Pinning shirt with cuff

Step 2 - If the cuff width is too wide, pin the cuff in so it is fitting loosely on the wrist.  This means undoing the buttons and pinning to the new position.  Do not pin the cuff so it is too tight.  The person needs to be able to raise their arm and have the cuff move around slightly.  If it is pinned too tight, the person will feel restricted in movement. Pin cuffs together so that the pin is through the top and bottom section of the cuff.  When happy with the new width of the cuff, place a pin BESIDE the cuff on the edge to show the position it needs to be moved to.  This is only so that when the fitting is completed the person can get out of the cuff.

Note - Usually when shortening sleeves, the fabric is folded under, but in the case of a shirt, I prefer to have the cuff in the correct position on the wrist and pin the excess fabric ABOVE the cuff.  There is a placket, so I usually try and go above that as well, however sometimes this is not possible.

Step 3 – Grab hold of the excess fabric above the placket.

Step 4 - Measure the amount folded between your fingers. Place a pin sideways, so that you are taking away the excess on the sleeve. For example the amount folded 3.5 cm (1 3/8 in).  The pin is 3.5 cm (1 3/8 in) from the fold.  This means the sleeve is being shortened a total of 7 cm (2 ¾ in) because the fabric is folded.

Step 5 - Move around the sleeve, pinning the same amount all the way around the sleeve.  I like to pin fairly close together, so there should be around 4 pins placed around the sleeve all with the same amount of 3.5 cm (1 3/8 in).

Step 7 - Check to see that the inside pin does not raise the sleeve too high.  One mistake is that the amount pinned at the front of the sleeve is correct, but when you pin the inside arm seam, it pulls the sleeve up too much.  If it is too high, lower the other pins.  There should be a little flounce in the sleeve so that when the person raises their arm, the sleeve will rise up towards the elbow. Without flounce the sleeve will pull and be raised too high.  My definition of a little flounce is about 3.5 cm (1 ½ in) or a little more of excess fabric puffing above the cuff.

Step 8 – Have the person raise his arm so that the cuff is sitting just behind the knuckle. When the arm is down the cuff should sit on the end of the wrist, covering the knuckle.

Note - I have clients who work in their shirts, so they prefer their sleeves to be a little higher than a person who does not work in their shirt.

Step 9- When the arm is at a right angle in front of the body the cuff is sitting on the wrist.

Step 10 - Write down the amount that you have folded at the sleeve.  If you are measuring from the edge to the pin, then you need to double this amount because the fabric is folded.  For example the measurement is 3.5 cm (1 3/8in) from the pin to the fold.  Write down 7 cm (2 ¾ in).

After pinning shirt with cuff there are a number of options when shortening sleeves.

1. Sleeves can be shortened from the section just above the cuff which means the cuff must be unpicked, the amount the shirt is being shortened will be taken from the end of the shirt sleeve, and the cuff is put back on.  A placket can be about 5 cm (2 in) long and a person would still be able to put their hand into their sleeve without any problem.
2. If the amount being shortened is substantial then the placket needs to be unpicked and moved up, cutting off the excess at the end of the sleeve.  This is a rather long process and can be costly if you have a professional do the job.
3. If you do not want to move the placket, you can shorten from the top of the sleeve called the sleeve cap.

Pinning shirt with cuff is the first step to shortening the sleeves.  If it is not pinned correctly, the sleeve may end up too short.

Happy altering

Judith aka genie