Forward Shoulder Adjustments for Sleeves

Forward shoulders, that annoying problem that makes your shoulder seams start inching their way toward your back.   With all the hunching over computers we do these days, a lot of us find we need this fitting adjustment.  Or maybe it's the hunching over your sewing machine, you know who you are!!! (Pretends I don't lay my forehead on the machine when I'm concentrating really hard. No my posture is perfect, perfect I say!)

Anyway...you probably already know how to do a forward shoulder adjustment to the bodice. Easy peasy you just add to the back and cut down the front. (Diagram from "Fit for Real People.")

While all the fitting books I own show this fix, they don't say a word about adjusting the sleeve itself.  I know that "Fit for Real People" tells you to either ease in more on the front of the sleeve or not to bother matching the underarm seams.   I found that not matching the underarm seams worked better for me when setting the sleeves.  There was just too much ease in the front of the sleeve to get it sewn in without any puckers.  However knowing that the underarm seams weren't matching was driving me slowly insane.

Enter Leila who tweeted me, "Hey have you heard of this?" and linked me to a Pattern Review board.  There I learned that you could just move the sleeve caps forward, there by fixing all your sleeve setting problems.  So easy!!!  Just in case some of you have never heard of this fix either I've photo'ed up a little how to. You get both one piece and two piece sleeves cause sometimes I'm a comprehensive blogger.

For One Piece Sleeves

1. Draw a line perpendicular to the grainline across the sleeve cap. It should be above the front/back of sleeve notches but the exact position doesn't matter.  This will be our cutting line for the alteration.

2. Square a line down from your sleeve head notch through the horizontal line you just drew.  This will be your guideline for measuring the forward adjustment.

3. Cut the sleeve cap apart on the horizontal line across the cap.

4. You're going to need to move the sleeve cap forward the same amount that the shoulder seam has been moved. Using your vertical guideline as a starting point, measure this amount and mark.  My forward shoulder adjustment is 1/2", so I've marked a small dash at that location. Take the upper part of the sleeve and place the vertical guideline on the new position you just marked.

5. Tape the two pieces together and then add a little paper to the gap that was created in the back.

6. Using a French Curve draw a new curve for the front of the sleeve.  I line up one part of the curve with the sleeve head notch and the other with the lower part of the sleeve like so.

7. Repeat least step for the back of the sleeve.

8. Now you're sleeve will look like this. The sleeve head now has more ease in the back to match the change you've made to the armhole.

9. Cut off the excess paper and you sleeve is ready for fabric.

Two Piece Sleeve Alteration
1. On a two piece sleeve it matters where you draw the perpendicular line across the sleeve cap. Make sure it lines up with the corner where the back of sleeve seam is.  You want the upper sleeve edge to still fit the lower sleeve edge when you're done.

2. Square down the line from the sleeve head notch through the perpendicular line as before.

3. Cut the sleeve cap on the horizontal line, mark the forward shoulder adjustment and position the upper vertical guide line on it as in the one piece sleeve.  Tape sleeve together and add paper to the back.

4. Again using a French Curve draw a new curve for the front of the sleeve using the sleeve head notch and lower portion of the sleeve.

5. For the back of the sleeve put the French Curve on the sleeve head notch and the corner of the back sleeve seam.

6. Sleeve looks like this before trimming. Ease added to back while maintaining seam edge that joins to the lower sleeve.

7. Trim the excess paper off and you're done!

I hope that was clear and semi-formative. Now go forth and hack up your sleeves!