Making Elvish Petal Sleeves
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Making an Elvish Petal Sleeve

= by Elizabeth / Emc^2

This creates those long petal wrapped sleeves that we see on a number of the elf costumes.

Start with a long sleeved sleeve pattern.   If you need to make adjustments for fit, make them first, before doing the petal wrap changes.  It must fit properly at both the arm hole and be the correct length.   Do confirm that you have the proper range of motion in your sleeve. You can begin with either a one piece or two piece pattern.

If you are going to inserting a tighter undersleeve in the same armscye, make sure to fit the undersleeve first and do all fittings with both sleeves.

Try on a pinned-up sleeve pattern. Mark where petal overlap is to be at wrist. This point will probably be forward, on the front of the arm, not the center of the sleeve piece.

Pictures of the patterns show steps.  Click the pics for a larger image. Instructions and labels for the diagrams
Basic pattern when you start with the Single Sleeve Pattern Piece

A) Center of Sleeve cap
B)  Grainline
C) Underarm
D) Armscye seamline
E) Sleeve Cap
F) Wrist

Note, double notch designates the back of the sleeve and the single notch the front of the sleeve for all diagrams on this page.

Basic pattern when you start with Two-Piece Sleeve Pattern

 




A) Center of Sleeve Cap
B) Grainline
C) Underarm
D) Armscye seamline
E) Sleeve Cap
F) Wrist

Starting with a Two-Piece Pattern:
Release the pinned-up seam at the front of the underam piece. Leave the back seam pinned or taped. Ignore the wrinkles.

Mark1 pattern
Take Piece A, and pin or tape it along the seamline to Piece B

Ignoring wrinkles, from this point on.  It doesn't matter if you started from a one- or  two-piece pattern.
Try Sleeve Mockup

 


*) Original Mark

Try Pinned-up sleeve pattern. Mark where petal overlap is to be at wrist.

This point will probably be forward, on the front of the arm, not the center of the sleeve piece.

Reminder: If you need to make adjustments for fit, make them first, before doing the petal wrap changes.
One Piece Pattern:

 One Piece Pattern:

A) Piece A
B) Piece B
C) Cut here

*) Mark

Draw a straight line parallel to the grainline, at the mark * at the mark you made where the petal cut  should be.  Cut the pattern apart  along this line.

Two-piece pattern:

 

 Two-Piece Pattern:
A) Piece A
B) Piece B
C) Cut here
 *) Mark
D) wrinkles!

Release the pinned-up seam at the front of the underarm piece.  Leave the back seam pinned or taped. Ignore the wrinkles.
Mark 1 pattern


Ignoring wrinkles, from this point on, it doesn't matter if you started from a one-piece or a two-piece pattern

A) Piece A
B) Piece B
C) Cut here

Mark 1 Pattern: Take Piece A, and pin or tape it along the seam line to Piece B

What  it looks like when you retrace your cut bits of pattern


A) Underarm
B) Grainline

Trace the Mark 1 pattern, smoothing out the underarm and wrist
Add the extra wrap extensions on either side.


A) trace extension from Piece A

B) trace extension from Piece B

Matching along the line of your original cut, trace the sleeve cap and wrist edges to create extensions.

The over wrap pattern finalized.



A) Draw gentle curves from the upper extension to the point you originally marked for the overlap. Extend these along the back and bottom.

Pin and/or baste the two points marked * and along the sleeve cap seam where the extensions overlap.

B) Grainline
Coat Mock-up

A) Sleeve joined to coat mockup

Try on the sleeve; set it into your coat mock-up to be sure you haven't messed up the armscye seam.

This sketch shows very much what the Mark 2, as drawn, would produce. The sleeve would be the same width as your original pattern, but will open a bit at the overlap and will be a bit longer in back.


If you're happy with it, add hem (or seam if you're going to line the sleeve) allowances and make up in your real fashion fabric.

Troubleshooting and extra modifications:

too short or too long


A) Original
B) Shorten
C) Lengthen
D) Pointy sleeve edge with tassel

If sleeve is too short or long:
Extend (or shorten) the lowest point, behind your elbow.
You may also need to modify the overlaps.

Sleeve edge shape wrong:
You can do anything like with the lower sleeve edge- straight, pointed, dagged, etc.

too wide

 

Sleeve too wide:
Take up darts to narrow the sleeve.
A) Darts

Keep the darts closed as you cut out the next version.

The longer the dart, the tighter the upper portion of hte sleeve. A short dart will effect only the sleeve edge.

Try to keep the darts parallel to the grainline. Many small darts are better than one huge one.
too much (or not enough) overlap


Too much (or not enough) overlap:
Add or remove fabric at the overlap extensions.

A) Add
B) Remove

By adding on one side and removing from the other, you can change the location and/or angle of the overlap.

The modification  shown would move the overlap toward the back at the armscye, but leave it in about the same place at the wrist.
too narrow


Sleeve too Narrow:

A) Sleeve Cap Area
B) Underarm
C) Armscye Seam Line
D) Grainline

Identify the sleeve cap areas of your pattern.

Draw several vertical lines, parallel to the grainline from the armscye seamline to the sleeve edge.

One of these lines should be at the center (top, peak) of the sleeve cap, and the rest spaced evenly from there.

Cut on these lines. Do not cut through the armscye seam line!

too narrow (cont)


too narrow (cont)
A) Slits
B) Grainline
C) Armscye seam line

Spread each slit, keeping the centers parallel to the grainline as much as possible (i.e.: spread the same amount on each side of the cut line). Pivot at the armscye seam line, so that the seam allowance buckles and wrinkles, but the armscye seam itself doesn't change.

Redraw the lower sleeve edge curves, mock-up and try on before cutting real fabric.


Check out other sleeve pattern modifications in this section and over in the character sections for individual costumes.


Make a Muslin | After the Muslin | Fabric Nap | Estimate Fabric | Modify Necklines | Sizing Up a Pattern | Pattern Fitting Issues | Rolled Collar Pattern | Modify Sleeves | Making a Doll Muslin

LOTR Home | Up | Making Elvish Petal Sleeves | Creating a Half Wrap Sleeve | Enlarge Sleeve's Upper Arm


This page was last updated 04/22/08