-sleeve and the under-sleeve by the same amount.
Since you are both the cutter and the coat maker, it would make some sense to recut the sleeve pattern and then lay it on the old sleeves and recut.
In the trade, it is often the task of the coat maker to get the sleeves to fit. So letting out and taking in, is often done in the way described here.
Hey Richard,
An inch of fullness in the top sleeve and under-sleeve is the ideal amount. Personally I wouldn't reduce it. As the armhole gets bigger more fullness is needed.