Pointed Power Shoulder Patterns

Let’s finish this year with sleeves: a power shoulder pattern tutorial! It kind of continues the coat theme from my previous post.

A power shoulder, of course, means a strong shoulder shape. Those wide-shouldered jackets from the 80’s might come to your mind. But a power shoulder can also be created with a large puff sleeve or a pointed shape, for example. That is, anything that creates volume at the shoulder region.

For this tutorial, I wanted to concentrate primarily on the pointed shapes. You’ll find puff sleeves here.

But first, if you want something more subtle (compared to what I present later), here’s how you can modify the shoulder line to create a wider shoulder. Or a higher shoulder to add shoulder pads. You could also do both!

Notice the little guidelines at the shoulder tip? The horizontal guideline is perpendicular to the grainline and helps you keep the shoulder tip at the same height as it was, while the vertical guideline, parallel to the grainline, helps you keep the shoulder line length the same as it was.

Pointed Shoulder 1: an Extra Layer

The first example has an extra layer at the upper section of the sleeve that creates a flat, pointed shape. You can make it as high as you prefer.

To finish the edges of the shape, you’ll need a facing. It should end somewhere below the bicep level so that you can easily fix it in place.

There’s a second layer that starts at the base of the facing and covers the original sleeve cap.

This way, you can attach the inner layer of the sleeve to the bodice armhole as usual. The two layers will be overlapped below the armhole notches.

Power Shoulder 2

In this version, you modify the shoulder line shape, raising the shoulder tip, and then adapt the sleeve pattern to go with the new shape.

When drawing the shoulder tip, point it slightly outwards. You can raise it as much as you need. I only raised mine by 5cm. Re-draw the armholes, too.

Measure the distance between the armhole notch and the new shoulder tip, front and back sections separately. Use these measurements to draw the pointed sleeve cap. The tip might not be exactly above the central notch. There won’t be any ease in this case.

If you feel like the sleeve becomes too tight, you can slash and spread the original sleeve pattern before drawing the pointed shape. Or modify the shape of the new armhole, adding an outward curve at the top. This will give you more room.

Second Version

The previous sleeve type can also be done separating a piece around the armhole. The pointed shape starts closer to the neckline creating a different silhouette. I left a small shoulder seam of 3,5cm.

Draw the new armhole shape as before and measure the lines. Then, separate the pieces, as shown.

Use the measurements to draw the pointed sleeve cap shape.

Finally, you can unite the two extra pieces along the “shoulder line” if you don’t want to have a seam there.

Pointed Cap Sleeve

A power shoulder can also be a cap sleeve!

The pattern is actually quite similar to the previous two. This time, we only raise the shoulder tip by 4cm and draw the new armhole shape completely straight between the shoulder tip and armhole notch.

Take the measurements to draw a pointed sleeve cap shape: also here, the lines should be completely straight. Complete the shape by dividing it into two triangles, as shown below.

Next, we’ll use the polyhedron technique to turn the cap sleeve more 3-dimensional. So, measure the three lines marked in the illustration and decide on the height of the tip (where the 3 lines unite). In this example, it’s 8cm.

Draw a right angle. Mark the height on the vertical axis and the other 3 measurements on the horizontal axis. Draw a line from each of them to the vertical axis where you marked the height and measure the lines. These will be the new measurements.

Then, re-draw the two triangles (front and back), replacing the 3 measurements from before with the new ones. Mirror both pieces to create a facing layer. I recommend interfacing these pieces.

Pointed Power Shoulder with Panels

This pattern is based on a so-called strapped sleeve cap pattern where you divide a section along the sleeve cap’s edge to create an extra seam. But here, this seam turns into panels and a pointed shape without involving the bodice pattern. It’s from the Remixed Sleeve Bonus.

Draw a line in the center of the sleeve, starting from the central notch. Separate a 3cm wide strap, following the shape of the sleeve cap, as shown.

Slash and spread by 6cm in the center. Adjust the hemline. Then, draw a new, pointed sleeve cap that’s about 6cm higher than the original. Measure both sides of the pointed sleeve cap.

Slash and spread the straps until they end up leaning slightly outward. Tape them in place, adding paper underneath.

Draw the front panel around the strap, as shown. Eliminate any ease the original sleeve cap had at the outer edge. (If you want to avoid the wide-shouldered look, shorten the bodice shoulder line before this step.)

“Walk” the bodice armscye along the sleeve’s edge to check.
The inner edge of the front panel should match the measurement you got from the pointed sleeve cap, as these two sections will be sewn together.
In this example, the length of the top seam is 10cm. (The length depends on your sleeve height.) This will be sewn to the back panel.

Finally, separate the front panel from the central panel with a slightly curved line. Add a notch where the two panels go their separate ways. Avoid creating angles around this point.

Draft the back panel in the same way, ensuring that the top seam matches the front panel.

Sew the three panels together, matching the notches, and close the short seam at the top. After this, you can attach the sleeve to the bodice as usual.

Pointed Power Shoulder -Raglan Version

Even the raglan sleeve can have a pointed shape. Modifying the pattern is easy as it already has a seam along the shoulder. However, you only have two pattern pieces in this case, which means the shape won’t be as 3-dimensional. Therefore, I wouldn’t make the tip very high.

Finding the correct angle for the tip can be tricky. It will easily end up too far to the side. Try to place it right above the shoulder tip notch.

Raglan with a Gusset

I wanted to experiment with adding a gusset between the two sleeve pieces to create a more 3-dimensional shape.

The pattern is the same as in the previous version. Just mark a notch where you’d like the gusset to end (this could also be at the hemline). Then, measure the sections on both sides of the pointed tip.

Decide how wide you’d like the gusset to be at the highest point (here: 6cm). Use these measurements to draw the gusset pattern, as shown above. I tried the smaller version, and this is what it looked like:

And that’s the end of this little collection of pointed power shoulder patterns. Hopefully, they will be useful for someone out there! 🙂

Related Posts

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  How to Sew Different Types of Sleeves
• 
  Jacket Sewing Tips
• 
  Polyhedron-tutorial: perfect element for sculptural garments!