Add sleeves to the Gigi dress

We love sewing Gigi for:

• its box pleats that replace darts and teach us a new technique
• its 3 neckline options

When worn, we love it for its comfort and feminine side. This deliciously retro model is inspired by the 70s and especially by Lise P.'s mother's wardrobe. With Gigi, in a jiffy, you'll be dressed and stylish for the day!

With different lengths (midi/mini and blouse) and necklines, it's a piece you can sew and re-sew and wear often. All these possibilities allow you to vary styles and desires.

We offer a small explanatory tutorial on how to add sleeves to Gigi, to give it yet another look!

CAN I CHOOSE ANY SLEEVE?

No, unfortunately, you cannot choose the first sleeve you pick from your pattern library.

Gigi was designed to be a sleeveless dress, which means the armhole pattern is different. Indeed, the pattern is cut deeper, both at the back and front. The shoulder line is also shorter. This does not mean you cannot sew sleeves, but you must pay attention to a few important details:

• Only gathered sleeves will be usable as this allows you to distribute the ease more easily and have more comfort.
• To ensure you are comfortable, if you hesitate between two sizes, choose the larger one.

SO, WHICH SLEEVES SHOULD I CHOOSE?

Following your requests, we tested the sleeves of our patterns to see which ones lend themselves well to this hack.

It turns out that you can easily use:

• The sleeves of the Rêverie blouse
• The sleeves of the Comète dress

Here, Lise D wears the blouse version of Gigi, with the folded collar option. She sewed the sleeves of the Rêverie blouse and encountered no patterning difficulties. She still opted for size 36, instead of her usual 34.

The cut:

Regarding the fabric length, you will need to add a sleeve height measurement, then cut the sleeve twice.

For assembly, you can follow the instructions for the sleeve sewing steps of the pattern you have chosen.