How to shorten lined coat sleeves

The thing I dislike more about store bought coats is the fact that the sleeves rarely come in the right length. It of course may be due to the fact that I'm shorter than average, but my arms are obviously proportional to the rest of my body, so if the coat fits, sleeves should fit too. Well...no. More often than not, sleeves need to be adjusted. If it's a cardigan, I don't mind just folding over the sleeves, but with a lined coat I can't do that so easily.

 

So, here's a small tutorial on how to easily adjust the length of lined coat sleeves:

Here is my problem:

1. The first thing you need to do if you're in a similar situation is to decide which length you want for your sleeves. You should take measurements with the coat buttoned or zipped up (so it settles well in your shoulders) and with your arm slightly bended at the elbow. Mark the desired length with a pin.   

2. Remove the coat and measure the exact length. Note it down somewhere if needed. In my case I needed to shorten the sleeves by about 9.5 centimeters.

3. Turn the sleeves inside out and, using a seam ripper or pointed scissors, separate the lining from the coat fabric.

 

4. If you don't need to shorten the sleeves by much, you can just fold over the fabric a bit more and sew the lining back on back on. In that case, skip this and move to point 6 below. But if you're shortening the sleeves as much as I was in this case, just folding over is not a solution because the bottom of your sleeve will become too bulky, especially if it's a winter coat. 

In that case, cut the fabric in a way that leaves you with a length of fabric to fold over equivalent to the coat's original one. In my case, I was shortening the sleeves by 9.5 centimeters so I cut 4 centimeters counting from the edge of the original sleeve (so not including the original fold):

Important note: before cutting, pull the lining up, because you don't want to risk cutting it too.

5. Pull the lining back in place and remove the excess fabric, Your lining should be about one centimeter longer than the sleeve.

6. Fold the coat fabric to the desired length and pin or add a few temporary stitches to keep it in place.

7. Put the lining back in place too and fold excess fabric inside. Lining should sewn about two centimeters from the edge because otherwise it may peek out when you're wearing the coat. Sew it back in place.

If there's a way to sew this by machine, I haven't found it yet (suggestions accepted), so I always hand sew the lining back in place.

Also, keep your stitches light and don't pull on your lining too much. Remember the lining needs to be able to stretch enough to accommodate your arm movements. If you pull it too tight while sewing, your stitches will most likely be ripped right off the next time you wear the coat.

And it's done. Repeat with the other sleeve and pull the sleeves back inside out. Problem solved:

 

I hope you've found this tutorial useful. As this is something I do regularly for most of my coats, I may have skipped one or two steps, so any questions, just let me know.

Happy Tuesday,