One Pin and The Sleeve Is In

For years I've seen demos of a "one pin" method of sleeve attachment that promises not just to eliminate fussing over the ease but to also make it possible to easily finish the arm seam with a quick inner fell. "My ass it does," I have thought each time I've seen this method.

Dear reader, I finally tried it out, and I am converted! So if you, like me, sometimes feel that sticking a pin in your eyeball would be less painful than easing in a sleeve cap, I have a demo for you!

Three quick notes before we get to the fun.

• This method is intended for sleeves with relatively little cap ease as found on button-up shirts, t-shirts, and most men’s outerwear and suit jackets. I do not imagine it would work well for dramatic sleeves on blouses or dresses.

• It took me six sleeves on three muslin fitting shirts using this method to get to the point where I felt proficient enough to use it on an actual garment. I highly recommend tracing off the sleeve and armscye curve from an existing pattern's front, back, and yoke pieces to try this out on muslin or similar practice fabric to get a feel for the process before using it on nice fabric.

• The fitting muslin used in the demo doesn't have a yoke and thus will look a little different than a proper shirt pattern.

The first step must be done at cutting time, so plan accordingly!

1. Before cutting out sleeve pattern piece, adjust it to a ⅞" allowance on the top curve. Similarly, adjust the allowance on the armsyce to ⅜" (this will require adjustment of front, back, and yoke). Follow the markings on the pattern pieces to identify the top of the sleeve cap and the top of the armscye (it'll be somewhere on the yoke) and mark points on pieces. Mark all other alignment points on sleeve and armscye.

2. Starting at one end of the sleeve cap curve, finger press a ⅜" flap to the right side of the sleeve for a couple of inches.

3. Using an iron and plenty of steam, press in the flap started in the previous step, continuing at ⅜" up to the top of the curve.

4. Repeat the process from the other end working back up the top of the sleeve.

5. Be sure to press out any little tucks that may try to form at the apex of the curve. Cut out a single triangle notch at the very top if necessary to help lay the curve flat.

6. With right sides together, lay the bodice over the sleeve, aligning the sleeve top and armscye top and extending the sleeve edge ⅛" beyond the armscye edge. Affix the pieces with a single pin placed just outside the allowance.

7. With the bodice piece still on the top and starting at the top of the sleeve from the side that places the work to the left of the presser foot, align the needle to make a ⅜" seam from the edge of the armscye. This should place the edge of the sleeve at ½" from the needle.

8. Take a few, maybe four to five, stitches and stop with the needle down. Do not back tack.

9. It'll be slow going at the start, but now start to pull the lengths of sleeve cap and armscye that are about to go under the needle parallel to each other. Continue to maintain the edge of the sleeve extending ⅛" past the edge of the armscye. Stitch forward for as long as those edges are parallel and then pause again with the needle down. Initially, it will only be possible to do this in increments of about ¾".

10. Again draw the edges of the sleeve and the armscye parallel, maintaining that ⅛" distance between them. As before, stitch forward for as long as those edges are parallel. It will be possible to pull longer stretches parallel with each other as one proceeds down the slope of the sleeve cap to the side seam. Periodically check that alignment points are matching up along the way and do not be shy about stretching one piece or the other to make it happen.

11. Once the the stitching line has reached the side seam, back tack and remove the work from the machine. Pull the top thread from the start of the seam through to the wrong side.

12. Repeat the process from the top down to the side seam for the other half of the sleeve cap. Note that this will require placing the bulk of the work to the right of the needle, so be sure to carefully roll up the excess to keep things manageable.

13. When the second half of the seam is complete, again pull the top thread from the start of the stitching through to the wrong side. Tie off the four threads.

14. Take the work to the pressing board and flip to wrong side. Gently push the allowance edge up to the body and press the sleeve flat just up to the stitching line. Do not press over the stitching line onto the body! Stretch the pieces a bit where needed to ensure the seam is pressed open right to the stitching line.

15. Flip the work over to the right side, gently push the allowance edge down to the sleeve, and press the body side flat over a tailor's ham. Stretch the pieces a bit where needed to press the seam open right to the stitching line. Do not press over the stitching line or into the allowance!

16. Go around the flap edge created on the sleeve in step 4 and make sure it's intact and coming around the armscye edge as shown.

17. Flip the work back over to the wrong side, place again over a tailor's ham with the allowance facing toward the body. Working from the sleeve along the seam line, press the allowance into position. Do not press more than about ¼" past the stitch line! Take care to make sure that the flap edge pressed in on step 4 remains intact and encloses the edge of the armscye's seam.

18. Make one last check to ensure that the seam is fully pressed open and that the flap edge is even, intact, and well pressed up toward the body.

19. As in step 7, start at the apex of the sleeve cap and stitch ⅜" toward the body from the initial seam. Do not back tack at the start of the seam. Instead, repeat the earlier process to pull the top thread through to the wrong side. Now that the seam is shaped, this one will be fairly easy. Be sure to check the allowance on the underside as you go to ensure it's remaining in place. So long as it does, this stitch will easily catch and close the allowance on the inside in a neat fell. End the seam with a back tack.

20. Rotate the work and repeat the previous step down the other side of the sleeve to complete. Tie off the top threads from the start of each stitching line on the wrong side as in step 13.

And here it is all done.

Additional thoughts and tips for success:

• Ignore all pattern instructions regarding how to manage the ease on the sleeve.

• Honor all alignment points and match them up as best as possible while stitching in steps 7 through 14.

• Do not hesitate to pop stay stitches at any point in this process to release the allowances for easy manipulation.

• Carefully manage the seam allowance while pressing so that it is never under the iron until step 17. If it gets pressed before then, it can distort the flap and/or leave pressing lines on the outside of the sleeve or body.

• For a narrower fell, it's possible to start with a ⅝" allowance on the sleeve and a ¼" allowance on the armscye. Instead of making the initial seam ⅜", make it ¼". This can make catching the fell in step 19 a little trickier, though, and thus is best saved for after one has built some proficiency with this method. Honestly, this is best done on an industrial or vintage straight stitch machine with narrower feed dogs better able to catch the narrower seam.