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Adjusting ease in sleeve cap
Bobbi A Advanced Beginner NE USA Member since 3/23/12 Posts: 6	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 6/5/12 11:22 PM I'm making New Look 6735, View B. I cut the shoulders & neckline a size 10, blended the armscye to the 14, and then blended out to the size 16 at the side seam. So for the sleeve, I tried tracing both the 10 and the 14 sleeve cap, blending out to between 14-16 for the arm seam. The problem: no matter how I blend the lines (seams) on the sleeve, when I walk them I come up with between 1.5-2" of ease . . . on the back! I am a complete newbie to fitting/alterations, so maybe I thought I'd ask. Maybe I'm missing something obvious, but I've tried everything I can think of. Is it possible there is just that much ease in the pattern? But then why all in the back? Do I have to go back and figure out what I did, or is there a "fix" someone can point me towards? Thank you in advance for any advice! ------ Bobbi
Courtney Ostaff   Intermediate WV USA Member since 11/23/10 Posts: 624	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 6/6/12 0:41 AM When you "walk" it, are you starting with one side matched up nicely? Try it from back to front instead? Is the sleeve perfectly symmetrical? My current fitting nightmare has unsymmetrical sleeves ;). Did you remember to cut on the grain? Is it getting stretched out when you walk it? And lastly, it's entirely possible to have that much ease
Bobbi A Advanced Beginner NE USA Member since 3/23/12 Posts: 6	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 6/6/12 5:33 AM Hi Courtney: I'm walking pattern pieces, not fabric -- haven't cut it out yet. Matching seam lines, and I've checked it from the middle down, as well as beginning from both front and back. And this is a knit top with set in sleeves, no pouf or gathers - which is what I'll end up with as it is. I think I have way too much ease and that it's a result of something I did in making my alterations. Now I need to get rid of it! :) ------ Bobbi
JTink Intermediate VA USA Member since 4/20/08 Posts: 4797	Login to reply to this post In reply to Bobbi A << Like this post Date: 6/6/12 8:29 AM Bobbi, my best suggestion is to make a muslin out of some cheapy knit you wouldn't mind experimenting with. It sounds like a lot of ease, but being a knit, you never know how it will ease in till you actually worked with the material. Knits make tissue fitting almost impossible.
LynnRowe   Advanced BC CANADA Member since 3/9/09 Posts: 6743	Login to reply to this post In reply to Bobbi A << 4 members like this. Date: 6/6/12 8:36 AM If you take a 1/2" horizontal fold thru the sleeve cap area, you'll knock 1" of ease off. I find a lot of NL (and most Big 4 patterns) have ease in their knit sleeve caps...ridiculous and annoying! Also measure the seamlines for the size 10 and 12 sleeves...I've used a smaller sleeve size in the past, to get rid of the excess ease. You may then have to widen the sleeves. -- Edited on 6/6/12 8:41 AM -- ------ I heart Panzy, Pfaff Creative Performance, the sewing machine love of my life! And Rupert (Pfaff 2023), Baby (BL Enlighten), Victor (BLCS), Ash (Bernina 350SE), Pal (Bernina 530), Kee (Bernina 750) and the Featherteen Flock! Most of all, I heart Woo (HimmyCat). Until we meet again, my beautiful little boy. I love you.
rhetam   Intermediate AB CANADA Member since 7/31/06 Posts: 11	Login to reply to this post 1 member likes this. Date: 6/6/12 10:49 AM I recently made 2 of these tops. The sleeve pattern does have a lot of ease, too much of it in the back. The second one I scooped out the front of the armscye and rotated the sleeve toward the front. Better, but next time I will also do as Lynn suggests, use a smaller sleeve and widen it. ------ Rheta
Bobbi A Advanced Beginner NE USA Member since 3/23/12 Posts: 6	Login to reply to this post 1 member likes this. Date: 6/7/12 9:05 AM Thanks so much for your suggestions, everyone! I will try taking the horizontal fold across the sleeve cap. I did make a test garment, and the ease is giving me almost a gathered effect, so I need to knock out quite a bit of it. I know this is a popular pattern, and I'd love to get it to where I can use it for a TNT for myself! ------ Bobbi
LynnRowe   Advanced BC CANADA Member since 3/9/09 Posts: 6743	Login to reply to this post In reply to Bobbi A << Like this post Date: 6/7/12 10:36 AM I would start with a size 12 sleeve; measure it, and see how much ease is still in there. Then if there's still an inch or so excess, take a fold to get rid of the rest. ------ I heart Panzy, Pfaff Creative Performance, the sewing machine love of my life! And Rupert (Pfaff 2023), Baby (BL Enlighten), Victor (BLCS), Ash (Bernina 350SE), Pal (Bernina 530), Kee (Bernina 750) and the Featherteen Flock! Most of all, I heart Woo (HimmyCat). Until we meet again, my beautiful little boy. I love you.
ElizLunday Intermediate TX USA Member since 3/12/04 Posts: 20	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 6/7/12 12:59 PM I want to be clear on what you guys mean when you say "take a fold out." I'm guessing you fold the pattern by the desired amount, then cut it out that way? Where do you make the fold? I'm trying to improve my skills in pattern alteration, which are extremely weak!
LynnRowe   Advanced BC CANADA Member since 3/9/09 Posts: 6743	Login to reply to this post In reply to ElizLunday << Like this post Date: 6/7/12 8:07 PM If you horizontally fold 1/2 inch of the pattern across the sleeve cap area, a couple inches down from the top of the cap (ie your fold is 1/2" in depth) you are in effect shortening the cap by 1 inch. The armscye length from the back to the front seam line is thus also shortened by the same amount (1 inch). (You could just mark two horizontal lines on your pattern with the desired amount to be removed equalling the space between the lines, then fold the two lines to meet. So if you marked the two lines 1" inch apart, and folded the pattern so these two lines meet, your fold will be 1/2" in depth. This may be an easier way to visualize. You could cut along the lines and butt the pattern pieces back together and tape it. I don't, just coz I like to keep the original pattern original, in case I need further adjustments, or I screw up my adjustments. It's easy then to unfold the pattern and do it again...properly!) If the armhole seamline was 14", and the sleeve cap seam line was 16", you'd have 2 inches of sleeve cap you'd have to ease to fit the armhole. A 1/2" fold thru the sleeve cap will reduce the seam line from the original 16" down to 15"; now you'd have just 1" excess fabric on the cap. While that's still more ease than I like on knit sleeves, an inch is easy to distribute and not have gathers. You could take a larger fold, but 1/2" is the max I will do, as more than that will effect the sleeve in other areas. You can also go down a sleeve size so the cap and armhole seamlines measure closer to the same, and then take a small fold thru the cap. A smaller sleeve size means you may need to widen the sleeve vertically. After you do the fold, you will need to smooth out the seamline a bit, as the fold will disrupt it slightly. Then you use your adjusted pattern to cut your fabric. -- Edited on 6/7/12 8:20 PM -- ------ I heart Panzy, Pfaff Creative Performance, the sewing machine love of my life! And Rupert (Pfaff 2023), Baby (BL Enlighten), Victor (BLCS), Ash (Bernina 350SE), Pal (Bernina 530), Kee (Bernina 750) and the Featherteen Flock! Most of all, I heart Woo (HimmyCat). Until we meet again, my beautiful little boy. I love you.

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