Making-of my 1830 Dress Part 2 The Sleeves

I think that sleeves are the most exiting sleeves I´ve ever seen.  Some years ago when I started to sew historical clothing I couldn´t imagine to wear dresses from the romantic era or the 1880´s. At that time, I even decided never to sew dresses from that eras. I don´t know what happened, but I changed my mind and made some 1880´s dresses and I loved them! Searching the internet for inspiration I found the dress from the LACMA and felled in love with it! Let´s start sewing the sleeves!

 


The sleeve pattern itself isn´t anything special. It´s just a pattern you would use to sew a puffed sleeve, it´s all about the folds! I´ll show you on a paper model. The length of the upper sleeve edge has to be the length of the underarm part where you don´t have folds, plus the upper part with the folds multiplied by 5. Length of upper edge = (2 x a) + (2 x b x 5). We have 15 folds, so depth of one fold is (2 x b) : 15

 

IMG_3636


First fold your sleeve lengthwise to the half, wrong sides together and press a little bit, not too strong because later on you don´t need that fold. You have calculated the depth of the folds before, now fold the double layer of fabric overlapping as shown and press.

 

IMG_3437

IMG_3441


Open the sleeve and lay it flat on a table. At all “hills” you mark 1,5cm from the half-line and fold diagonal “hills”-folds with the help of the iron. The 2nd picture shows how it looks like on fabric.

 

IMG_3627  IMG_3600


Close the fold´s again along the upper edge. Shift all corners to give the edge a straight finish, so the sleeve opens better when finished. Baste all folds in place. Do the same with the lower edge, it´s just the opposite direction to lay the folds.

 

IMG_3443


Sew a piped band to the lower edge of the sleeve

IMG_3605

IMG_3601


Insert the sleeve into the armhole. Add lace along the bottom edge.

Attatch thin tapes, about 15cm long, to the highest shoulder point and to the inside of the sleeve tape vis-a-vis the sleeve seam. Tie the tapes to loop up the sleeve as desired.

 

IMG_3604

IMG_3634

IMG_3640

 

Got to Part 1 or Part 3