Slow Shirt: Lengthening or Shortening the Sleeves

The Slow Shirt is drafted for a height of 5’5” (165cm). For the finished sleeve length, the measurement on the chart shows the distance from the CB neck all the way to the edge of the cuff. To allow for the intentional fit of the sleeve, this measurement should be 3” longer than your body measurement from CB neck to wrist. If you need to adjust your sleeve length, you can! It’s a bit more involved than a plain sleeve, but so worth the extra steps in the end. 

The critical concept that differs from an average sleeve adjustment when lengthening OR shortening the Slow Shirt sleeve is the use of hinges to maintain the seam lengths. This helps to prevent any skewing or unforeseen complications! It also helps preserve the placket dimensions and markings. 

The length adjustment needs to be made to the Oversleeve AND Undersleeve in identical amounts. 

To Add Length

1. Mark a little bit of the stitching lines (so the pivot can be directly on the seam), and mark the pivot points, as shown by red dots in the diagram, on the vertical sleeve seams and the wrist seam. 
2. Cut along the Lengthen/Shorten line. 
3. On all four pieces (Oversleeve top, Oversleeve bottom, Undersleeve top, and Undersleeve bottom), make a line from the Lengthen/Shorten line to the pivot points (I used a gap of around 1.5” to 2” (3.8 to 5 cm) from the outer edge of the pattern piece, so that the line can meet the pivot point at an angle. Cut along the lines to but not through the pivot point. We want the paper to have a tiny hinge. Cut from the outer edge of the pattern piece though the seam allowance to each pivot point, again to but not through. This will make sure that your seam lengths will maintain their integrity, so the sleeves will still sew together correctly after the length changes are made.  
4. Draw a grainline on your additional paper, so you can align the pieces accurately. 
5. Mark the added length on the additional paper, perpendicular to the grainline, with two parallel lines.
6. Place the top half of the Oversleeve on the additional paper, lining up the grainline and making the center portion (the white part in the diagram) align on the upper parallel line. Tape the piece in place only on the center portion, not the two hinged pieces. 
7. Place the bottom half of the Oversleeve on the additional paper, lining up the grainline and making the center portion (the white part in the diagram) align on the lower parallel line. The gap between the two pattern pieces should be the amount of length you want to add, and the grainlines should align. Tape the piece in place only on the center portion, not the two hinged pieces. 
8. Use the pivot points as hinges, gently pivoting the cut portions of the pattern pieces until they make smooth seams. If it helps, roughly position them, tape the top portion in place, then draw a smooth line on the additional paper to connect to the bottom portion, and tape the bottom portions in place last. It’s possible that you’ll open the top portions but maybe close the bottom, or maybe you’ll open the top and the bottom portions to make a smooth seam. It really depends on how much length you’re adding. 
9. Repeat steps 6-8 for the Undersleeve. 
10. Draw in the new seam lines and seam allowances, and cut out the adjusted sleeve pieces. Walk off the seams to double check that the seam lengths are still the same (they should be!) and that the placket wasn’t impacted by any changes. (It shouldn’t have been, since it’s completely below the Lengthen/Shorten Line, but it’s good to double check.)

To Remove Length

1. Mark a little bit of the stitching lines (so the pivot can be directly on the seam), and mark the pivot points, as shown by red dots in the diagram, on the vertical sleeve seams and the wrist seam. 
2. Cut along the Lengthen/Shorten line. 
3. On all four pieces (Oversleeve top, Oversleeve bottom, Undersleeve top, and Undersleeve bottom), make a line from the Lengthen/Shorten line to the pivot points (I used a gap of around 1.5” to 2” (3.8 to 5 cm) from the outer edge of the pattern piece, so that the line can meet the pivot point at an angle. Cut along the lines to but not through the pivot point. We want the paper to have a tiny hinge. Cut from the outer edge of the pattern piece though the seam allowance to each pivot point, again to but not through. This will make sure that your seam lengths will maintain their integrity, so the sleeves will still sew together correctly after the length changes are made.  
4. Draw a grainline on your additional paper, so you can align the pieces accurately. 
5. Mark the amount of length you’d like to remove on the top middle portion (white in the diagrams) of the Oversleeve and Undersleeve, perpendicular to the grainline, above and parallel to the Lengthen/Shorten Line. 
6. Place the bottom half of the Oversleeve on the top half, lining up the grainline and making the center portion (the white part in the diagram) align on the line from step 5. Tape the piece in place only on the center portion, not the two hinged pieces. 
7. Use the pivot points as hinges, gently pivoting the cut portions of the pattern pieces until they make smooth seams. If it helps, roughly position them, tape the top portion in place, then draw a smooth line on the additional paper to connect to the bottom portion, and tape the bottom portions in place last. It’s likely that you’ll close the top portions but maybe close the bottom, OR maybe you’ll need to open the bottom portions to make a smooth seam. It really depends on how much length you’re removing. 
8. Repeat steps 6-7 for the Undersleeve. 
9. Draw in the new seam lines and seam allowances, and cut out the adjusted sleeve pieces. Walk off the seams to double check that the seam lengths are still the same (they should be!) and that the placket wasn’t impacted by any changes. (It shouldn’t have been, since it’s completely below the Lengthen/Shorten Line, but it’s good to double check.)