[learningtosew]

My daughter wants some sleeveless tops. Since I already own the after school pattern, I was thinking of just leaving off the sleeves of the top. What do you think? Will it work?

[Masha Richart]

I’m sure you could. I make my 2+2 tops sleeveless by finishing the armholes with bias.

[Tamara]

I shouldn’t think it wouldn’t work. Have a go. You can only try.

[Nicole]

Often tops that are meant to have to have sleeves are cut differently then actual sleeveless top patterns, so a wee bit of a try on and re-shaping may be a good idea.

Another neat finish is a slim ribbing cuff sewn to the shoulder seam. This is very handy to reduce gape if the shoulder opening is too big.

[mrskanuckles]

I just made the library dress and left off the sleeves. I did cut in the shoulders and back armholes some as I didn’t want the shoulder to end at the top of my daughters shoulder but in some (narrower shoulder strap) I think if you don’t reshape a bit you may get a boxy look… Which may be exactly what you are looking for.

[Liesl Gibson]

Most sleeveless styles also have a higher armhole–i.e. the bottom of the armhole isn’t quite so low–so you might want to watch for that, too. But yes, you can absolutely do it. It might just take a little adjusting to get the armhole to look good. I want to see when you’re done!