How to construct the pleated sleeves of the Iris tee (with video!)

October 06, 2020

Here's a quick video showing how to construct the short sleeve view from the Iris pleated tee.

You will find fully-illustrated instructions in the PDF pattern download of course, but sometimes a video really is the best! Plus, I think you'll agree it is pretty satisfying to watch. Seeing a flat pattern piece turn into a 3D object is one of the most exciting parts of sewing! 

Sewing tips for constructing the sleeves

• Sometimes it is hard to see the right side and wrong side of knit fabric, so if you are worried about getting it mixed up while sewing, marking a big chalk "X" on the wrong side will make sure you don't sew your details on the wrong side. Do this when you first cut everything out, before things have a chance to get confusing.
• For best results, make sure you pivot accurately at the pivot points indicated by dots on the pattern! When you pivot, make sure your needle is down in the fabric, then lift your foot and pivot. Place the foot back down, and proceed. By pivoting with the needle in your fabric, it won't have a chance to shimmy and slide around.
• Check your seam allowance. Our knits patterns use a 6mm (¼") seam allowance, which is standard in the fashion industry for knits, as it is perfect for sergers/overlockers. Just keep that in mind, and if you clip into your seam allowance to mark notches (I do!), just be careful that you don't clip far at all. In fact, clipping is my favourite way to mark notches, as I find it accurate and easy to see when I am sewing.
• If you are nervous about sewing this feature, try it in a more cooperative fabric to start with. A stable cotton jersey or a double knit will be much easier than a slinky rayon jersey.

I hope these tips help, and you can see that this sleeve is not quite as complicated as you feared. It gives a very unique result that will leave you feeling clever!

You can buy the Iris pleated tee pattern here on our store. 

Also in The Forget-me-not Patterns Blog