Hemming

Shorten Simple Sleeves

Shorten simple, unlined sleeves that end in a plain hem, with no placket or cuff.

Confident Beginner1 hrHand or machine

What you will learn

Measuring sleeve length
Matching both sleeves
Hemming a narrow circle

Before you start

Press the sleeves at the heat on the care label. Put the garment on and let the arm hang naturally.

Step by step

Wear the garment with your arm relaxed and slightly bent. A helper folds the sleeve end up and pins it where you want it to finish. For a long sleeve, the end usually sits at the wrist bone. For a short sleeve, choose a position that suits your upper arm.
Measure the sleeve from the top of the armhole seam, where the sleeve joins the shoulder, to the pin on both arms. Both measurements should match. If they differ, mark each sleeve separately.
Take the garment off and turn the sleeves inside out. Open the old hem if it is stitched and press the crease flat.
Mark the new hem. Use a hem allowance of 3/4 to 1 in (19 to 25 mm). Measure the new fold line, then mark one allowance below it. Do not cut.
Fold the sleeve end to the inside at the new fold line and pin. The sleeve narrows toward the wrist, so the hem allowance may be narrower than the sleeve it folds onto. If it pulls, reduce the allowance, or unpick the sleeve seam inside the hem allowance only and re-sew it slightly narrower.
Try the garment on. Check that you can bend the arm without the sleeve pulling.
When satisfied, trim extra fabric, leaving the allowance. Turn the raw edge under 1/4 in (6 mm) or zigzag it.
Press the fold, then stitch by hand with a blind hem or by machine. A sleeve is a narrow tube. Use the free arm of your machine, if it has one, so you can sew around the end.
Press and try on the garment. Compare the two sleeves.

Tips for a neat result

Garments with a cuff or a vent are not simple sleeves. This tutorial is only for plain hemmed sleeves.
Remove any fold lines from the old hem by steaming before you measure.

Common mistakes and fixes

One sleeve is longer than the other.

The arms were not in the same position when marked. Mark each sleeve while your arm hangs naturally.

The hem is too tight to bend the arm.

The hem allowance is narrower than the sleeve it is stitched to, so it pulls the sleeve in. Release the hem and use a narrower allowance.

Safety and fabric care

Keep your fingers away from the needle. Work slowly on narrow tubes.

Check your result

Both sleeves end at the same point on the wrist or arm.
You can bend and raise your arm without the sleeve pulling.

When to use a professionalCuffs with plackets, buttoned cuffs, vents and lined jacket sleeves are advanced and need professional tools. Take these to a tailor. Jackets with working buttons on the sleeve should also go to a professional.

Projects that use this

Take In a Simple Shirt at the Sides and SleevesConfident Beginner2 hr