Burda Style For people who sew

I’m making a toile of the Talea coat and I have it almost made up but the sleeve head is too big and I would love a perfect fit, with no pleats or gathers.
It’s too big by about 9cm, measuring around the sleeve head. I have already tried to remedy this by sewing darts in the sleeve where the back piece is sewn onto the front but all this does is tighten the armhole(which I would like to avoid!)
So any suggestions?
Cheers
Fee

Nov 16, 2009, 03.08 AM by just-fee

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  Nov 16, 2009, 11.19 AMby katexxxxxx

  9cm is a hell of a lot… I suspect stretching through handling has added to it. Did you check the fit of the pattern pieces to each other before cutting the pattern out? Some folk are prone to drafting in excess ease on the sleeve head, and this needs to be drafted out before you cut fabric. Generally speaking 2.5cm ease is the most you need over the sleeve head. Check this, and draft out any excess before cutting a new sleeve. Sew a line of stay stitching round the top, draw it up to fit the armscy without gathering it, and press it carefully over the pressing ham before fitting to the body of the jacket. Remember to pin in the correct size of shoulder pads when doing the toile fitting.

  When it comes to the actual jacket:

  Sew a double line of stitching JUST inside the seam allowance. Pin to the armscye. Draw up the threads to make a neat, non-gathered smooth fit. Unpin and press this curved sleeve head over a pressing ham with a damp cloth, shrinking out any tendency to gather or pucker. Sew into the armscye and fit the sleeve heading, basting in place by hand to the seam allowance right next to the seam. Fit the shoulder pad and baste in place firmly.
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  Nov 16, 2009, 02.50 PMby just-fee

  I was using the pattern pieces as they were for a size 44 on the Talea coat, Could you tell me how to draft out the excess? Would it be something along the lines of, folding the front sleeve in half, then taking away 4.5cm on either side, at the sleeve head? I have tried twice to ease it in with the stitching with no luck, perhaps I’m doing it wrong?

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    Nov 16, 2009, 03.35 PMby katexxxxxx

    You need to do it in stages, all round the sleeve head…

    First tape the two sections together at the sleeve head to ampit level.

    Cut a 6cm wide wedge out of the top of the sleeve head, like a slice of cake. it needs to be about 10cm from sleeve head to point.

    Cut another one about 4cm lower, so you have a fat V of paper, a triangular wedge, and a sleeve pattern with a large wedge cut out of it. Tape them together again with the wedges overlaping, making the curve round the top of the pattern shallower… When the pattern pieces are overlapped enough that the SEAM LINE of the pattern is about 2.5cm longer than the seamline round the armscy, tape them together and true up the arched shape over the top of the shoulder.

    Separate the two parts of the pattern and carry on…