Angel Food

I have been searching for something very special for quite awhile. Then one day, while surfing on Pinterest a photo caught my eye. Those long, draped sleeves trimmed in fur were simply....angelic!  I haven't quite found just the right fabric or trim. But those sleeves...oh those sleeves. And then a few months later, I spotted similar sleeves in a Proenza Schouler show. They were basically the same sleeves but scaled down somewhat. What both dresses have in common is that the sleeves really "make" the look. 

Okay, so what exactly is this sleeve? 

At its base, this is technically, an exaggerated trumpet sleeve. And since you are going to need the basic pattern to create the looks on this page, I am going to send you back to: "Return to Camelot,"  the detailed tutorial we did six years ago on drafting the basic trumpet sleeve. 

From there we can make a new design employing the proportions of choice. The instructions below is only a guide. Feel free to make your diva's angel wings as big as you desire. 

Let's get started. Head over to the link provided above for instructions on the draft of the basic trumpet sleeve. Once you have that pattern, proceed to the steps below.

1. Using the drafted pattern from that tutorial, you will end up with something resembling what I am holding. When you place the front to the back, everything should line up. 

2. Fold both the front and back sleeve down to the elbow line, and put them together. You end up with what looks like a circle. Be sure to draw a center line running from the middle of each sleeve to the hemline. 

3.  Using tracing paper (or trace over a light box), trace the center line and the perpendicular elbow (horizontal) line. Now, draw an oval, as big or long as you desire. This is the circumference of your trumpet sleeve. There is no "rule." This is a design decision you will make depending on the result you are looking for.

4. Take the original "front" pattern piece and lay it over the oval, lining it up with the elbow horizontal line. Then trace off the outer perimeter to create your new front sleeve pattern.

5. Repeat the same process for the back pattern, lining up the original basic pattern with the bottom part of the oval. 

6. The resulting pattern will resemble this. When you are sure everything lines up and is the desired proportions, add seam allowance for the final pattern.

And here... on the left, my oval was somewhat shallow. On the right, the oval quite a bit more spectacular. Note: the fabric you choose is also important. For this project, I used chiffon. A heavier fabric will result in a stiffer sleeve with less drape. How to finish the edges: With the image of the white gown (at the top of this page) in mind, instead of fur, I created a fuzzy finish by fringing the edges. (Click HERE to see how I did that.)  Once I finished the sleeves, I decided to fringe the edges of the rest of the dress as well. (And yes, that took some time!) 

I have a lot of divas who are anything but angelic! (LOL!!!) But used in a bolder application, I decided to get my inspiration from the garden with the addition of flowers. The sleeves are still trumpets, but tucked inside of the sleeves, I've tacked in petals from silk flowers. 

This is exactly the same sleeve as the softer dresses above. For this dress, I used a slightly thicker fabric (a thin crepe) which I flame sealed the edges. To the sleeves, I added petals of a silk flower which are discreetly tacked to the underside (near the elbow).

Here is another version of this dress. I have scalloped the edges of the trumpet sleeves and added a generous amount of petals to the underside of each sleeve. 

We're not entirely finished with the subject. In future posts, we explore other ideas for fancy red carpet sleeves. 

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