Thursday 12 March 2015

How to ease sleeve cap by crimping - easy quick and no frustration way

Sleeves are always tricky. Aren't they?

How to ease sleeve cap for set in sleeves


Ever wondered how on earth does the arm hole match up to the circumference of the sleeves?
Why don't sleeve and arm hole match for a garment with no gathered sleeves?
A poorly made set in sleeve can scream homemade, not that I'm ashamed of it though. :)

The sleeve circumference is so much larger that it becomes so difficult to do it without puckers.
Some upto 3 cm. Well it also depends on the type of fabric (knit, woven). You should comfortably be able to rise your arms up.

I have the tried the following options:

1. The gathering way (2 rows or 3 rows) but it always ends up with puckers which almost look like gathers. Yeah! gathering way produces gathers, atleast for me.
2. The finger pressing way (the heat in the fingers does help to manipulate the fabric) but it takes ages to get it right. It's frustrating to say the least. Divide and conquer way it is.
3. Crimping way - The easiest and simplest and quickest and bestest. No more frustration or patience required.


I have read this in a couple of fashion books without pictures so had to do a number of trail and error to get this right. So let's see how to do it. Below is the video.
Set the stitch length to 3. Max is 4 on my machine Guess I forgot to mention in video.

Do you need to finish the sleeve (sleeve seam, finish raw edges and hem) first or after crimping/easing?

I have done both ways and both have pros and cons.
If you finish the sleeve it becomes slightly difficult to crimp because it is difficult to lay flat - you could always remove the tray to make it easier.
But if you don't finish the sleeve then the threads may come in the way when you finish. You could always tie a knot but then when you start to pin it up against the arm hole you may need to adjust.
I'd prefer to finish the sleeve first.




Don't forget to let me know if it worked for you.
After you have eased you'd need to match up the notches or the dots and pin up at few points before you stitch. Sorry should have taken a few pics there, may be next time!
Happy stitching!
Preethi.

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