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ABOUT CONTACT PATTERNS HUDSON PANT MEN’S HUDSON PANT MINI HUDSON PANT MINI SOUTHPORT DRESS MINI SUTTON BLOUSE ROSCOE BLOUSE / DRESS SOUTHPORT DRESS SUTTON BLOUSE PROJECTS DIY KNITTING SEWING SEWALONGS HUDSON PANT SEWALONG MINI HUDSON SEWALONG MINI SOUTHPORT SEWALONG SOUTHPORT DRESS SEWALONG SUTTON BLOUSE SEWALONG TUTORIALS OTHER PUFF SLEEVE SHELBY TUTORIAL April 3, 2020 Today I am going to go over the instructions for the Shelby pattern puff sleeve add on. Before continuing, you will need the Shelby pattern (which you can purchase in my shop as either a pdf or paper pattern ) and the free Puff sleeve pattern piece. You can get this as a pdf download by signing up for my newsletter here . You will cut out all of your Shelby pattern pieces as instructed in the original pattern except, omit the sleeve pattern pieces and cut out the puff sleeve instead. You will need 3/8″ elastic for this hack, as well as a safety pin to insert your elastic into the sleeves. You will sew up your Shelby according to the original instructions for Steps 1 – 24. The following instructions replace steps 25 – 30 of the original Shelby instructions. The first thing we need to do is add gathering stitches to the top of your sleeve. A gathering stitch is a long straight stitch length of between 4.0mm and 5.0mm depending on your machine. Without backstitching at either end, stitch a gathering stitch from the first armhole notch, stitching past the shoulder notch, and ending at the other armhole notch. You will do two lines of gathering stitches. One at 3/8″ seam allowance and another at 5/8″ seam allowance. Leave the thread ends long. With wrong sides touching, fold the bottom of the sleeve up by 1/4″ and then again by 1/2″. Because of the curve of the hem, you will need to ease in the fold when pressing. Don’t worry too much about this as you won’t see any pinches or gathers once the elastic is inserted. Unfold the hem. With right sides touching, stitch up the inner sleeve seam at the normal 1/2″ seam allowance. Finish the seam allowances in your desired manner. Press seam allowances open or towards the back. Fold the hem back up along the original press lines. Stitch close to the inside fold, leaving an approximate inch opening to insert the elastic. Now we are going to insert the sleeve into it’s coordinating armhole on the dress or romper. Start by gently pulling on the basting threads to gather the top of your sleeve. We will adjust the basting more once in the armhole. With the sleeve turned right side out, and the dress or romper inside out, slip the sleeve into the armhole and line up the armhole openings. Match up the underarm seam with the side seam, and the shoulder (middle) notch at the shoulder seam. Align the outer notches, and gently pull on the basting thread tails to gather the fullness of the sleeve cap into the armhole of the garment. Use your fingertips to even out the gathers and pin in place. Take the ends of the basting stitches and figure 8 them around the pins at the notches to secure the gathering stitches. Stitch the armhole using that normal 1/2″ seam allowance and a regular stitch length. Trim and finish seam allowances. Press seam allowances towards the sleeve. Take your 3/8″ elastic and wrap it around the widest part of your bicep without stretching. Add an inch to that measurement (1/2″ for ease and 1/2″ for overlap seam allowance) and cut two at that length. Attach a safety pin to one end of one piece of elastic and string it through the casing you created at the hem of your sleeve. Bring it out the other end, making sure it is not twisted at all. Overlap the two ends of the elastic by 1/2″ and stitch it flat. Tuck the elastic back in the casing and sew up the opening. Give your sleeve a final press and you are done. Repeat all steps for the other sleeve. Continue with step 31 of the original Shelby instructions to finish your garment. I hope this was helpful and a fun and easy way to get more mileage out of your pattern. If you still need to purchase the Shelby pattern you can do so here . 0 Comments Share: SEWING TUTORIALS ROSCOE PUFF SLEEVE AND CROPPED RUFFLE HACK March 25, 2020 I sewed up a fun summer Roscoe blouse hack this week and wanted to share a step by step tutorial for those who wanted to do the same. It’s an easy hack and a great way to bring the spring / fall vibe of the Roscoe into the warmer summer months. As for sizing, the Roscoe is quite oversized so you may want to think about sizing down for this hack since it is cropped. Totally up to you, but I did size down two whole sizes for the one shown in the pictures and it worked well. Go ahead and cut out the pattern pieces for the neck ties, neck facing, and neck binding as usual according to the original pattern. Next, cut your sleeves out, but shorten them by about 4 inches. You can always shorten them more down the road. Make sure that you are following the curve of the hemline since the outside of the arm towards the elbow needs more length than the inside. The dotted red line is the new cut line. Next, do the same for the front and back blouse. Trim about 10 inches off of the blouse length of the Roscoe. Note that the front is curved to allow extra length for your chest, so make sure to follow the same approximate curve of the hemline for your new cut line. If you think you may want the top a bit longer (mine is quite cropped) cut off less. We can always trim off more later. Lastly, find the front and back ruffle pieces. You are going to keep the original widths, but only make the length of each 6 1/2″ long. If you prefer a longer top, simply add length. You can always trim off more at the end. Now start sewing. Go ahead and sew up your Roscoe according to the instructions for steps 1 – 18. Now you should have a finished Roscoe from the chest up with a cropped bottom and raw sleeves. Prepare your ruffle according to the instructions of steps 27 – 28. This is a good time to try on your Roscoe and see if you need to adjust lengths. Holding or pinning the ruffle up to the cut line of your Roscoe, accounting for 1/2″ seam allowance on both the ruffle and main Roscoe as well as 1/2″ for the hem, and shorten if necessary. This is completely subjective. I kept mine quite short because I wanted that cropped look to wear with high waisted jeans, but feel free to leave it longer if you prefer it. Once you are happy with the length and adjusted it as necessary, sew the gathered ruffle to the bottom of the main Roscoe as in steps 29 – 30 of the instructions. Also, hem the ruffle as in step 31 of the instructions. Now to address the sleeves. Try it on and see what you think about the length. Shorten if necessary, keeping the hem in mind. If you prefer to leave it without the puffed look you can simply fold / press the hem 1/4″ twice and sew it. If you want to sew the puffed look as shown above you will need some 3/8″ elastic. Measure around your bicep so that the elastic fits without any tightness and add 1/2″ for overlap. Cut two pieces of elastic that are this length and set aside. Fold the bottom of your sleeve up by 1/4″ and press. Fold again at 1/2″ and press. Stitch the 1/2″ hem leaving a 1″ opening to insert the elastic. Insert your elastic. Overlap by 1/2″ and stitch to secure. Stitch the elastic opening closed. Give everything a good press and you should be good to go. That is it! I love how mine turned out. This version was sewn up in some lightweight cotton / silk from The Fabric Store , and I think I need another one in some drapey crepe next. If you need the Roscoe pattern you can get it in my shop in either a pdf or paper format. Please let me know if something in the tutorial is not clear. I’d be happy to clarify. 2 Comments Share: SEWING TUTORIALS BATCH HUDSON TUTORIAL February 27, 2020 I have made so many Hudson pants over the years that I could sew them in my sleep. I have found that every year I need to make a few new pairs for me or my kids and I often batch sew them s...