Limited range of motion in sleeves

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

Hi Professor, I’m new so forgive me if this has already been covered… I’ve just completed a basic dress bodice pattern with 2 bust darts,side darts and short set in sleeves. The bodice fits well when sleeveless but once I attached the sleeves I found I couldn’t raise my arms at all or reach forward without pulling the fabric (cotton) to breaking point. After some research online I have found that my problem may be that the armhole is too low however I am not entirely sure how to correct this without throwing off the whole pattern. I experimented and cut a new pattern raising the armhole a half inch so it fit closer to the underarm, however as before when sleeveless it fit fine but once sleeves were attached I was restricted. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I’m dying to finish this dress!! 🙂

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

That does sound frustrating! I’m wondering if the situation might have less to do with the armhole and sleeve and maybe more to do with the back bodice and maybe you have a broader back than the pattern is made for. The problem might be non-existent with a sleeveless bodice but once those sleeves go in and you reach forward, now you’re putting stress on the back bodice, limiting your range. I’m not saying it’s definitely the problem, but it’s just a theory I have. If you put on your muslin, with sleeves, check to see if there’s any tightness or horizontal stress lines along the top of your back. If you want to adjust the pattern to add a bit more ease, you definitely can. Maybe have a friend measure your back width measurement, have you arms down at your sides and measure from armpit crease to armpit crease. I imagine your back bodice pattern is half of the full back. If so, than take your own measurement and divide it in half. Compare this with the back pattern at the bustline, which is the bottom of the armhole curve. If the pattern is shorter than your measurement, that’s probably what the issue is. You can use a pattern alteration technique similar to what we do in our increase bustline pattern alteration tutorial but you just need to do your back, increasing with the difference you calculated earlier. This will also add a bit more fabric to the back armhole as well, hopefully providing you with the extra ease you need. I really hope this helps because I want you to finish your dress too!

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