Gah - sleeves....

[green_martha]

Okay, given, I do *not* like sleeves, or more like they don't like me, or we just share the same mutual negative feeling about each other. Anyway, a caraco has sleeves. Very unfortunate, but one can't decide whether one's ancestors decided that sleeves were a must, back at the end of the 18th century. So one has to make do with... erm sleeves.

Let's put aside the problems we had printing out the pattern (the printer has... some issues as well). I managed to somehow tape the different paper pieces together, cut out the pattern shape, find it big, baste it together.

Then the weirdness begins : where's the front, where's the back ? Where's the seam supposed to be ? See, I have no experience with 18th century sleeves, so guessing is a bit hard. Of course, the sleeve seam is *not* on the garment sketch. Of course there's no balance mark whatsoever. And there's a weird angle which I *think* should go on the back, where the underarm piece and the back piece join, but I'm not sure about it.

Another weirdness about this pattern (only on the lining, anyway), is the presence of an underarm, which is btw located more on the front than on the back of the lining. But hell, it fits this way, I'm not goning to change anything now. But from what the pattern pieces look like, the extra seam really wasn't necessary.

Now I'm going to make another muslin for the sleeve. I have to :
- make it narrower all the way down
- make it longer, and adjusting the shape (or rather : redesign the sleeve end) so that it curves around my elbow)
Easier said than done... Well, I'll just learn a bit more about pattern drafting today, I guess !

Comments

[isiswardrobe.livejournal.com]

I hate setting sleeves too. With my 18th century clothes I do this. I don the garmnet, and then I pull on the sleeve and foddle around with it until it looks good. Then I pin it to the garment. I usually sew the under half on machine, and then handstitic the upper half from the right side while it's on the dummy. I've found it's easier that way. The excess material of the sleeve is pleated into place between the highest part and the shoulder seam (which is a bit more on the back).

I'm not sure this sounds very clear, I'm afraid.

[green-martha.livejournal.com]

I'm not as far as setting it in. My main problem was simply getting the pattern to work. Surprisingly enough, it took me only 2 mock-ups, but mainly because the second one was still too big and I could trim away the excess fabric rather than completely recut the [censored] thing

[isiswardrobe.livejournal.com]

Oh, sorry. Yes, that can be tricky too. I made my sleeve patterns once, and I use it to all my 18th century gowns now, because I know it fits.