Photo by Salvador Godoy on Unsplash
Suit jacket sleeves can be altered to be shorter, and sometimes up to an inch longer, depending on the existing hem.
- If there are buttons on the sleeve placket, remove them.
- Rip out seam that attaches lining to jacket fabric at sleeve hem, working around any placket.
- To shorten sleeve, fold up the jacket fabric to the desired length and steam press new hem.
- If necessary to make the new length work, remove placket entirely and hem the sleeve with no placket.
- To lengthen sleeve, after ripping out the fabric/lining seam, straighten out all fabric and steam press to remove fold lines.
- Sew seam binding to the end of the sleeve fabric.
- Fold the jacket fabric to the desired sleeve length, and steam press (you can fold up a very small amount of the jacket fabric – just enough to hide the seam binding.)
- If needed, sew a band of lightweight fabric to the sleeve lining to make he lining as long as the sleeve.
- Fold and steam press a small hem in the lining, towards the sleeve fabric.
- Hand-sew the lining hem to the sleeve hem
- Steam press hem