Burda Style For people who sew

Along with the Basic Bodice Block, to construct patterns for a full range of garments (shirts, blouses, dresses, jackets and coats), you will need an appropriately constructed sleeve as well. In this "how to", using similar drafting principles as those employed for the Basic Bodice Block, I show you how to construct a pattern for a sleeve that is matched to the Basic Bodice Block (i.e. in terms of size, seam length, etc.). In addition to the BUST measurement, you will need a SLEEVE length measurement for this to work.

This block construction method has been adapted from the following reference : Winifred Aldrich, Metric Pattern Cutting for Women's Wear, 5th ed., Blackwell Publishing: Oxford, 2008, 215 pp.

Technique Materials

paper, pencil, transparent ruler, French Curve (or dinner plate!)

• Intro
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9 Comments

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  Jul 26, 2009, 04.48 PMby jerwin

  Presently the publisher, Wiley-Blackwell, has made a sample chapter of Aldrich’s book available for download.

  Luckily for us, it contains the slopers, including this sleeve.

  Going back to step 19, there should be three points defining the bottom of the sleeve. From left to right, they are AN, AK, and AO.

  Connect AN to AK with a simple curve, bulging down by 1cm.
  Connect AK to AO with another curve bulging up by 1 cm.

  Hmm. Let’s see ,if I can post an image.
  <img src=“http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/4081/aldrich.th.png” /a>
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  Jun 25, 2009, 12.19 PMby gedwoods

  I finally got around to redoing the photos so you can see the bottom of the sleeve block. Sorry about taking so long to do this!
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  Apr 25, 2009, 08.47 PMby Noora1

  Agreeing with Kristy_Biscuit regarding steps 18 and 19… help!
  :(
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  Mar 23, 2009, 08.16 PMby gedwoods

  I’ll redo the photos so you can see… as soon as I get a moment!
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  Mar 18, 2009, 09.03 PMby kristy_biscuit

  Ok – the pictures are kind of cut off, so I can’t quite see what is meant in step 19 when it says to lower the sleeve edge curve on the back section of the sleeve by 1 cm, and raise the front section by 1cm…? Meaning, what is the difference between the drawings in step 18 and step 19? Thanks,
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  Mar 5, 2009, 01.08 AMby LYBU

  I love it.
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  Feb 27, 2009, 02.47 AMby anek

  Thanks you very much! I really needed this how-to!
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  Feb 25, 2009, 02.13 PMby tattooedkitty

  Wow, another one! Thanks so much!
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  Feb 24, 2009, 07.46 PMby ReneeBeth

  I’m really excited about this! I’ve just started messing around with a basic bodice block and I’ll have you know, I freehanded some sleeves and they were the wackiest shape (and didn’t sew on well at all…luckily I was using some curtain fabric from a garage sale so it wasn’t too much of a disappointment).
  Thanks for posting this, RB