SLEEVES

On the inside of the garment fold the facing/lining over the main piece and match up the seam allowances on the side seam lining up the underarm seam and shoulder seams.

The next step is to stitch the armhole of the garment and the armhole of the lining together to prevent them from moving when we sew the sleeve in. When we sew the sleeve in we will then sew through all the layers – three in total. Ensure the needle in the sewing machine can cope with all these layers.

If the fabric is really thick or the sewing machine won’t cope with so many layers, move the lining out of the way for the moment and put the sleeve into the garment following the next steps. Once the sleeves are completed, fold the lining over, pull the sleeve through the hole and hand stitch the lining to the sewn sleeve.

Before you pin the armholes together, re-mark the notches on the lining/facing side as, once these pieces are joined together, the notches will be hidden inside the sewn section. Sew the edges of the armholes together using a 5mm seam allowance.

First, double check that the sleeve notches are very clear on the sleeve pieces and re-mark if necessary.
Fold the sleeves right sides together and sew using a 1.5cm seam allowance. Iron open the seam allowance if your fabric allows.

Turn the sleeve to the right side and feed the sleeve through the arm hole, matching the front and coat notches. The right side of the sleeve will face the right side of the armhole on the main coat.

Pin the edges together. See how we have placed our pins to help you shape this piece. Take your time and match up the notches and edges of the fabric. Sew using a 1cm seam allowance as accurately as you can. If the fabric is thick sew around the armhole twice. Ensure that no fabric has got caught underneath and that you only working on a small section at a time.

TIP – If your machine has a free arm, this will make it easier to feed the sleeve through freely.

Turn the garment to the right side and double check that no fabric is caught around the sleeve.

On the wrong side of the sleeve, turn over the hem allowance and sew in place. With smaller sizes, it may be difficult to sew this on your sewing machine, in which case hand stitching would be ideal.