Guide To Sleeve Hacking

If you have always wanted to learn how to design sleeves, this sleeve hacking class is for you!

We cover all the sleeve hacking you need to know to get great fitting sleeves with lots of personality. We teach you just enough of the basics of pattern drafting to allow you to create 12 different sleeve designs that can be as subtle or dramatic as you wish.

We’ll start by talking you through some important sleeve fitting issues to ensure that whatever sleeve you choose to start sleeve hacking starts out with a great fit.

Follow along with any full size pattern and dive straight into creating your designs. Or get lots of practice first using the half size templates provided in your class downloads. All measurements are provided in metric, imperial, full and half size so you can work however you choose.

What does the class cover?

We’ll cover several different lengths of sleeve including short, elbow, 3/4 and long. We walk you through sleeve hacking designs where only the sleeve requires adjustment but we will also explain when and why bodice adjustments are also necessary.

Starting with a simple flared sleeve, we’ll progress onto the iconic Bishop sleeve before showing you how to create cuffs for both upper arm and wrist. Borrowing from our Companion To Shirtmaking class, you’ll get templates you can use to make a variety of sleeve openings as well as full instruction for how to create them. Then we’ll move onto puff sleeves, lantern sleeves, darted head sleeves and the famous Leg O Mutton sleeve giving you endless opportunities for design.

Once you’ve got the basics mastered, we’ll move onto some more tricky designs including how to drop the shoulder, how to add a grown on sleeve, how to change a standard top to a raglan design and how to create a dolman and a batwing.

We’ll show you in detail how each pattern is drafted and how it looks when it is sewn up, plus we will talk you through the construction process for each design with downloads to help.