Draft & sew a beautiful ANGEL WING SLEEVE

Angel wing sleeve is a beautiful sleeve pattern with long tails on the sides. It is a flared sleeve and not a fitted sleeve. The tails are stitched on to the side seams with the help of a gusset or left to hang down. This is preferred sleeve pattern for girls dresses and look beautiful when made in flowy fabrics

One important thing to note when making this pattern for this sleeve is to make sure that you cut cloth on the bias.The length of the sleeves depends on your preference for the long tails that hangs down. 

Make a pattern for an Angel wing sleeve

The easiest pattern to sew this sleeve is this- the kind of angel sleeve that is fixed on the top of the sleeve cap and hangs down – the kind Hermione wears with her gown for the Yule Ball in Harry Potter series.

Fold the fabric for the sleeve (20 inch by 10 inch piece) by the middle. Mark the pattern and cut it out. 

Alternate angel sleeve pattern with tapered sides.

Mark a line on the top as S-T. Mark the center of this line at D

Mark a line B-C  1/8 of bust round down from the top line S-T. Mark the center of this line B-C as A

Mark A-B = 1/8 th of bust minus 3/4 inch

Mark A-C = 1/8 of bust round

Join the line B-D & C-D diagonally

From the midpoint of B-D U mark up to V at 1″.

From the midpoint of C-D X mark up to Y at 1 1/4 “

Join the points B-V-D & C-Y-D in a curved line.

Square down from B to F & C to G.

Mark 1″ to the sides from F & G at points E & H

Join points E-A-H in a curved line.Now you will have to get some flare in the middle. From A cut till just before D ( so that the sleeve is not fully separated).Spread the middle at A by 3 inch.( If you want more flares add more than 3 inch)

Keep the pattern on another paper and trace the new sleeve pattern around the spread out sleeve pattern. You will get a flared sleeve with butterfly wings.

This sleeve is best made in chiffon with a rolled edge. You can layer two sleeves one on top of each other for a different effect with a slight length difference

An easy way to make this sleeve is with the pattern below – though this sleeve can only be added to the outside of the armline

Sewing this sleeves to your dresses – Usually the sleeve tails are added to the side seams if you donot want the tails to hang down. If you donot want the closed look of normal sleeves a gusset is added in between the sides seams and this sleeve is added to the seams.

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Method 2.

Checkout this picture of Hermione Granger in her famous ball gown sporting the angel sleeves. This is a very easy fluttery sleeve. Checkout the post on flutter sleeves for the pattern for this sleeve ( the 3rd flutter sleeve in the post)

This is a sleeve which you can add to your sleeveless dresses, without ripping any seams, since this sleeve is not joined at the lower armhole. You can finish the edges and keep the sleeve pattern under the armscye and top stitch to add the sleeves to a sleeveless top.