Coat Part 7 Sleeves!!!!!

Hi Everyone!

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Setting a sleeve in a coat when you are making the pattern yourself is not for the faint of heart. It literally took me a week of fitting sessions over Thanksgiving vacation. It is a skill for someone with expert skills, so I don’t recommend you try it, or you may end up cursing me and swear off sewing altogether. If you are going to try to refashion a coat, I recommend you find a coat that fits through the chest and sleeves and take a horizontal stripe approach or create a different color blocking technique from the chest down. Maybe something like this:

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Or this:

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Here is my version. It was a tough battle, but the sleeves are finally on.

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I won’t even begin to try to to explain how I got to this point but this is a picture of the final fitting of the sleeve. From this point I had to trace baste the notches, (hence the red thread) and transfer the markings to the other side. Once both sides were set, I had to slip stitch the sleeves in place by hand before machine sewing them permanently. This keeps the sleeve from slipping as you sew.

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This is a side view of the sleeve before I removed it to transfer the markings to the other side and sew it up. I won’t even try to give you a tutorial on how I did it. There is enough material for that subject for an entire class! Like I said, Find a coat to refashion that fits in the sleeves and chest. You will thank me for it. I am currently one year into this project because of it’s complexity. Refashioning should be about simplicity in my book. I really took on a big job with this one. Can’t wait until I am done.

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Next stop, hems and lining. I can see light at the end of the tunnel!!!!

From my sewing studio to yours…MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE THRIFTY CHIC!!!

Let me know what you think!!!

Love Ya,

Mary