Box Top pattern hacks. Add a three quarter elastic cuff sleeve.

I love shirts and woven fabric tops.

 They're a hardworking part of my year round wardrobe, adding a layer under one of my knits, and paired with my skirts, jeans and pants. I am definitely a seperates kind of woman, that's pretty much my uniform!

Back in 2016, I made a shirt (named the Blosson Season Shirt) with three quarter sleeves finished with an elastic cuff. I loved those sleeves, and while I've toyed with the idea of bringing that design out as a stand alone pattern, I thought perhaps I could find a way to add a longer sleeve to the Box Top pattern.

And, so I did!

With no extra pattern pieces required for the base pattern, here are the instructions to add this sleeve to your hardworking Box Top design!

If you've already tried the Cuff Sleeve pattern hack, then we follow most of the same steps for this hack, so you're already half way there in knowledge!

Ready?

The first step is to cut 2 sleeve pieces to the measurements as follows - 

Size xs/s - 30cm x 51cm

Size s/m - 30cm x 49cm

Size l/xl - 30cm x 48cm

You can make your sleeves longer or shorter for your personal preference, a good guide is to measure a sleeve from a garment from your wardrobe from where the sleeve joins the garment at the underarm down to the hem. In this hack, the 30cm measurement is the length from the sleeve seam to the sleeve cuff.

As we did for the cuff sleeve pattern hack, the order of sewing construction is going to change from the pattern instructions, so we'll begin here...

1.  Join your top at the shoulder seams, finish those seams together (both seam allowances together) either with an overlocker, or with a small zigzag stitch, and press towards the back of your top.

 2. Open out your top so that it's flat on a hard surface. Now take one sleeve piece and pin (right sides together!) the to edge of your sleeve turnback allowance. Repeat for the other sleeve.

Stitch the sleeves to the top with a 5/8th inch (1.5cm) seam allowance. This means that your line of stitching will line up with the side edges of your top. (see here for photos from the cuff sleeve hack)

3. Finish these seams (both seam allowances together) either with an overlocker, or with a small zigzag stitch, and press towards the sleeve piece.

4.  With right sides together, pin down each side and each sleeve. 

5. Using a 5/8th inch (1.5cm) seam allowance, stitch front to back (right sides together!) in one long line of stitching. Pivot at the underarm by leaving your machine needle down, lifting your machine foot, and turning your work 90 degrees to continue.

6. Now carefully clip into the corner of the seam allowance with your scissors. This allows some movement in the fabric so it will sit flat.

7. Now you can finish both edges of this seam allowance, sewing right across the gap created by that clipped corner, either with an overlocker, or with a small zigzag stitch.

8. Well done! Take a break. A cuppa and a biscuit sounds good.

9. Now we're going to finish the raw bottom edge of the sleeve. I've chosen to overlock, but you can use a small zig zag stitch. If you prefer you could turn a very scant 0.5cm narrow hem and just stitch it in place with a straight stitch.

10. Cut two pieces of elastic for your cuffs measuring 30cm each. You might prefer a little looser or a little tighter, so perhaps measure loosely around the widest part of your forearm and take that measurement as the length for cutting.

I used elastic 20mm wide.

11. Now make a circle by overlapping one end of your elastic over the other by a couple of centimetres and pin to secure.

12. Now stitch around the edges of the elastic, making a square around, and then finishing by stitching a line from one corner to the opposite corner.

13. Now comes the fiddly bit, but you'll be fine! Working with your top inside out, slip the circle of elastic over the cuff end of your sleeve.

14. Turn the sleeve end and fold over the elastic so it just covers the elastic width, and pin.

I like to start at the seam.

Continue to fold the sleeve over the elastic and pin, stretching the elastic out as you go.

15. If you have a free arm on your machine, slip the sleeve over this, stretching the elastic to fit.

Sew the sleeve hem with a straight stitch, stretching the elastic towards you as you go.

We'll stitch on the line of the finishing we made to the sleeve earlier - either your overlock stitch, your zig zag stitch, or your narrow hem.

 

16. Turn your finished top right side out, and voila! You've just added an elastic cuff three quarter sleeve to your Box Top!

Make yourself another cuppa, sit back and admire your work!

Need a pattern to get started?

You can buy one here.