DIY Long Sleeve Thumbhole Shrug

Last week I launched my brand new Mirage Bodystocking premium course, which many of you already joined! Thank you! 🙂

And someone asked how they can make an arm accessory that matches their colored bodystocking, so that the bodystocking doesn’t look out of place.

What a fantastic idea!

With matching accessories, you can make the bodystocking look like part of the entire design plan. 😀

So in this tutorial, I’ll show you how to make this long sleeve shrug with cute thumbholes using the same fabric I used to make this partial belly cover that’s included in the course. Let’s get started!

Make your own Mirage Bodystocking here!

To make this DIY thumbhole shrug, you need:

About 1/2m (1/2 yard) of stretch fabric – I’m using stretch lace here, but you can use powermesh or lightweight spandex fabric.

A bodystocking pattern or a fitted long sleeve t-shirt – if you’ve made your custom Mirage Bodystocking pattern in the course, you can use the back panel and sleeve panel. Since they are completely based on your measurements, you can make sure your shrug will also fit you well. If you’re not in my course, you can use a long sleeve fitted shirt like this one as your pattern.

Matching color thread

How to Make DIY Long Sleeve Thumbhole Shrug

So first, fold your fabric right sides together, and make sure the fold is perpendicular to the direction of stretch. 

Place your sleeve pattern from the course with the straight edge against the fold of the fabric, or turn your shirt inside out, and place one of the sleeves like this and trace it from the armhole to the end of the sleeve. 

Here, I’m adding a little design modification. From the wrist line or the end of the sleeve, I extended the sleeve about 9cm (3.5in). And draw a straight line to the fold. So this extended part is going to cover about half of your hand. You can adjust the length as you like.

Then add a 1cm (3/8in) seam allowance all around and cut along the seam allowance line. 

Now we’ll add notches. A notch is just a small snip you make within the seam allowance. 

Make one at the fold of the armhole side. And make one 4cm (1 1/2in) from the edge, and another one 5cm (2in) away from this notch.

Repeat for the other sleeve.

Next, fold your fabric right sides together again, with the fold perpendicular to the direction of stretch and place your back panel pattern right against the fold of the fabric. Or, if you’re using a shirt, fold your shirt in half and fold the sleeves so you can see the back side well. Place the fold of the shirt about 2cm (3/4in) away from the fold of the fabric. And trace the armhole curve. 

Mark the neckline on the fold of the fabric, and remove the pattern.

Now connect the neckline mark and the top of the armhole curve with a nice, smooth line. 

And for the bottom, first draw a straight horizontal line from the bottom of the armhole to the fold of the fabric, and from the line, go up 2.5cm (1in) along the fold. Make a mark, and connect this point and the bottom of the armhole with a nice, smooth line.

Add a 1cm (3/8in) seam allowance to these 3 sides, and cut along the lines. This is the back panel.

Fold your fabric the same way again, and place the back panel you just cut out and align the folds. And trace it.

At the fold, measure 4cm (1.5in) up from the bottom line, and at the armhole, measure 6cm (2 3/8in) down from the top end. Connect these points with a smooth curve. 

Add a 1cm (3/8in) seam allowance to this new line, and cut out this panel. And this is the front panel.

Alright, let’s sew everything together!

First, place the back panel right side up, and place one of the sleeve panels right side down like this. Place the notch on the sleeve panel at about 1cm (3/8in) down from the top of the armhole and place a pin or clip, and match up the ends of the sleeve and the armhole and place a pin or clip. Match up the rest as best as you can, and do a zigzag stitch with a 1cm (3/8in) seam allowance here. 

Repeat for the other side. Place the whole thing right side up, and put it aside. 

Next, place the front panel right side up, and the top side down. Bring up the back panel and sleeves, and place one of the sleeves right side down. Match up the bottom of the armhole with the end of the sleeve, and match up the rest. Do this for the other sleeve, and do a zigzag stitch here with a 1cm (3/8in) seam allowance.

Fold the sleeves right sides together, and mark the 2 notches with pins in case it’s hard to see.

And do a zigzag stitch from the end of the sleeve to the first notch, and the second notch to the end of the armhole. Do this for both sleeves.

Now you have a hole at the seam of each sleeve like this. Open up the seam allowance like this, and do a narrow zigzag stitch 5mm (1/4in) away from the hole in a rectangular shape to fortify the thumbhole. It’s a bit tight to sew here so you can sew by hand as well.

And fold 1cm (3/8in) from all the raw edges towards the wrong side and do a zigzag stitch to finish them up. If you’re in the bodystocking course, you can use Method #2 of finishing the edges with a strip.

And now your long sleeve thumbhole shrug with is complete!

It’s comfortable and the extra long sleeves with the thumbholes are so cute!

And best of all, it matches the belly cover and this entire outfit looks more cohesive and the added elements look more purposeful! 

If you want to make this partial belly cover or other types of belly covers and bodystockings for your dance costuming, check out the Mirage Bodystocking premium course. 

Since this course has been very popular, new lessons have been added! Now you can use the bodystockings to create full dresses called the Mirage Dress!

Click here to check out the Mirage Bodystocking premium course!

Hope you enjoyed this DIY thumbhole shrug tutorial, and if you did, please share this tutorial with your dancer friends. You and your troupe members could make this thumbhole shrug in matching or different colors…. that would be such a cute troupe costume idea!

And if you want to make more belly dance costuming items, check out my free course, Belly Dance Costume Making 101 below. You’ll get lots of beginner-friendly DIY ideas and tutorials.

Click here to join Belly Dance Costume Making 101!

Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling!

P.S. Pin this image on your belly dance accessory board! 😉

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