A puff sleeve blouse is a darted woven top with a sleeve that is gathered into the armhole at the cap and drawn in above the elbow by narrow elastic. The body is sewn like any blouse: bust darts, a back keyhole closed with a button, a neck facing and side seams. The sleeve takes two rows of gathering stitches on the cap, an elastic casing at the hem, and a careful setting-in with the gathers spread evenly between the notches. Allow five to six hours and about 1.5 m (1 5/8 yd) of crisp fabric.

The pattern pieces for size EU 38 / US 6, drawn by Sewly's drafting engine (seam allowances included). Woven top / blouse →

What do you need to sew a puff sleeve blouse?

The pieces:

  • Front, cut once on the fold.
  • Back, cut in two halves with a center back seam that opens into a keyhole at the top.
  • Front and back neck facings, cut once each on the fold.
  • Puff sleeves, cut twice. The sleeve is wider than a plain sleeve, with a tall, rounded cap and a hem that is 1.5 to 2 times the upper arm.

The notions: 30 cm (12 in) of lightweight fusible interfacing for the facings; one 1 cm (3/8 in) button and a thread loop for the keyhole; 6 mm (1/4 in) wide elastic, about 2 × your upper arm measurement plus 10 cm (4 in); thread and a 70/10 or 80/12 needle.

Fabric on 140 cm (55 in) wide fabric: 1.5 m (1 5/8 yd) for a hip-length blouse with short puff sleeves in a mid-range size, 1.8 m (2 yd) for elbow-length puffs or a tunic length. The sleeve is the piece that eats fabric: two sleeves cut side by side take the full width of a 140 cm fabric folded once.

Which fabric holds a puff sleeve?

A puff needs body. Cotton poplin, cotton lawn, seersucker, light linen, broderie anglaise and silk taffeta stand up on their own; viscose and crepe de chine collapse into a soft, drooping sleeve, which can be the look you want, but it is a different one. For a first puff sleeve blouse, poplin or lawn gathers evenly, presses well and shows the shape. Sewing with cotton poplin covers the needle and pressing temperature.

How much fullness does a puff sleeve have?

The gathering happens between the front and back notches of the cap, over the top of the shoulder, not under the arm. A sleeve cap 1.5 times the armhole length between the notches gives a soft puff; 2 times gives a full, round one. At the hem, the elastic is cut to your upper arm plus 1 cm (3/8 in), and the sleeve hem edge is 1.5 to 2 times that length, so the gathering at the hem matches the gathering at the cap. The elastic length calculator gives the cut length from your measurement for a 6 mm elastic.

How do you sew a puff sleeve blouse step by step?

Sew with a 1.5 cm (5/8 in) seam allowance.

  1. Interface the facings and staystitch the front and back necklines 1.2 cm (1/2 in) from the raw edge.
  2. Sew the bust darts, from the wide end to the point, tying off the threads at the point, and press them down. Sew the waist darts too if your blouse is fitted; press them toward the center.
  3. Sew the center back seam from the hem up to the keyhole mark, leaving the top 12 cm (4 3/4 in) open. Press the seam open and press the open allowances back along the seam line. How to sew a keyhole opening shows the loop placement that comes next.
  4. Join the shoulders and press the seams open.
  5. Attach the neck facing with the loop. Make a thread loop or cut 5 cm (2 in) of narrow cord, fold it, and pin it to the right side of the left back at the top of the keyhole, loop pointing inward. Join the facing shoulder seams, finish the outer edge, pin the facing to the neckline right sides together with its ends folded back along the keyhole, and sew around the neckline and down both keyhole edges. Trim, clip the curve, understitch, turn and press. Sew the button to the right back opposite the loop.
  6. Gather the sleeve caps. Set the stitch length to 4 mm and sew two rows between the notches, at 1 cm (3/8 in) and 1.8 cm (3/4 in) from the raw edge, leaving long tails and no backstitching. The gathering guide explains why two rows pull up more evenly than one.
  7. Make the sleeve hem casing. Finish the raw hem edge, fold it up 1.5 cm (5/8 in) to the wrong side and press. Stitch close to the finished edge to form the casing, leaving the ends open at the underarm edges. Cut the elastic to your upper arm plus 1 cm, thread it through, and pin each end level with the raw edges of the sleeve. Stitch across both ends inside the seam allowance to hold them.
  8. Sew the sleeve underarm seam right sides together, catching the elastic ends in the seam, and finish the allowance. The casing is now closed in the round.
  9. Sew the side seams of the blouse, press and finish.
  10. Set in the sleeves. Turn the blouse wrong side out and each sleeve right side out. Slip the sleeve into the armhole, right sides together, matching the underarm seams, the notches and the shoulder dot. Pull the bobbin threads of the gathering rows until the cap fits the armhole, spread the gathers evenly with a pin and pin every 2 cm (3/4 in). Sew at 1.5 cm with the gathered sleeve on top, slowly, straightening the gathers under the foot with an awl. Sew a second row at 1.2 cm, trim the allowance to the second row and finish it with a zigzag or a serger. Press the seam allowance toward the sleeve, which pushes the puff up.
  11. Hem the blouse with a 2 cm (3/4 in) double fold, and press, keeping the iron off the puff itself.

How do you get the gathers even on the cap?

Pull both bobbin threads from each end toward the middle, not from one end, so the gathers do not pile up at the notch. Once the cap matches the armhole, wind the thread tails around a pin to lock the length, then slide the gathers along the threads with your fingernail until they are the same depth from notch to notch. Pin densely and sew with the gathered side facing you, where you can see and straighten each fold. A third row of gathering stitches in the seam allowance, at 0.6 cm (1/4 in), keeps the folds upright and is trimmed away afterward.

What are the common mistakes with puff sleeves?

  • Gathering past the notches: fullness under the arm bunches and chafes. Keep the gathering between the notches only.
  • Elastic too tight: upper arm plus 1 cm is comfortable; measure with the arm bent. If the sleeve leaves a mark, lengthen the elastic by 2 cm (3/4 in).
  • A flat puff: the fabric is too soft, or the seam allowance was pressed toward the body. Press it into the sleeve, or add a second layer of the fabric as a sleeve head.
  • Pressing the puff: an iron flattens it. Press only the seams, over a ham, and steam the puff from a distance.
  • Puckered gathering stitches: thread tension too high for the 4 mm stitch. Loosen the top tension slightly for the gathering rows and reset it for the seams.

Can you draft the puff sleeve blouse to your own measurements?

Sewly's woven top pattern drafts the body from your bust, shoulders and back waist length and, with the puff sleeve shape, draws a cap that is gathered into the armhole between the notches, in cap, short, elbow, three-quarter or long length. The sewing guide gives the elastic length from your upper arm measurement in the notions list, and the fabric quantity for 110, 140 and 150 cm wide fabric.