What's this fitting problem please?

[Vezelay]

I don't often make woven tops but when I do I seem to end up with folds behind mainly my right arm. There are folds on the left side too but much less obvious and don't bother me. In one tunic I had to take the back armscye in about an inch. Happens with some knits too but it's usually less apparent, though I had to make the same change after making my Union St Tee  I remember.

I do tend to modify the armscye in woven top pattern pieces as I hate shirts/tunics/jackets too be too tight. The modification usually consists of lowering the armhole up to 1/2" and widening it from say a S to a M. Hopefully the pic below should help clarify that. I do the same to the sleeve piece.

I did wonder if this could be the cause of the problem, but I definitely didn't adjust the pattern pieces on the tunic nor the Union St tee - I made them straight. But I did with this muslin so am I making the problem worse?

My right shoulder does seem to slope a bit but when I tried a sloping shoulder and narrow should adjustments, it didn't seem to make any difference. I'm sure there's something I should be doing but I can't find anything online that seems to fit my particular problem.

I'm prompted to ask by seeing my Hey June Cheyenne shirt muslin (below) in the mirror. I thought this was a great fit until I turned around. It's not a close fitting shirt but those folds!

If anyone can solve this for me I'll be in your debt forever...

[Ploshkin]

Off the top of my head it looks as if the sleeve has a bit of a twist.  It looks as though  the top point of the sleeve head ( the dot that lines up with the shoulder seam) needs to be a little bit further to the back (opposite to a forward shoulder adjustment which is quite common). 
Does the shoulder seam actually sit properly along the line of your shoulder?

I'll have a look in my tailoring book for possibilities.

[sewmuchmore]

My initial reaction when I looked at your photo was perhaps you have put the wrong sleeve in the wrong armhole.
Did you match the right notches? One notch at the front 2 at the back.

[Vezelay]

 
Does the shoulder seam actually sit properly along the line of your shoulder?

I've had another look and the seam does veer towards the back by about 1cm on both sides - ie from central at the neckline. I can't see that producing all that baggy fabric though.

[Efemera]

Not enough length in the sleeve head?...or too much length in the mid armscye? looks like the armscye is dragging down the sleeve, just a thought.

[Vezelay]

My initial reaction when I looked at your photo was perhaps you have put the wrong sleeve in the wrong armhole.
Did you match the right notches? One notch at the front 2 at the back.

Good point but I've just double checked (seam notches are still visible) and they're in the right place.

[Vezelay]

Not enough length in the sleeve head?...or too much length in the mid armscye? looks like the armscye is dragging down the sleeve, just a thought.

So could that be my armscye modification to blame here? I could do another quick muslin and keep to my size S for the armholes but I'm pretty sure they'd be uncomfortable.

[Ploshkin]

My tailoring book seems to concur with my thought.  It says to make the appropriate seam allowance adjustment to get the shoulder seam sitting where it should be.  Then to get rid of the wrinkles in the sleeve, unpick the  seam between the notches and move the top of the sleeve head forward or back to get rid of the wrinkles, then redistribute the ease.

It does look though as if you have excess fabric in the sleeve.  I've found some very odd shaped sleeve pattern pieces in a few patterns recently.  I often redraw them using a tried and tested piece from another pattern as a guide.

[Vezelay]

Let me see, Ploshkin. So to "make the appropriate seam allowance adjustment" I would move just the outer part of the shoulder seam forward, then I would rotate the sleeve head forward. I could try that on the right sleeve (just not tonight!) and see if it helps.

I don't feel I can blame the pattern. No-one else who's made the Cheyenne mentions that problem, and it's happened with other garments too so I must just have funny shoulder(s). I don't suppose my armscye alteration helped matters either.

[Ploshkin]

Needing to move the shoulder seam forward is, apparently, becoming increasingly common as we are getting more round shouldered from looking at phones and computers.
I think you need to try rotating the sleeve head whichever way it seems to want to go - it looks to me as if it might need rotating towards the back a bit.   Your dot at the top of the sleeve head will no longer be on the shoulder seam and will be repositioned and you will likely need to redistribute the ease a first-round the new 'dot'.   It's not a big thing to do and doesn't involve cutting off any bits so probably worth a try and you will at least end up with the shoulder sitting correctly even if it doesn't do anything for the sleeve wrinkles.

[Holly Berry]

If the good advice you’ve been given doesn’t work have a read through this http://www.threadsmagazine.com/2008/11/02/to-get-the-right-armhole-fit-the-bodice

The back doesn’t look right to me from the photo, it looks too wide, but it maybe just the photo.

[Vezelay]

Thanks for all your ideas and the link - they are much appreciated. I'll give them more thought and then probably make another muslin or two. If I can crack this one it'll give me more confidence to tackle other woven tops.

[Ohsewsimple]

I would first of all take the sleeve out.  Take a photo of you in the bodice so we can see exactly where the shoulder line hits.  What pattern is it?   Armhole looks a bit weird to me but that could be the angle of the photo.   

[jen]

In the photo you look as though you have quite an erect posture, and that the back bodice has too much fabric which needs smoothing towards the seam allowances. Also, unless you are intending putting a shoulder pad in, the shoulder slope and position of the top of the sleeve head don't look spot on. I would try refitting the bodice (sleeve out) and getting the armhole correct first, drawing a line with felt pen on your toile so that you can better see where the fitting line is. The top of the sleeve head looks as though it's beyond the natural shoulder point. Make sure to mark the natural shoulder point on the toile.

[Sewbee]

I am no fitting expert whatsoever so I have a question: how would adjusting the sleeve get rid of the underarm wrinkles on the bodice itself?