Flutter Sleeve

I want a cap sleeve. Actually I want the Pure and Simple Shell Louise Cutting drafted many years ago:

I have 2 problems with this desire (1) The pattern (12238 Pure and Simple) is out of print and (2) While I still have my copy I have been unable to fit it to my body for several years. I’m always hopeful this will be the year I understand what alterations I need to make in order to use CLD pattern. Hasn’t happened yet (there are still several months left) and so I’ve decided for this project to add the sleeve to a pattern which does fit me nicely: Connie Crawford’s  6299

There’s a problem with this, too.  I don’t know how a cap sleeve is drafted. I don’t know what it should look like on my pattern. So instead of immediately cutting my project fabric, I opted to test and learn on a rayon challis remnant I’ve had for several years.

I tried placing my fitted 6299 pattern pieces on top of the PNS pieces and merging the shapes.  Really didn’t work. There are so many design decisions CLD made to her  beautifully different patterns. Frankly, I’m just not smart enough to know what to do. Since that (trying to align the pieces and trace) didn’t work, I started hunting on-line, in my Pinterest boards, and in my pattern drafting books at home. They made it seem simple. It seemed that I would be extending the shoulder line

and then connecting with a new armscye curve.

Repeat et al  for the back. Nice, easy,  and because this is a pattern I’ve used a dozen times or so, easy and quick to construct as well.

Not quite what I wanted. Close, but not quite. I had to study the finished garment for a bit to determine what was off.  One thing I thought is, it just kind of looks sloppy. A look this pattern hasn’t produced before.

Not sure if the sloppiness was due to the fabric or ease.  I did take the waist in  a bit  on all 4 princess seams.  I think fit is improved in these final pics but I still didn’t get what I wanted.

I was a tickled with my back closure.

Yeah it’s a button and elastic loop closure.  I used a hair elastic. Something I’ve done several times.  This hair elastic is a little long for such a feminine blouse and the elastic a little hard to hold pinched. So I wrapped Water Soluble Stabilizer around the middle to hold the elastic together…

…until I could insert it in the back neck…

…and stitch in place before trimming the excess.

Another thing I discovered is that my cap sleeve came to a point where the back and front met. I knew I wanted a curve. That was pretty easy to fix. I just trimmed the edge..

.. before hemming the sleeve.  Oh and I trued the pattern too.

The fact remained that this wasn’t the cap sleeve I wanted. It was more of a flutter sleeve than a cap sleeve. Still I like it. I’ve called it sweet, feminine, cute. I really do just <heart> it. So I filed away the pieces for the time when I want a flutter sleeve and continued to investigate cap sleeves.