This very important step is sadly one that is often rushed or even missed out completely by pattern makers and sewers, there is no doubt that it takes time and skill to insert a sleeve into an armhole and deal with the ease in the sleeve head correctly.
There is preparation involved and many commercial sewing pattern guidelines do not follow the correct methods, they adopt short cuts, to be fair to them it would be difficult to explain the whole process and it would simply take too long.
Most high street clothing manufacturers remove a large quantity of the ease from the sleeve head as it makes the sewing process much easier for the machinist in the factory, at the expense of good fit. Little or no ease in the sleeve head can make the sleeve hang badly and create drag lines at the top of the arm and bicep.
In this post I am going to focus on the best way to deal with the ease in the sleeve head, if you have read my earlier posts on sleeve head ease then you will be familiar with how to increase or decrease the ease in your sleeve pattern. I am going to show you my method of sewing a sleeve into an armhole and how I ease in the extra fabric we often have at the crown.
The above image shows the front and back bodice laid on top of the sleeve block. The pink arrows show that the back armhole and back sleeve up to the double notch positions match perfectly, and they should, as there is no ease in this part of the sleeve. The blue arrow shows how the point onwards from the notches on the back bodice matches the back sleeve – note how the measurement of the back bodice doesn’t quite make it to the notch at the sleeve head.
If we travel from the green arrow on the front armhole and apply the same measurement to the sleeves again we see that the front sleeve and armhole match perfectly from the underarm seam up to the single front notch. The orange arrows show the measurement, taken from the front bodice, of the remaining armhole, and applied to the sleeve, again this measurement stops short of the notch at the top of the sleeve.
The area marked in yellow is our ‘EASE’ and this ease needs to be ‘eased’ in between the back armhole notches and the front armhole notch.
How easy this step is depends very much on the fabric you are using, in my example I used a calico, with very little softness, if I had used a wool with a loose weave then I would have found compressing the fabric much easier!
I am easing in the maximum quantity of ease, just over 6 cm.
Make 2 rows of stitching, a narrow distance apart, they should be just inside your seam allowance.
Use the ends of the threads to pull in the fabric and compress the ease, you are aiming for a smooth line with no pleats or tucks, you can also use steam to help compress and shrink the fabric. This may take some time, but be patient and you will manage it. I have 6.2 cm ease in this example and I have manage to ease it all in between the notches.
When you are happy with the sleeve head, it is then time to pin the sleeve into the armhole, all the notches should match perfectly.
There is a saying in sewing ‘we never want a saggy bottom’ this will help you remember that any excess you have to ease in should always be at the top!
A tailors ham is the best tool for pressing and steaming the sleeve head.
The sleeve head should roll off the armhole at the top, as all the ease you compressed is released. As I am using a stiff calico the effect is not as beautiful as it would be if I were to use a wool fabric that compressed easily.
I hope this helps you with your sleeve sewing and improves the fit and appearance of your next sleeve!
Happy sewing and pattern making,
Nicola
