Can I turn regular sleeves into princess sleeves, and can I shorten a pleated skirt?

This thread is archived.

  • The stuff I ordered for my Peach cosplay has all come in, which meant it was time to go out and buy a shirt to go with it. I figured a white collared blouse with short sleeves would be really easy to find since it's really common office wear, but I've had no luck between almost 10 different stores. So I figured I'd buy the closest thing I could (a Liz Claiborne with 3/4 sleeves, [URL="https://img.shopstyle-cdn.com/pim/e9/89/e98990c932e1ebab2a28069fa7eafc55_xlarge.jpg"]this [/URL]may not be the exact one but it's close enough) and just shorten them.

    I'm pretty sure I can easily cut and hem them to the length I want but I was wondering if there's anything I could do to make them a little more...poofy? Peach has these kind of [URL="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/nintendo/images/0/01/SMO_Peach_New_Donk_City.png/revision/latest?cb=20180215234746&path-prefix=en"]princess sleeves[/URL] that ideally I'd recreate. I understand I may not be able to get it exact since I'm dealing with a premade shirt but figured I'd ask since I don't have much to worry about making for this costume.

    Also both skirts I ordered came in, and while both seem to fit fine they're both awfully long, going to mid calf or below. If a skirt is already pleated, is it possible to shorten it while keeping the pleats? [URL="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078SL7YC7/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?smid=A2YPE9BKD176HK&psc=1"]These [/URL]are the [URL="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DK9RSPK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?smid=A1WNLQMHI6KA2S&psc=1"]two [/URL]I bought. If I can't shorten them I'll just deal with it, I initially thought it'd be rather easy until I remembered they're pleated.

  • You can shorten a pleated skirt, yes, but you'll have to press it afterwards if the pleats aren't well-set or if they come out at the bottom from the altering. Re-fold along the pleat lines (on a pre-pleated garment, it's easiest to do a couple pleats at a time while working around one side at a time on the ironing board) and press good with the hottest temp the fabric can take, and steam.

  • Well neither of those skirts looks pleated....they're just partial circle or A-line skirts with enough fabric to drape. So you shouldnt have any issue rehemming them.

    As for the shirt. Yes, you could cut the sleeve and add an elastic hem. No, its not going to look poofy. There just isn't enough fabric in a semi-fitted sleeve like that.

  • [QUOTE=DlGlT;5068103]Well neither of those skirts looks pleated....they're just partial circle or A-line skirts with enough fabric to drape. So you shouldnt have any issue rehemming them.

    As for the shirt. Yes, you could cut the sleeve and add an elastic hem. No, its not going to look poofy. There just isn't enough fabric in a semi-fitted sleeve like that.[/QUOTE]
    They're more pleated in-person than the pictures imply.

    I may play around the the sleeves a bit, since I'll already be cutting them may as well see if keeping some extra length but pulling them up with elastic helps give them a bit more of a princess appearance.

  • If there's enough volume in the sleeve, then MAYBE. They're called puffed sleeves, not princess sleeves, so if you need a tutorial search term there you go.

    The elastic route is the simplest and dirtiest way to do it, but it doesn't usually result in very puffy sleeves. Bigger puffed sleeves have a sleeve stay - a narrower, more fitted sleeve sewn like a lining, with the outer sleeve sewn to it at the arm hole AND at the cuff. I can't tell very well in the reference pic but there does appear to be a cuff there? So sewing a sleeve stay with the sleeve is possible. But it entirely depends on whether the existing sleeve on the shirt is wide enough already. I've bought my share of dress shirts with really excessively large sleeves, so I know some of them could probably pull it off. But if the existing sleeve is too fitted/too small, then no, you can't do it.

    If you do go that route, what you need to remember to do is to cut the sleeve LONGER than where you want it to end up. What makes a puffed sleeve puffy is that it's not only wider than the normal sleeve, it's also longer, so that when you tack the two together at the cuff, the larger sleeve puffs up. The sleeve stay or lining keeps it held up so that it doesn't sag down your arm, too. Alternately, if your existing sleeve is too small, you could cut a puffed outer sleeve and attach that by the same method. Doing so might help to have a pattern or a tutorial, though. Should only take a third of a yard of scrap fabric.