Removing Sleeves for a Sleeveless Dress

Did you ever buy a dress or a top where the sleeves are slightly too tight and just don’t fit right, but the rest of the fit is okay so you try to make it work anyway?

The fashion industry doesn’t take the proper time to get a really good fit in the armhole, or the factory makes mistakes in production, so this can happen. In fast fashion things are done fast, not necessarily well, for a lot of different reasons.

My client bought these dresses despite the fact that the sleeves were too tight. So I’m going to remove the sleeves so they could be wearable as sleeveless dresses.

Just keep in mind that you have to be careful with this type of project. If the armhole is too big then it won’t look right as a sleeveless option because the armhole will be loose and have gaps.

Let’s get started! The step by step process is below.

And see the full DIY video on my YouTube channel (link below).

Supplies:

Top/shirt/Dress to alter

Fabric shears

Paper for pattern

Paper scissors

Seam Ripper

Clear plastic ruler

Curved Ruler – Option 1

Curved Ruler – Option 2 (I prefer this one for armholes)

Step One: Seam Rip the Sleeves

Use a seam ripper to completely remove the sleeves from the garment

Step Two: Fit the Armhole

Try on the garment with the sleeves detached to see how the armhole fits.

If the armhole is too tight like the one I was working on, mark where it should be lowered or where the fabric needs to be removed to make the armhole more comfortable. I like to use safety pins for this.

*You can’t add fabric to make the armhole fit tighter, so if this is a big garment and the armhole is loose this project won’t work out, as stated above.

Step Three: Make the New Armhole Pattern

If you don’t need to fit the armhole move on to Step Five.

If you need to alter the armhole you need to make a pattern to get the right shape.

First iron/press the armhole to get it to be flat

Next trace the armhole front ad back to get the original shape.

After that just draw in the 1/2″ seam allowance to have that in mind (measure your garment to make sure it’s 1/2″ it might be less, if it is draw that measurement).

Measure and mark the positions you pinned to take in on the garment and mark those positions on the traced armhole. Make sure you’re factoring in the seam allowance (or hem) with this measurement. The positions you marked are where the finished edge should be, but there will be a hem added on to those measurements.

Next use your curved ruler to make a new armhole shape. Don’t make it curved in too much, it should be similar to the original curved shape with just a few adjustments.

I’m making the new armhole shape from the hem edge. Keep it consistent, if you’re doing it from the finished edge do it all the way from the shoulder and then add the hem allowance to that.

*If you’re not used to looking at flat patterns, hold the armhole up to yourself to check that it’s not a crazy curve and make adjustments as needed.

Step Four: Cut the New Armhole

Pin your new armhole to the garment and cut out the excess fabric. Make sure you’re doing the front and back if needed (if you took it down at the under arm the front and back is necessary).

The dress I was working on also had a lining. So after the outer fabric was cut I pinned the lining flat to the outer fabric and cut along the same armhole shape.

Step Five: Finish the Armhole Edge

If you cut a new armhole then you definitely need to do this step.
If not, move on to the next step.

Pretty much all you have to do is finish the edge of the fabric so it doesn’t fray or roll. I recommend using a serger if you have one or a zig zag stitch on your regular sewing machine.

See my edge finishes post here for more details.

Step Six: Sew the Armhole Edge

Next, bend back the edge the same amount as the seam allowance and stitch it down. The seam allowance was 1/2″, so I stitched it at 3/8″ in. If yours is a 3/8″ seam allowance I’d recommend a 1/4″ stitch.

I bent back the lining with the armhole edge so it was hidden in the hem as shown below.

Step Seven: Press the Finished Product and You’re Done!

That’s it! Your sleeved garment is now sleeveless and ready to wear!!

Let me know if you have any questions or need any help in the comments! 🙂