AboutSharon Vogel Expertise I can answer general sewing questions as well as tailoring, heirloom, menswear, children's wear, craft sewing, quilting and just about any fabric or notion. I can also help with some sewing machine repair and maintenance.
Experience I started sewing at the age of 3...thanks to my mom and grandmother, and I am now in my fifties. Home economics classes in junior high and high school helped me to finesse my skills.
Education/Credentials Palmer and Plesch tailoring class
Basically, self-taught...give me the instructions and I will figure it out and then make it better!
Awards and Honors A few blue ribbons at fairs along the way
Expert: Sharon Vogel Date: 7/5/2008 Subject: shortening sleeves on mans suit
Question QUESTION: I need to shorten the sleeves on a mans suit and am not sure how to do it. It has buttons on the cuff also. Please give me a few simple steps. I do a lot of sewing so I know the basics.
Thank you,
ANSWER: Dear Virginia,
Okay, dear, we will do this stepwise:
1. Note the positioning of the buttons on the sleeve...the distance from the hem and how close together they are. Remove the buttons.
2. Using a seam ripper, take the lining hem out, then take out the sleeve hem. Note the width of the sleeve hem as a reference. If the sleeves have a vent in them at the hem, you will probably want to sew the sleeve seam completely closed or the vent will appear too short when the sleeves are shortened. Of course, if you want to put the vents back into the sleeves, you may choose to do so after determining the sleeve length in step 3. Write back and I will step you through that process if you need further help.
3. Now have the gentleman put the jacket on and decide how much you want to shorten the sleeves. The sleeve should be long enough to touch the first knuckles on the thumbs when his arms are hanging at his sides. Fold up the hem on each side at the correct length and pin. Do not have him put the jacket on wrong side out because it seems easier to turn up the sleeve hems. Bodies are not symmetrical and one arm may be a bit longer than the other.
4. Turn the jacket wrong side out. Fold up the sleeve hems to pin markings and press. Mark the width of the hem as you determined it to be in step 2. Trim off the excess fabric and then blind stitch the sleeve hem. Mark the position of the buttons as you determined in step one and sew them back on. The buttons may have been sewn through the lining originally, but you are going to make it look more professional!
6. A sleeve lining is turned up 5/8" at the bottom with about a 1/2" overhang ease. The easiest way is to trim off as much fabric from the lining as you did from the sleeve itself then turn up 5/8" on the lining edge and press. Position the pressed edge 5/8" over the hemmed sleeve edge, easing in any excess fullness, pin and slip stitch in place.
(If any of these steps are confusing, please write me back and I will try to explain it better.)
Congratulations for taking on the task of altering! Many people do not understand why they are charged so much for alterations...but we know why!
Good luck,
Sharon
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thank you so much.
In step two you said that the vent can be put back in. Please help me through that process.
Thanks,
Answer Dear Virginia,
The vents may not need to be put back in if you are only shortening the sleeves a small amount. My husband has a jacket that was professionally altered and the sleeves were shortened leaving the existing vent. This was before he knew me!
But, if you do want to do a complete alteration on the sleeve, vents and all, it will basically depend on how much seam allowance you have in the sleeve seam which ends in the vent. When the jacket was originally sewn, an extension of about 5/8" on the seam allowance was added down the length of the vent (plus hem).
After you have taken out the lining and sleeve hem, inspect the vent seam allowance to determine if there is enough fabric left in the seam allowance to allow you to make this alteration.
Open the seam with a seam ripper for the same length as you are shortening the sleeve. Restitch the seam above the point to which you have removed the stitching, backstitching at the lower point. Clip the the back seam allowance to the backstitched point. Your vent extensions will most probably not be as wide above the original vent, but I dont think it will matter since the sleeve will be lined. If you want to add fabric to the extension, find a scrap that is similar in weight to the suit fabric, cut a piece to fit and zig-zag stitch it flat beneath the seam and extension. This small amount of piecing will not show once the sleeve is hemmed, the buttons are replaced and the lining is sewn back in.
Press the seam open above that point and press the vent seam extensions toward the front of the sleeve.
Turn up the sleeve hem, opening out the extension. Slip stitch hem in place. Catch stitch the extension to the sleeve hem.
Hem the lining in place over the sleeve hem as directed in my previous answer.
Good luck and happy sewing, and I'm here if you need me!
