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I'm getting ready to make a mockup of TV460 but would like to ask some advice re: fitting the shoulders, if it's not too much trouble.

I'm cutting the pattern to size C front and back and in terms of overally measurements, it's looking lovely except that I have very narrow shoulders: four inches from neck to tip (whereas I think the industry standard for contemporary blocks is something like 5.5", sigh). I'm forever having to alter contemporary patterns to fit to allow for that. I'm guessing this will be no different.

I saw in the notes for the pattern that the shoulder seam is supposed to extend about a half inch past the shoulder, which is good to know, but in measuring things out, it looks like that the shoulder seam on size C is about 2" longer than where that point would land on me - although maybe not quite that far, as reading about this pattern elsewhere in the forum, I see that the seam is supposed to rest more towards one's back than it would on a modern garment. But still, it's definitely too long...

Anyways, 1.5" - 2" is quite a lot to just slice off, willy-nilly. I'm concerned about how it's going to affect the setting-in of the sleeve and was hoping folks might have some advice / stories of having had to make a similar adjustment with which to warn me.

Thanks!

During your mock up stage, you can just cut anything that extends beyond where it should end according to your body. It will not effect the sleeve in anyway. The sleeve always assumes that the armhole fits your body. Once your armhole is the shape it needs to be, and the size it needs to be to fit on you, the sleeve will fit just fine. You are choosing the sleeve size that fits your arm, so you just need to make the armhole fit your arm, and it all works together.

I hope this helps.

Oh, duh. Of course! Silly me.

Thanks!

…and my next silly question. Notches on the long sleeve – as in, I’m not seeing any. There are notches on the armscye of the bodice, in the usual sort of place one would expect to see them, but I’m not seeing anything corresponding on the sleeve head. Am I missing something ridiculously obvious? There’s the dots marking where to gather the sleeve head, but that’s all I can find.

PS. I should mention that I’m using the PDF version of the pattern and have a history of setting sleeves in backwards. Otherwise I’d just zen my way through it and hope for the best!

The front sleeve seam (the shorter one) will set in at the notch. The back sleeve seam (the longer one) will fit right around the Side Back/Back seam. Usually within 3/8", if not right on.

Fantastic! Thanks, Heather!