Sleeve Lengthening Tutorial: Wanderlust Tee
Here at Fancy Tiger, we are ready to keep you cozy all winter long! Last week we showed you how to lengthen the sleeves of you Sailor Top and today we are showing you how to turn your Wanderlust Tee into a cuddly, full sleeve sweater.
Materials
- Scissors
- Pattern Weights
- 24" Quilting Ruler
- French Curve
- Pen/Pencil
- Swedish Tracing Paper
- Wanderlust Tee Pattern
To make your long sleeve top, you will need an additional 1/2 yard of fabric than recommended for your size.
1) Determine finished sleeve style
For cuffed sleeve, you will add 11” to the current sleeve length + a 2” cuff.
For a hemmed sleeve without a cuff, you will add 11.5”
2) Trace Upper Sleeve: As you start, make sure to leave plenty of tracing paper below the top of the sleeve for the full length of your new sleeve. Using Swedish tracing paper, trace the sleeve cap of the existing sleeve pattern piece, including all markings.
3) Add Guide Marks: Place a mark at the bottom corner of both sides of the original sleeve (upper left). This is the reference point from which you will lengthen the sleeve. Also, extend the grainline down about 10", making sure to keep it straight.
4) Mark New Sleeve Length: Measuring down from your original sleeve hem dot, and keeping your quilting ruler parallel with the grainline, mark a dot (for sleeve with cuff) at 11” or (for hemmed sleeve) at 11.5” below the first dot. This new dot indicates the final length of the sleeve. Repeat on opposite side of sleeve for the other length dot.
5) Taper Sleeve:
Narrow the sleeve hem by bringing in each of the dots you just made 2.25” toward the center of the sleeve, to narrow a total of 4.5”. Cross out the original dot you made in Step 4 to avoid confusion.
Or: You can determine the finished wrist circumference you would prefer by either draping a soft tape measure around your wrist or measuring a shirt that you already have. Add 1" to your measurement to allow for your seam allowance. Now you have to measure the distance between the two dots you made in Step 5. Subtract your desired wrist circumference (including the 1" you added) and divide that number by 2. That is the number of inches you will measure in toward the middle of the sleeve from each dot you made in Step 4. These dots indicate the new hemline edge. Cross out the original dot you made in Step 4 to avoid confusion.
6) Sleeve Side Seams: Lay your quilting ruler so it connects the final hem dots with the original sleeve pattern at underarm. With a pencil, gently ease the original curve of the sleeve into the new line the quilting ruler makes. Then trace the edge of the ruler down to the final hem dots. Repeat on opposite side of sleeve.
7) Hemline Curve: To avoid an angle where the edges of the sleeve meet, we need the hem and side seam to be a right angle. Take your quilting ruler and align it perpendicular with the the bottom of the new sleeve line you just created. With a pencil, draw a line a few inches long in toward the center of the sleeve. Repeat for other side of the sleeve.
Using a curve tool, ease these lines together using a gentle slope. If you don't have a curve, you can also freehand this line.
For cuffed sleeves
8) Determine width of the cuff: Using a soft ruler and following the curve, measure the width of the hemline. From this measurement you will subtract the 1” seam allowance and multiply by 0.9. Add the seam allowance (1”) back in and you have the finished width of your cuff piece. It will be slightly smaller than the width of your sleeve hem.
Example: I made a size Large and my hemline measures 10”
10” - 1” (seam allowance) x .9 = 8.1”
8.1” + 1” (seam allowance) = 9.1”
I rounded to 9 1/8” for the width of my cuff pattern piece
9) Determine cuff length: To determine the length of your cuff piece, double the desired finished length, plus an additional 1” for seam allowance. For my 2” cuff, I will cut a 5” wide piece.
10) Draft Cuff: Using your quilting ruler, make a rectangle the size you determined from Steps 8 and 9.
You have finished your new pattern pieces! Now it's time to cut out your Wanderlust Sweater Tee and stitch it up in your desired fabric. Cut out all pattern pieces, substituting your newly drafted long sleeve for the original sleeve.
Finishing the sleeves:
For a sleeve without a cuff, hem the sleeve as instructed in the pattern.
For cuffed sleeve, assemble and attach the cuff using the same steps as you did with the collar piece.
Share your makes with us using #WanderlustTee and be sure to check our our other tutorial on how to lengthen the Sailor Top sleeves.
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