Tutorial: How to Sew a Cuff on a Sleeve

December 18, 2012 by onceuponasewingmachine 18 Comments

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With Christmas just around the corner I needed a dress for M. I had been eyeing up the Goodship Dress for some time. The problem is the dress is sleeveless, and well we live in the Midwest. Even with the addition of a sweater I worried it was just too impractical. The good news is it was easy to add a sleeve to the dress, I made it a little more interesting by adding a coordinating cuff, I’ll run you through how to do that step-by-step.

While it had been my original intent to sew a red and black dress I didn’t find any fabric that really appealed to me, and I cut it too close to order any. I ended up defaulting to my stand by blue. In the end I think she will wear it more in this color palette. The fabric isn’t particularly heavy, so this will work into the Spring.

I only ran into one problem, two if you count the fact she wouldn’t stop twirling so I could take a picture, and that was the hem length. I should have double checked, but I didn’t. I sewed a 2T which I knew would be a little large on her. She is 2″ shorter than the 2T stated measurements, I took the hem up an extra inch and made some silly assumptions based on the cover photo for the pattern (pictured on a little bit older girls).

I don’t know why but when I sew without her around I always end up a ridiculously long dress. In total I cut 4″ of the bottom of this dress. Because I didn’t plan I did it after the dress was finished. My short cut left the dress and inset a lit wonky when you lay it flat, it’s fine on her. Lesson learned, again, double check the hem length.

Add a Cuffed Sleeve

I pulled out a pattern piece for a 2T sleeve I knew would work on her, you could also trace an existing top’s sleeve. Decided how tall you’re going to want your cuff to be.

Using your sleeve pattern as a template cut four cuffs out of your fabric and two out of interfacing.

I kept my seam allowance really minimal, but keep in mind when cutting your pieces to add in extra length if you need it.

This seam will be at the bottom of your sleeve. If you have created a cuff that flares out you want to sew across the narrow end.

You’ll want to finish these edges as they won’t be totally enclosed I used a pinking shears .

Sew your sleeves closed if you haven’t yet.

The right side of your cuff will be against the wrong side of your sleeve. Once you have the raw edges lined up sew around the sleeve and finish the edge.

*A sizing note: I did this with a 2T it is the smallest size I would attempt this application on. Your sleeve will be too small to fit on your free arm and any smaller would make it REALLY tough to complete this step with a closed seam.

Turn the cuff up and press. Your sleeve is ready to be set as normal! On the Goodship pattern I simply omitted the sleeve binding around the armhole and put in my sleeve.

That’s one thing checked off the list! Next up her brother’s outfit!

Have you ever added a cuff to a sleeve?