Merchant & Mills Camber Dress Tips & Tricks Part 5 - How To Set in Sleeves

We are filming this video on FB Live. If you’re watching on YouTube and you like this video, be sure to give it a thumbs up, and if you want to learn more about sewing and quilting, subscribe to our channel. I sewed, serged, and pressed open the side seams off-camera. I also hand sewed the yoke lining in place. Like most Merchant and Mills patterns, the Camber Dress has a lot of ease in the hips. I gradually increased the seam allowance from ⅝” at the underarm to 1 ¼” at the hip. I kept the seam allowance at 1 ¼” all the way to the bottom hem. With right-sides-together, stitch the sleeve seams, finish the edges, and press open. Using a 4.5 mm stitch length, sew one line of stitching between the sleeve notches with a ⅜” seam allowance. Sew a second line of stitching in the opposite direction with a ⅝” seam allowance. Backstitch only at the beginning of each line of stitching. You’ll have two lines of stitching, fixed at opposite ends. A great solution for those of us who sometimes pull gathering stitches all the way out! Before you put the sleeve cap into the armhole, slightly gather the sleeve cap. Steam it on the tailor’s ham so it forms a bonnet shape, making sure that the ⅝” seam line is not puckered or visibly gathered. With the dress inside out and the sleeve right-side-out, slip the sleeve into the dress. The fabrics should be right-sides-together. Make sure the double notches (which signify the back of the sleeve and the back of the armhole) line up. From the underarm seam until the first notches, the sleeve and the armhole will match up without any easing. I like to start pinning at the underarm seam and go up to the first notches. Then I match the shoulder-seam notch with the actual shoulder seam and pin them. Then I adjust the gathers to make the rest of the sleeve cap fit the armhole. I then sew the sleeve cap to the armhole on the inside of the circle. I use the ⅝” gathering stitches as my guide, and I take it slowly so I don’t create any puckers. Finally, steam the seam allowance toward the sleeve on the ham. Off-camera, I will serge the edges together. On Wednesday, I’ll be hemming the dress and we will be done! Stay tuned because I have 3 great interviews coming up. Plus, a quilt project, and a bunch of holiday gifts! Thanks for watching and I’ll see you soon! Here are links to the other videos in this series: http://bit.ly/WoolTips http://bit.ly/CuttingOut http://bit.ly/DartsNeckline http://bit.ly/ShoulderYoke Originally recorded on Facebook Live 10/24/2020 Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/YTSubscribeTCS Follow us on Instagram: https://bit.ly/Instagram-TCS Follow us on Facebook: https://bit.ly/TCS-FB Join our Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/FBCommunityTCS Follow us on Bloglovin’: https://bit.ly/BloglovinTCS Did you use a pattern or fabric from The Confident Stitch? Be sure to tag #confidentmaker to share it with our community!