I wanted to start out by saying how brilliant I think this pattern is. Its quick, easy and can be dressed up or down for all occasions. I love how quickly it comes together but… there is always a ‘but’ isn’t there.

For me it is missing something. Of late I have come to the realisation that there is something every garment needs. Perhaps more than pockets…

Flouncy Sleeves.

They are fun and super fancy, also really, really easy to add to any pattern. Today I will walk you through how I add them to the Rebecca Page Circle Cardie.

Step 1:

Cut out the pattern as per instructions, making sure to cut the sleeves no longer than 3/4 length

Step 2:

Create the flounce pattern

Flounces are basically mini half circle skirts for your arms. When creating a flounce pattern, it is done the exact same way as a full size half circle skirt, but on a smaller scale.

To get the circumference, it is as simple as measuring how long the bottom of the sleeve is, in this case it’s 36.5 cm. This figure is then divided by Pi (or 3.14). The resulting number (11.6cm for me) is the radius of the half circle you are making.

To create the piece, grab yourself an appropriate sized piece of paper,  pencil, a ruler and an eraser. Starting at the corner of the page, measure up and across 11.6cm. Using the ruler, measure from the corner of the page 11.6 around to join the first to points.

The next step is to decide how big you want your flounce to be. The bigger it is, the flounce, the more drama you bring to your outfit. Using the same technique as before, measure out how big you want your flounce to be, in this case I made it 10cm long.

Another way to add drama to your flounce is to make the front longer than the back. By adding 15 cm to the part that is cut in the fold, it makes for a fuller sleeve.

Step 3:

Cut It Out

This one is an easy one. Cut out your flounce on the fold.

Step 4:

Attach the Flounce

There are two different methods you can use to attach the flounces to your sleeves. Both are equally effective, it comes down to a matter of personal preference.

Method 1 – Flounce First

With this method you will be attaching the flounce to the sleeves before sewing up the side seam.

Start off by marking the centre of the flounce (the smaller, inside curve) and the centre of the bottom sleeve edge.

Clip the two centres together, followed by the two outer corners.

Starting at one corner, overlock (or sew) along to the other corner, stretching out the curve of the flounce to match the straight edge of the sleeve.

Follow the pattern instructions on sewing the sleeve together (some have you doing it early, others have you do it with the side seam. Clip your sleeve seams together, including the flounce, and overlock or sew along the length.

And you’re done!

Method 2 – Sleeve First

This method will be used mostly for inset sleeves. It attaches the flounce to the sleeve after it has been sewn together. It’s handy for last minute flounce attachments.

Start off by sewing or overlocking together the raw edges of both sleeve and flounce. Mark off the half way point of the two pieces.

turn the flounce right side out and smoosh it inside the sleeve, matching up the seams.

Line up the raw edges, using the half way marker to ensure that they flounce is distributed. Clip or pin your way around the circle to whole everything in place.

Sew or overlock.

Follow the pattern instructions to insert your sleeve into your garment.

And you’re done!

 

Happy sewing!

– Pun