Hi sewing friends! I recently made the Wilder Blouse by Friday Pattern Company. The Wilder Blouse is technically the same pattern as the Wilder Gown but of course, shorter and without the tiers.
I’ve actually made the Wilder Gown before -about 3 years ago. And I hacked the sleeves then – and this time, I hacked the sleeves again.
The last time, I kept the original top part of the sleeve and added somewhat of a bell-sleeve extension. This time, I made an entirely new bishop sleeve from the top to the bottom. And when I did that, I realized why I didn’t do it before. It’s kind of challenging.
So after a quick Google search, I found a tutorial by Geri In Stitches on Youtube. It’s honestly the best explanation and version of this that I’ve seen. She basically explained that the top of the sleeve gets altered with the slash and spread method, which is how you create a bishop sleeve. She came up with a really great way to make sure that the top of your sleeve stays intact. I’m linking it here.
Once I realized the math and all of that, I made my bishop sleeve. I spaced out my slashes about 4 inches apart. I wanted a really obnoxious sleeve, LOL. And it worked!
It took about 3.5 yards of 55-60 inch fabric to complete the entire look. I kept the length of the bodice the same and all of the other elements as well.
Because my fabric is mesh I did a french seam on each of the seams. And because this is a fairly simple pattern with very simple seam lines, this was not a terrible step… nor do I think it slowed down my process.
Until next time! xo.
RAVEN MAUREEN 