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The sleeves of my Refashioned Men’s Shirt attracted some comment, both here and on the Pinterest Refashioners board, so here’s the sleeve pattern in PDF and instructions for making it below.

The pattern has been created to fit me, and I have an arm girth of 25cm (10″). This is roughly a size 8 (not that my ass is size 8 🙁 ). When folded, gathered, stitched at the underarm seam and ready to attach to the bodice, the sleeve armscye has a stitching line of 47.5cm. This, coincidentally, makes it fit the bodice of Colette Aster size 4. But you can fit it to any other bodice if you know its armscye measurement simply by using the reduce/enlarge function of your photocopier and some mathematics.

The Formula

My PDF measurement x Y% = Your required measurement

So for example if your bodice armscye is 51cm, you need to enlarge by a percentage Y

47.5cm x Y = 51cm

51 / 47.5 = 1.073

1.073 (x100) = 107%

So print out the pattern at a 107% enlargement. Be brave; it’s easy.

Method

Making this is also very easy. The protruding fold covering the sleeve head can hide a multitude of sins so if setting in of sleeves isn’t your forté, your luck is in! If you lack the confidence to cut into fabric, play around with a paper version first, using pins instead of stitching (to round the sleeve head, make 2-3 little pintucks; it doesn’t have to be perfect). Or cut up some rags.

Step 1 – Begin by sewing 2-3 rows of gathering stitches, into and around the 1cm seam allowance

Step 2 – with right sides together, sew the short ends of the wings…

Step 3 – and press open

Step 4 – fold sewn section wrong sides together

Step 5 – align seam with centre of the sleeve head (notches together). Sew the underarm seam.

Step 6 – pull the gathering stitches and fold all the raw edges so they’re lined up

Step 7 – with all three layers of fabric lined up and pinned or basted, you can attach the sleeve to the garment by the usual method

Finishing

The original white shirt sleeve was hemmed with bias binding but the blue version has a cuff. The cuff has a 2.5cm finished height, is cut on the bias and interfaced.

Other ideas

• When making the white shirt, I didn’t have enough fabric to cut the sleeve from a single piece so I had to split the pattern into 3 sections (the head and two wings). This has created interesting change of direction in the stripes which you may want to try.
• Consider using the stripes of your fabric horizontally.
• If you’re a drama queen (or would like to make a pressie for one), you can make these sleeves out of a soft voile then attach to a matching t-shirt, with more voile for a breast pocket and bias binding for the neckline.
• For another dramatic sleeve variation, try my Status sleeves tutorial.

Credit

The original idea for the design came from this Pin (before any of you get ideas about me being clever; I’m just the copycat). I printed out the pattern, then enlarged it with the photocopier until I made a version that fit me, having made three toiles. I never did achieve the lavishly folded sleeve in the original picture but I’m pleased with the result nevertheless. Let me know if you uncover any more information about the source or if you have alternative ideas how to effect the lower fold.