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Sleeves as a Fashion Accessory
When we think of sleeves, we generally think of a tube of fabric sewn into the arm hole of a shirt, jacket, or some such. The Elizabethans were a much more practical people, and by and large, treated sleeves as an accessory and a convenience. The sleeves of a garment laced in to the bodice or doublet they were worn with, so they could be interchanged amongst garments for variety, or removed on hot days for convenience. Always bear in mind, when considering the relatively high cost of fabrics for upper middle and noble class costumes, that sleeves take relatively little fabric, and one bodice with three sets of sleeves can have three extremely different looks to it.
Modern
sleeve patterns usually consist of one peice of fabric which arcs at the
top (the sleeve head) and is seamed from the center of the armscye to
the wrist. In the standard issue Elizabethan sleeve, we see a different
seam placement: There is a main seam that runs either from half way up
the front side of the sleeve down to the wrist, or half way up the back
side of the seam to the wrist. In addition, there was frequently a secondary
seam for shaping the sleeve into a permanantly "bent" shape,
which would be located on whichever side the primary seam wasn't. In the
picture to the left, the primary "seam" is actually the opening
at the front of the sleeve (the sleeve might have been closed with bottons,
hooks and eye, etc), and the secondayr shaping seam runs down the center
back of the sleeve, between the two lines of black braid. In some cases,
the secondary shaping seam joined the sides of a triangular opening in
the bottom half of the sleeve and ran only from elbow to wrist, creating
a sleeve with a very full top and a tapered wrist. In moderm patterns,
some sports coats and blazars still use a sleeve seam down the center
back of the sleeve, leaving the front plain. Adapting a "normal"
modern sleeve to an elizabethan one is frightfully simple. Trace around
a pattern for an existing sleeve onto tissue paper. Cut out your tissue
paper pattern. Tape the edges that would otherwise be sewn together to
eachother. Fold the sleeve in half to mark the middle of the sleevehead.
Now, unfold and press the taped edges to the back of the sleeve so that
the center of the taped join lies on the crease you just made. Crease
each side of the folded pattern sharply, then cut up those side creases.
You now have the basic, two part elizabethan sleeve pattern. If you have
a very full sleeve pattern that you wish to taper at the wrist, cut a
triangular gusset from the back of the wrist to the back of the elbow.
Since there are two peices to the sleeve, you will want to cut a triangle
that is that is the difference between the current wrist measurement of
the sleeve and the desired write measurement of the sleeve (don't forget
to leave yourself a seam allowance!) at the wrist that tapers down to
nothing just below the elbow.
If you are cutting this sleeve out of a material with a strong stripe or linear pattern, make sure that the patter is either straight along (vertical pattern), or directly perpendicular to (horizontal pattern) the center front of the sleeve, and take care to match your stripes when you cut the peices. This creates a neat, even pattern at the front of the sleeve, and forces any diagonal or abbreviated stripes to occur at the back seam. Always keep your best side forward, and all that. Also, you will want to cut lining material for the sleeve to the same pattern.
Sewing the sleeve is simple. If you are making a closed sleeve, you will sew off the side seams on the outer peice and the lining separately. Turn the outer peice rightside out. Now, you will have to add some way for the sleeve to attatch to the bodice - either insert a peice of twill tape along the top of the sleevehead that grommets can be set into, or set peices of ribbon ("points") periodically along the sleevehead (perpendicular to the raw edge of the fabric, with about 4 - 7" of ribbon pointing in to the sleeve. Whichever you choose, you will then pleat down the sleevehead to fit the arm opening of the intended garment, pin and sew the top of the lining to the top of the outter layer, right sides together, just as you would for any other sleeve you've ever sewn. Turn the whole thing rightside out and whipstitch the lining to the outer layer at the wrists.
If you are making an open sleeve, your life is even easier - sew whichever seam won't open (usually the back) together for both the outer layer and the lining. Pin your attatchment method of choice to the sleevehead. If you wish to add a cuff, sew that peice and pin it, facing up the sleeve, to the wrist of the sleeve. Pleat down the sleevehead of the outer material and lining. Place the lining over the outer layer, right sides together, then pin. Now, sew around the edge of the sleeve, from about 3" away from the center of the armscye all the way around to about three inches from the other side of the armscye. Turn the sleeve right side out and whipstitch the opening shut.
Now, since sleeves are so easy to make and change between garments, you have no reason not to make an extra set or few, right? The book, Elizabethan Costuming (Winter & Savoy) contains a number of suggestions for other styles of sleeve. Since I generally find that there suggestions could use a few more words, here are a few starting points for some basic alterations:
