DIY Lantern Sleeve Sweater!!

What’s so Great about Lantern Sleeves?

• They ooze femininity and command attention with their uniqueness
• Have a flair for the dramatic? These deliver all the flair and more!
• Lantern sleeve tops are also figure-flattering, defining your shape by drawing attention to the wrists.

A great Dolman Sleeve Pattern…

By looking at the inspo pic I could see that it was a dolman sleeve. The La Bella Donna by Love Notions is one of my favorite Dolman sleeve patterns. It has a few sleeve variations that I thought would be helpful in achieving the look I wanted so I decided to use that in the shirt length. I normally fit a size medium but the inspo pic is an oversized look. For that reason I sized up to an XL.

A Simple way to Adjust any Pattern…

I didn’t want to use the shortest sleeve option and the Mid length one was a bit too long so I folded the pattern to be somewhere in between the two lengths. To figure it out I simply held the pattern up to me with my arm out and just folded it to where I felt was the right length.

Measuring, Gathering and Bands…

Once I had folded the sleeve pattern to the right length I measured the opening. I took that measurement and multiplied it by 1.5. That would be how wide I needed to make the gathered lantern part. I cut two- 14 inch x 24 inch pieces. These won’t really need to stretch so it’s not necessary to cut them with the stretch in mind.However I did cut mine with the stretch going around my arm, just as I did with the band below.

I folded it in half, sewed down the short side and put a basting stitch in the bottom and top so that I could gather both. You can see my long strings on the right. I usually leave my 3 inches long when I gather like this.

Then I measured my wrist so I would know how big the band would need to be. I ended up cutting two- 3 inch x 8 inch bands. I did 8 inches to account for seam allowance. Making sure that the longer part was cut the same direction as the stretch so it could stretch for my wrist. I sewed the short ends together on each piece so that I had two round pieces. I folded them in half so they would be ready to attach to the bottom part of the sleeve.

Once I had sewn the front and the back of my shirt together I gathered the top of the lantern piece enough to fit the sleeve opening. I sewed that in place and then gathered the bottom part of the sleeve enough to fit the band. Then I carefully attached the band to the bottom of the sleeve. It’s quite small and can be a bit tricky so be patient and go as slow as you need.

All that was left to do was finish the neckline and hem it. Everyone has their own way of doing that so feel free to do as you please here. Keep in mind that sweater knit does need to be handled carefully so it doesn’t unravel on the raw edges. I like to use a serger to finish my edges.

It’s all done!

I absolutely love how it turned out. I also love the super lightweight sweater knit. It makes it so I can wear it more often rather than just during the winter. Something I could have done to make it look more like the picture is use a fabric without stripes. I cant find this fabric that I used anywhere but here is a great fabric that looks more like the picture. I really like stripes so this was a good choice for me personally.

Another thing I could have done was make it about 2 ½ inches longer, which would make it more of a tunic length. However, I might be less inclined to wear it if it were longer. In the past when I have made shirts longer I end up shortening them later because I’m not wearing them as much as I thought I would. The La Bella Donna pattern I used comes in a shirt length and tunic Length. I used the shirt Length for this make.

Those are just a couple things to keep in mind when you are copying fashion you see on the internet. You can totally change things to help them better suit your likes needs! That’s why we sew after all, so we can have custom fit clothes that we love.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little make as I certainly do.

Let’s be friends!

If you are looking for a pattern suitable for all your Pinsperational needs, hopefully this post helps you figure out what will work for you. Let’s be friends on all the socials! Come follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook so we can chat about all our sewing projects!