Naturally, once you’ve discovered how a sloper (a set of basic patterns customized to an individual size and shape) helps you fit patterns, you would want to know how to use a sloper to design and make your own patterns from scratch. In part one of this series (“From Sloper to Shirt,” Threads No. 137), I showed you how to add style ease to a basic bodice-sloper pattern to make a classic shirt or blouse. I altered the sloper armhole and neckline to add ease for more comfortable movement and fit (see the illustration at right for a summary of those changes).

In this article, I continue with the same blouse and explain how to adapt the sleeve sloper for the blouse and add a cuff. I also show how you  how to make a pattern for the blouse collar to complete your shirt. 

Make a comfortable sleeve

A sleeve with a cuff needs a little extra length for moving allowance. Measure your arm from the bent elbow to the wrist bone, and add 1 inch. Compare this measurement to your pattern, and add length as needed along the bottom of the sleeve.