Monday, May 23, 2011

Setting the sleeves





Before setting the sleeves a 3/4" strip of pocketing is pressed into a curve and then basted into the armscye to prevent stretching. 

 
I then gathered the top of the sleeve between the notches with a long machine basting stitch.  Mr Cabrera doesn't do this.  Instead he bastes the sleeve into the armscye stating "Do not be discouraged if it takes two or three attempts to baste the sleeve in so that it hangs without rippling at the cap when viewed from the outside."  Sorry, but I just don't have the time or the patience to do this over and over.  With the cap of the sleeve gathered I basted the sleeve in place with 1/4" stitches. I then "re-basted" between the stitches.  Cabrera suggests using a 1/2" seam which I agree makes things much easier.  There's just less fabric to contend with. 


 
After machine stitching the sleeves, all the layers (shoulder pad, lining, pocketing, sleeve and jacket) are basted together into the seam allowance.  The final step is to sew a sleeve head into the seam allowance.  Its job is to fill out the cap of the sleeve and to create a graceful fall of the fabric at the top of the sleeve.  


I'm really on the home stretch here.  All that remains is finishing the lining, buttonholes and buttons.  

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