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MN2006 Floreat / Sewalongs

Floreat Sewalong: How to insert the sleeves

how to sew the sleeves on the Floreat dress and blouse by Megan Nielsen Patterns

Woo-hoo! It’s time to insert the sleeves on our Floreat blouses and dresses! (If you’re making a sleeveless version, you can skip this post. Tomorrow’s post is all about you, promise!).

This pattern uses a set-in sleeve method for the woven versions. If you’ve never done one – don’t fret. It’s pretty simple. Once you get the hang of easing the sleeve cap, it’s a cinch! (We’ll use a different method for knit versions. We’ll go over that soon, too).

I’ll be showing you the steps below on a short-sleeved version. But it’s the same process for long sleeves, too!

Let’s get started…

how to sew the sleeves on the Floreat dress and blouse by Megan Nielsen PatternsTo start, set your machine to the longest stitch length and sew a row of basting stitches between the two notches, 5/8″ from the raw edge. Leave long loose threads at the ends, don’t trim them.

It’s not always necessary, but you can also sew a second line of basting stitches 1/4″ from the first line (towards the raw edge). This will give you more control when you ease in your sleeve cap.

how to sew the sleeves on the Floreat dress and blouse by Megan Nielsen PatternsNow fold each sleeve in half with right sides together. Line up the straight edges, and sew together 5/8″ from the raw edges.

Finish the raw edge with your preferred method, and press either open or to the side.

how to sew the sleeves on the Floreat dress and blouse by Megan Nielsen PatternsNow turn your sleeves right side out…

how to sew the sleeves on the Floreat dress and blouse by Megan Nielsen Patterns… and your garment inside out.

how to sew the sleeves on the Floreat dress and blouse by Megan Nielsen Patterns how to sew the sleeves on the Floreat dress and blouse by Megan Nielsen PatternsPlace the sleeve inside the armhole, hem first. So that the right sides are facing each other. The sleeve seam should be along the bottom, lining up with the side seam, and the top of the sleeve cap should line up with the shoulder seam.

how to sew the sleeves on the Floreat dress and blouse by Megan Nielsen Patterns how to sew the sleeves on the Floreat dress and blouse by Megan Nielsen PatternsMake sure that you’ve inserted the right sleeve on the right side. There is a single notch on the sleeve to indicate the front, and a double notch on the sleeve to indicate the back.

Line up the raw edges, matching the notches, seam, and the top notch with the shoulder seam. Pin in place in these places.

how to sew the sleeves on the Floreat dress and blouse by Megan Nielsen PatternsSlightly pull on the thread tails of your basting stitches to ease the cap of the sleeve into the armhole until the raw edges line up.

Important: you are not gathering. You don’t want to see any gathers or puckers in your armhole. You’re only pulling on threads just enough to ease the sleeve cap to fit.

how to sew the sleeves on the Floreat dress and blouse by Megan Nielsen PatternsOnce you have the ease right and everything lines up, pin in place around the entire armhole.

how to sew the sleeves on the Floreat dress and blouse by Megan Nielsen PatternsCarefully sew the sleeve and garment together 5/8″ from the raw edge.

how to sew the sleeves on the Floreat dress and blouse by Megan Nielsen PatternsCheck to make sure there are no gathers or puckers. If you’re good, you can now finish the raw edge with your preferred method.

how to sew the sleeves on the Floreat dress and blouse by Megan Nielsen PatternsTurn your garment right side out, and press the seam towards the sleeve, not the bodice.

You can also now remove the basting stitches if they are visible!

how to sew the sleeves on the Floreat dress and blouse by Megan Nielsen PatternsYay! You have sleeves! We’ll go over hemming the sleeves later on when we go over the rest of the hem.


LOOKING FOR MORE FLOREAT POSTS?

Here’s the full list of Floreat posts and tutorials:

We absolutely love seeing what you make, so don’t forget to tag your creations with #MNfloreat and @megannielsenpatterns when sharing on social media, and check out what everyone else is up to!

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Floreat

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About Author

Holly writes part time for the Megan Nielsen blog– sewing like crazy, creating tutorials and sewalongs. She has been sewing since she was a little girl, and has her degree in apparel design. Now she’s a stay at home mama, and spends all her free nap times at her sewing machine.

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