Tutorials

Using the Rotate Tool to Create Bell Sleeves

Firstly, I am using the images as shown in the book How to Make Sewing Patterns by Don McCunn which may be purchased from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Sewing-Patterns-second/dp/0932538215.

My basic sleeve pattern that I will change to a bell sleeve:

The sleeve is divided into 6 sections using 5 divide lines. The underarm parts are kept intact and the rest are rotated. I chose 10⁰ for this exercise but you could use angles of lines or any degrees that you want to.

Because the underarm sections remain intact, I used the Point from X and Y of 2 Other Points to square down from C46 and C49:

Add dotted lines from C46 to C16, C49 to C18 and Shoulder to Elbow, using the Line Between Points tool:

Using the Midpoint between 2 points tool, place a point between C16-Elbow and Elbow-C18.

Using the Point Intersect Curve and Axis tool, select the curve at some point between C33 and C27 and then the point created above (C32). Change the line to a dotted line and the degrees to 90⁰.

Repeat between Elbow and C18:

Redraw curve C46-C33-C36 (I used the Curved Path tool), C36-ShoulderTip (Simple Curve tool), ShoulderTip- C39, C29-C46, C39-C34-C49 and C49-C30:

I now have the sleeve set up to start rotating the pieces.

As the picture in the above-mentioned book shows, they work from the outside towards the centre, so I am going to do this as well but I'll start on the left side and then do the right side - you may do it the other way, if you wish.

Select Rotate Objects tool under the Operations tab, holding down the CTRL key (I use Windows), click on the curve between C29 and C46, C29, C9, C11 and C16.

(All your selected items will have a dotted square around them as above.)

Release the CTRL key and press Enter.

(Now all your selected items will have green markings.)

Select the Point of Origin. In this case it is C46 which I would like to stay in the same place while C16 must rotate out to the left, taking all my selected points with it.

Enter the degrees of the rotation in and click on OK.

I have entered -10 because I am rotating the selection to the left.

Draw in the lines in any colour that you choose.

As you can see, the new points have c1 added to the original labels.

The next section you will choose the curve between C46-C36, C29c1-C46, C46, C29c1, C9c1, C11c1, C16c1, C16 and C32.

Press Enter. Select C36 as the axis and enter -10⁰.

Draw in lines.

The middle line will only be rotated by 5⁰ since the other 5⁰ will be done when doing the right side.

The next section you will choose the curve between C35-ShoulderTip, C46c2-C36, C29c1c2-C46c2, C36, C46c2, C29c1c2, C9c1c2, C11c1c2, C16c1c2, C16c2, C32c2, C32 and elbow.

Press Enter. Select Elbow as the axis and enter -5⁰.

Draw in lines.

Now you may repeat these instructions for the other side. Just don't use the - (minus) in the degrees.