Made for Mermaids Dionne Pattern Hack: Tie Sleeve

What’s a girl to do when she loves a pattern but already has several in her closet? Change it up a tad and keep on adding them! Last fall the fabulous Made for Mermaids released the Dionne Blazer and my love for it is no secret. I wrote all about this amazing pattern here.

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One day an idea popped into my head to add tie sleeves. I thought it would be a fun and easy addition for a spring/summer look. Sadly, the blazer sat half completed for many months until a recent sewing retreat gave me the dedicated time to complete all those projects I kept putting off! I am so happy with how it turned out that I think I want to add another to my closet for spring…now, the only hard part is picking the fabric!

Made for Mermaids Dionne Blazer Hack: Tie Sleeves

Supplies needed:

–Pattern from Made for Mermaids, paper, pencil, scissors (get the good kind…trust me), knit fabric (I used ponte from Joann), sewing machine

Tie Pattern Pieces PDF Download

Steps: (Video Tutorial Linked Below)

Cut out all your Dionne Blazer pattern pieces except the sleeves.
Take the 3/4 sleeve piece for the Dionne Blazer and cut it in half from the shoulder seam to the sleeve hem. You will now have one front and one back of the sleeve.
Lay one half sleeve on a sheet of tracing paper and add 1/2 inch seam allowance to the cut side of each sleeve pattern piece.
Attach the sleeve tie pattern piece to the front and back sleeve piece by drawing on your own tie or print my pattern pieces above and tape them on to the sleeve piece. Make sure you tape both pieces on the center seam, with the sleeve tie ends pointing towards the center.
Cut out the fabric using your new sleeve pieces. You will want 2 fronts and 2 backs.
Sew one front to one back down the underarm sleeve. Open and press your seam allowance open. Then sew down the center front seam, stopping right before the tie extension.
Press 1/4 inch towards the wrong side all around the sleeve tie and hem. Turn another 1/4 inch and press. This will be a bit finicky as you are working with a small seam allowance around curves and points. Edgestitch the hem in place. Again, go slowly and tuck in or trim the tie ends as needed for a clean finish.
Attach your sleeve to the blazer using a set in sleeve method rather than sewing it in the flat. Make sure you are aligning the back of the sleeve with the back of the blazer. (I cut two notches on the top of my back sleeve pieces to help me remember which side was the front vs the back).