Dear readers,
Every now and then I like to take you behind the scenes of how patterns are made, because nothing in a well-designed pattern is random. Order of construction is always a deliberate choice, a balance between ease of sewing, clean finishes, bulk management, how the garment moves when worn, and how it holds up over time.
Sleeve attachment method is a perfect example of this. There are two ways to do it, and the choice has consequences not just for how you construct the garment, but for how the finished sleeve moves on your body.
The dominant seam rule
Before anything else: the seam you sew last becomes the dominant seam. It is the one that controls how the garment hangs and how it moves. Keep this in mind as we look at both methods.
Sewing flat
Attach the sleeves to the bodice first, before sewing the side seams. Then sew the underarm seam and the side seam in one continuous line from sleeve hem to garment hem.
The side seam is sewn last and becomes dominant. The result is maximum range of motion, but the whole garment moves with your arm when you reach up.
Sew flat when: there is zero or minimal ease in the sleeve cap (knit garments, relaxed or oversized woven shirts, dropped shoulder designs, children's garments).
Sewing in the round
Sew the bodice and sleeves as separate tubes first. Then ease the sleeve cap into the armhole and sew the armscye seam.
The armscye seam is sewn last and becomes dominant. The sleeve rotates mostly forward and moves more independently from the body, though with a more limited range of motion than flat construction.
Sew in the round when: there is significant ease in the sleeve cap (fitted or semi-fitted sleeves with a high cap, structured garments like jackets and coats, tailored shirts, anything where a sharp shoulder line is the goal).
How to ease a sleeve cap
Easing a sleeve cap smoothly, without pleats or puckers, is its own skill. That will be a Tiny Tip for another Tuesday.
Happy sewing,
Delphine