It's easier to ignore a detail from a garment that you're not really keen on and pretend it doesn't exist (secretly hoping it will just magically disappear). I've often done so, but find it ends up staying in the wardrobe for longer periods of time, probably making it a little upset.
Take this black lacy playsuit - I love wearing this as a compromise between casual and classy for evening events, but I really never got on with the little capped sleeves. They actually look decent on the mannequin from this angle! But from the front they seemed a little childish when I was usually trying to go for a stylish look.
So, inspiration struck when I rediscovered this kimono that was passed on to me. I originally would have preferred a plain black chiffon-esque material, but this would add edge with the colourful pattern on a black background.
I must admit, the process was very experimental for me, so displaying it in pictures and describing the process is probably not going to be too clear...! But in brief:
I seam ripped the old sleeves off (keeping the material of course!) and experimented with the other fabric in the armhole. I had a variety of ideas for the shape of the sleeves, and kept going back and forth, but decided on a bell-like sleeve. I cut the kimono in half so I could see how much material I had for each sleeve, and pinned the top half in place in the armhole, making sure it draped smoothly, then sewed in place.
Now, this is where my experimental work left making the rest of the sleeve quite tricky! In an ideal world, I would have of course created the sleeve piece first, making it symmetrical and then inserted it. But alas, I had to go with the wind! This required some slightly precarious cutting of the curved bottom edge of the sleeve, which was done in halves. Then pinning the underarm of the sleeve into place. Despite my original desire, I didn't sew up the seam which would fall next to the body, but left it open by finishing off each edge. Gives it more of a cape look!
Et voila! Some slightly crazy sleeves to make a statement. I didn't finish off the bottom edges to give it a raw look, but may do at some point if they begin to unravel too much. Happy sewing!
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