Nicole Lanzarotto, Author at Patterns for Pirates

Essential Tank Update & Youth

July 23, 2020

It’s release day! Some years ago, 4 to be exact, we released the Essential Tank. We hadn’t added the youth version to the pattern line-up and after years of requests, we thought it would be a great addition while we updated the Essential Tank to include our extended sizes.

The Essential Tank still ranks as one of the most popular and well, essential pieces that many P4P members rave about and now your littles can wear them too!

The Essential Tank received an update to include our extended sizes up to Plus 5x. The original options remained, but don’t worry there are plenty to choose from while the Youth Essential Tank is brand new! You can choose from 2 backs (racerback and straight tank straps) and a multitude of hem lengths that include: shirt, curved hem, tunic, above knee dress and maxi dress lengths. You can also finish y our neckline and armholes with traditional t-shirt bands or binding. Both patterns include all the usual digital file formats and the most recently requested projector files!

**Want to learn more about how to measure yourself for these pattern? We’ve got you covered with an in-depth blog HERE. And in case you’re new to Patterns for Pirates and PDF patterns in general, we have a great blog full of new-user tips HERE to help you get started! As with all of our current releases and updates, the pdfs now include our layers feature and can be found in Letter, A4 and A0 sizes and a projector file. And for even more helpful fun, we have a *free* printable that you can use to help record your measurements as you take them.

Let’s take a quick look at the different options!

HEM OPTIONS: SHIRT, CURVED HEM, ABOVE KNEE DRESS, MAXI (side slits for youth)

RACERBACK OR STRAIGHT STRAPS TANK

T-SHIRT BANDS OR KNIT BINDING

You can also check out our round-up blog post from the original release for more in-depth deets about the adult version HERE but couldn’t leave out a few of our amazing testers from this re-release! How gorgeous do they look?!?!

In case you were looking for some more inspiration, you can find all of our tester images in our Facebook group! Go check them out: Essential Tank Facebook Album | Essential Tank – Youth Facebook Album

Are you ready to sew your new favorite tank? Go grab the patterns now! If you already purchased the Essential Tank, just go into your downloads and download the file again. (you will see 2016 and 2020 on the copyright so you’ll know its the updated one 😉 )

ESSENTIAL TANK | ESSENTIAL TANK – YOUTH | ESSENTIAL TANK – ADULT/YOUTH BUNDLE

Last but not least, check out some of our previous hacks! OPEN BACK ESSENTIAL TANK and MATERNITY

The release sale (no code needed) will be through Wednesday, July 29th (11:59PM US Central Time Zone).

Happy Sewing, Pirates!

Loggers Ruched Side Hack

April 24, 2019

Hi Pirates! With warmer weather approaching, pool days, lake trips and beach-bound vacations ahead, we’re starting to pull swim knits from our stashes and make new suits for the summer. We have Rachel from Yonder Couture on the blog today as a guest writer to share with you the latest hack to the Loggers. In case you missed any of the others (including a fully lined swim option), check it out HERE.

Now, here’s Rachel!

I didn’t expect to totally fall in love with Patterns for Pirates latest release, the Women’s Loggers, but P4P knocked it out of the park again with a design loaded with options.

{ICYMI, Loggers are the love child of leggings and joggers…}

After making a pair of loungewear shorties and a pair of full-length pants from the pattern, I couldn’t shake the vision of swim shorts for paddle-boarding.

I had a load of swim fabric on hand already. My pattern was already assembled from my previous makes. An opportune hour of free time smiled my way. Before I knew it, I had these adorable new shorties in my life.

{No cats were harmed in the making of these Loggers.}

I wasn’t prepared for the overwhelming reception by the amazing P4P community of sewists. Many asked for the pattern hack.

So, here we go! Let’s make swim shorties!

Cut the pattern pieces per the pattern instructions.

Cut two additional strips of fabric, 1.5″ x 36″. These will be your side ties.
Sew together each of your center seams, leaving the outside leg seams open.

Fold and press your leg bindings in half and attach to the bottom of leg openings. Be sure to match your center points on the binding and legs. The center point of each will not line up at the center seam.

With right sides together, sew a 5/8″ seam along the outside leg seams and press open. Do not use a serger for this step. You are creating casings for your side ties.

I chose to finish my raw edges with a serger, but this is not required.

Create a casing on each side of each outside leg seam by sewing a 1/2″ seam. This will secure the edges and provide a new home for your side ties.

Create your ties by sewing the right sides of your fabric strips together. Turn to the right side with your favorite turning tool. Cut each strip in half so that you have four ties.

Insert one tie into each casing and secure the top edges in place with a basting stitch.

Attach your choice of Logger’s waistband options per pattern instructions.
Once you try on and ruche or gather the edges to your preferences, tie a pretty side bow and cut the tie length to your liking!

And you’re ready to have the cutest booty on the lake!

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me. I’ll be happy to help.

One last note… if you post your makes to social media using the hashtag, #loggers, be prepared for a rash of unusual new followers who cut down trees for a living.

True story.

Shout out to Rachel for sharing her hack with us! If you’ve used one of the hacks on the blog for the Loggers, be sure to tag us on Instagram or share your pair in the Facebook Group!

Boundless/Boho Babydoll Mash-Up

May 7, 2018

Since the original release of the Boundless Knit Dress, we have seen many requests how to make it a racer back tank dress. With the recent release of the Boho Babydoll (which includes a racer back option), we thought it would be the perfect mashup. So, I’m here to show you how to mash and grade the two bodices to create a racer back Boundless Dress. This will also work with the Essential Tank if you prefer the shape of the racer on that tank.

The Boundless and Boho have different amounts of ease. (read more about ease HERE.) The Boundless is a fitted bodice with negative ease, while the Boho is a relaxed cut top with ease so we can’t really just take the Boho and adjust the width to the boundless, otherwise the armscye would be too wide and cut in across the shoulder since the overall size of the bodice is wider/larger. The Boundless is shown here in the green dashed lines and the Boho is the light purple.

Print out both the boundless knit dress and Boho babydoll bodices and align at the shoulder seam. We will be creating a new Boundless bodice. You can choose which neckline you prefer as the only modification we are making here is to the armscye.
Trace the upper portion of the armscye from the shoulder seam of the Boho Babydoll. Trace the lower portion of the armscye of the Boundless toward the side seam.
Using a French curve, blend the upper and lower portion of the armscye previously traced.
Continue tracing the Boundless along the side seam and neckline. Note- if using a 1/2″ seam allowance, you will want to widen the shoulder by 1/4″. You can also trace as is and just use a 1/4″ seam allowance along the shoulder seam only.
You now have a new Boundless front racer Boundless bodice.

We will repeat similar steps for the back

Print out both the boundless knit dress and Boho babydoll bodices and align at the shoulder seam. We will be creating a new Boundless back bodice.
Trace the Boho bodice from neckline, shoulder seam and top portion of the racer back armscye. Note- if using a 1/2″ seam allowance, you will want to widen the shoulder by 1/4″. You can also trace as is and just use a 1/4″ seam allowance along the shoulder seam only.
Slide the Boho bodice so that it is aligned with the Boundless at the armscye and trace the lower portion of the racer back armscye to the side seam of the Boundless bodice.
Use a French curve if need to match and blend the racer back curve and continue tracing the Boundless bodice. You now have a new Boundless back bodice.

Construction of the bodice/dress is the same as the Boundless. Cut 2 main and cut 2 lining pieces and use the burrito roll method to create a fully lined racer back.

I hope you love it as much as I do!

Choker Neckline Hack

August 21, 2017

Choker necklines are all the rage right now, so we thought we’d give you the “how-to” so you can add it to your most loved top. I used the Favorite Tee since it already has a V-neck option but you can really use any of our t-shirt patterns and add a lower scoop neck or v-neck to it.

Once you have decided your pattern and cut your pieces, do not assemble your shirt! We need to finish the V-neckline first and is easier to do prior to construction. I chose to bind the V-neck, but you could also use a traditional neckband if you wish. (Need more help with knit binding? Check out our tips HERE)

: Snip a small “v” 3/8″ inward, on either side of the center of the v-neckline.

: Cut a binding strip 1.5″ x 90% of the neckline.

: With right side of the binding to the wrong side of the neckline, pin in place.

: Stitch with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Note: the binding will need to stretch slightly to fit the neckline.

: Press seam allowance up and fold raw edge to meet center. Press.

: Fold over again, covering seam allowance and press.

: Top-stitch.

: Fold V-neck in half width-wise and stitch down the center of the V.

Next, construct and finish your shirt as indicated in the tutorial, but do not use the existing neckband instructions. We will now finish the choker portion of the neckline.

I did not want the choker neckband piece to be too high on my neck, so used the Women’s Henley as a guide for placement. You can make your own adjustments if you prefer to have it higher or lower. Place a pin or mark on the neckline where you wish to have the choker band.

We are going to use the same binding method as we did the v-neck to finish the choker band. My binding strip is 2.5″ and finishes about 1″. Again, this is customizable and if you wish to have a thicker or thinner choker piece, adjust the height of your band accordingly. (just be sure to add 1/2″ to the height as we will be folding and enclosing the raw edges).

: Lay your shirt flat and measure the distance between either side of the neckline where you wish the choker band to attach at the neckline. This is measurement “A”.

: Measure the neckline from your marked point to center back. This is measurement “B”.

To determine the width of your choker binding: A + ((B x 2) x 90%)). For example, my measurement A is 8″. Measurement B is 8″. So my choker band is 8″ + 14.4 (or 8 x 2 then x 90%) = 22.4″ . To make it a nice even number I just rounded it out to 22.5″.

: Mark 1/2″ of measurement “A” from the fold.

: Fold binding in half width-wise and stitch short ends together, creating a circle.

: With right side of binding to wrong side of shirt, match center back and two front points of neckline and choker binding.

: Stitch using a 1/4″ seam allowance.

: Press seam allowance up.

: Fold binding raw edge down 1/4″ towards center. Press.

: Fold and press the bottom raw edge 1/4″ between your V-neck.

: Fold in half again, just covering your previously stitched line.

: Continue folding and pressing the binding all the way around neckline.

: Top-stitch near the bottom fold.

Voila! You’re all finished. 🙂

P4P University :: Bias Binding

July 22, 2017

We recently covered the tips and tricks to using a knit binding (HERE) but what about woven fabrics? One of the many finishing options for necklines, sleeve hems and armcyes for woven fabrics is bias binding. Unlike knit, woven binding should be cut on the bias (45 degrees from the grain-line) so that it bends and curves and allows it to lay flat. Some patterns will include a pattern piece, which makes it easy to line up and cut the strip on the bias, however, it can eat up quite a bit of fabric and we all know how much we hate to waste pretty fabric, right? You can also use pre-made bias binding, but many of times it’s nice to use the same fabric as the your garment, so we’re going to show you how make a continuous bias strip from a small square of your fabric. This is also perfect to use up your scraps.

For this example, I used a 15″ x 15″ square which makes about 100″ of 2″ bias binding. A 12″ square makes about 60″ which is plenty for the bias binding neckline option of the Everyday Elegance.

: Cut and prep the square. Mark opposite sides with A/B and draw a diagonal line from one corner to the other.

: Cut the square across diagonally.

: With right sides together, match the ‘A’ side and stitch together using a 1/4″ seam seam allowance.

: Press seam allowance open.

: Starting at the bottom, draw 2″ lines parallel to the bottom edge. If there is any excess that does not complete a full 2″ row, just trim it off.

: With right sides together, fold the ‘B’ side toward one another. Your fabric should be a square, with your drawn lines still parallel with one another.

: Pull the pointed corners in opposite directions and match up the next row of lines.

: With right sides together, pin and stitch using a 1/4″ seam allowance.

: Press seam allowance open.

: Starting at one end, cut along your previously drawn lines.

: Continue cutting around the circle and voila! You now have a continuous bias strip.

At this point, you can set your binding aside or you can continue to pre-press to finish preparing it to be sewn to your garment. A 2″ binding strip will create 1″ single fold or 1/2″ double fold bias tape. The above method also works for various widths and single or double fold bias tape.

: Fold bias strip in half toward the wrong side. Press.

: Unfold and re-fold the raw edges toward center.

: Fold again and press.

There you have it! Creating your own bias tape from woven fabric is as simple as a couple of seams and cuts.

Check out the video below as Judy walks you through a quick demonstration on sewing with bias binding.

We’ve added another quick video with SINGLE FOLD BIAS BINDING 🙂 Enjoy!

As promised in the video here are a couple pictures to entice you to PRESS and stay stitch to help get a great finish.

Finished single fold bias:

Happy Sewing!!

P4P University:: Knit Binding 101

May 18, 2017

With our recent release of the Cross my Heart and Heart Breaker Cami patterns, we’ve had some questions and hesitation about the straps… because, well, they look scary! They may look intimidating but they truly are not as bad as they appear. We’re going to show you a few different ways to do knit binding and hopefully help ease those fears.

What is Knit Binding?

There are two main methods to finish a neckline or armhole. Knit bands are an extension of the neckline and probably the most recognizable finishing method for a traditional T-Shirt (rose floral shown below). We’ll dive in to bands on another post ;). Knit binding is done similar to bias tape binding, which is typically used on woven fabrics and encloses the raw edge of the neckline but does not extend above and away from it (ivory floral shown below).

Tools to create successful knit binding:

Use fabric with spandex. You will yield better results with fabric that has great stretch and recovery. Not sure what fabrics to use? Check out our Knit Fabric Cheat Sheet.
Steam iron: One of the best tips to create even and professional looking binding is to press, press and press again. Throughout the entire process of binding your garment, hitting your binding with some steam will help it bounce back to shape and keep a clean, crisp fold which is easier to turn and top-stitch.
Ball Point or Stretch Needles: Whenever using knit fabric, stretch or ball point needles are always recommended. The needle tip slips between the knit fibers and does not break or damage them while sewing. Stretch needles are mostly used with fabrics that have a higher percentage of stretch (think swimwear or athletic fabrics) but most prefer to use them for all types of knits.
Pins or clips: Pinning or clipping your binding, especially when you get to the later steps to turn and top-stitch is a life-saver. Once you become more comfortable with binding, you may not need as many but it’s always best to clip more now than regret it later.
Optional: Blind Hem Foot – this helps keep an even straight line along the edge of your binding when top-stitching.

Both the cami patterns, the Sweetheart and Me Hearties Dress, and Essential Tank use knit binding to finish the necklines, armholes or sleeves but you can apply this method to other tops and skirts in lieu of bands or hemming. Just be sure to take in to account your seam allowances and band heights as they will finish lower or higher if no adjustments are made.

Methods to do knit binding:

Serger: (this method is used in the Cross my Heart and Heart Breaker Cami). Using a 1/4″ seam allowance, the binding is serged to the neckline or armhole with the right side of the binding to the wrong side of the main fabric. The seam allowance is pressed up with binding folded up and over the serged edge and then top-stitched.

Sewing Machine: (this method is used as an option in the Sweetheart and Me Hearties Dress and Essential Tank). The binding is pre-pressed in quarters (double folds). Using a stretch stitch (narrow zigzag, lightening bolt, or triple stretch stitch), with right side of the binding to the wrong side of the main fabric, the binding is stitched along the crease. The seam allowance is pressed up with binding folded up and over the raw edge and then top-stitched.

Serger or Sewing Machine: Using a 1/4″ to 3/8″ seam allowance the binding is stitched with right sides of the binding to the right side of the main fabric. The seam allowance is pressed up and binding folded over the edge to the wrong side of the fabric and then top-stitched. The excess binding is trimmed at the seam-line.

There are multiple options for Top-stitching binding. Here are few of our favorites:

Twin Needle: Double straight stitch on front and zig-zag on back. (Elisabeth walked us through using a twin needle a few posts back and is a great resource for top-stitching the knit binding using a regular sewing machine. In case you missed it, be sure to check it out HERE!)
Coverstitch: single or double needle: straight stitch on the front with a stretch zig-zag stitch on the back.
Narrow Zig-Zag: Gives the appearance of a straight stitch but still has some stretch.
Triple Step Zig-Zag: This is great for swimwear or high stretch areas.

Need more help? Here’s a video of the binding options described above 🙂

Hopefully this answered your questions about knit binding and eased some of your fears. Just remember, press and go slow! As with any new skill, it takes time to master, so keep practicing and you’ll have added another finishing method to your sewing arsenal.

Finished a project using knit binding? Be sure to share in our Facebook Group! We’d love to see it.

P4P Cardi Week:: Varsity Sweater Hack

January 27, 2017

Let’s talk game day attire… I know we have some sports fans in the Facebook group and if your house is anything like mine, it revolves around football. Even if it doesn’t, the Varsity style sweater is a nod to a throwback classic look. Some months back Judy showed us how to add a stripe accent to a raglan sleeve during our #P4PRaglanWeek (read more about it HERE) . Using the same idea, I hacked the Cpt. Mack’s Cardigan to replicate a Varsity sweater.

Print, assemble and cut your pieces as instructed in the pattern.

After looking at a few Varsity style sweaters I decided to go with 2 stripes on the left sleeve only. You can choose a number of different fabrics to use for the stripes. I ended up using a flocked heat transfer vinyl but you could also use knit scraps. Placement of your stripes is your preference depending on size and quantity. My stripes are 3/4″ wide and are placed just below the short sleeve cut line and above the 3/4 sleeve cut line. (Note: the left sleeve is with the back of the sleeve to your right hand side when looking at the fabric with right side up. The elbow patches are show on the pattern piece.)

I also added an applique to the left front body. I used the flocked heat transfer vinyl again and pressed it directly to white knit and then used Heat & Bond Hem Tape to secure in place. Top-stitching is optional but decided to keep it as is. If you choose to add an applique, embroidery or any additional embellishments to the main body, do it prior to construction. It is much easier to add when your pieces are not sewn together yet.

Another design element that I noticed when searching for inspiration was the contrasting pocket bands. Using Patty’s idea during #P4PRaglanWeek (details HERE) I added the feature to the patch pockets.

That’s it! Easy, right?!?! Use your favorite team colors or maybe even your little one’s school colors for the perfect school pride cardi. This of course can be used to hack the women’s Grandpa Cardi as well.

We’re nearing the end of the #P4PCardiWeek but be sure to take a look at our jam-packed schedule of cardigan love!

Saturday, January 21: #P4PCardiWeek Announcement

Sunday, January 22: Cocoon Lace Hems and Butterfly Ruffle

Monday, January 23: Ribbon Tie Closure Hack

Tuesday, January 24: Carefree Cardigan Fringe Hack

Wednesday, January 25: Duster-Length Adjustment

Thursday, January 26: Kimono Ruffle Sleeves + Hem

Friday, January 27: Varsity Sweater Style Hack

Saturday, January 28: Carefree Cardigan Flannel + Vest Hack

Monday, January 30: #P4PCardiWeek Winner Announcement

You can follow along on the blog here, or in our Facebook group. Search #P4PCardiWeek to be able to find our posts all over social media. And please feel free to sew-along with us on one or all of the days. The more the merrier!

But wait, there’s more! We wanted to create a friendly pirate-y competition with our P4P Cardi Week!

Between tomorrow and Saturday, January 28, sew up a Patterns for Pirates cardigan using one of our hacks, or by keeping the pattern as-is. Share your photo with us on Instagram or in our Facebook group and use the tag#P4PCardiWeek We will pick our favorite and the winner will win a free P4P pattern of choice AND be featured on this blog. Fun right?

To make it even better we have put all the cardigan patterns in the shop on sale all week (no code needed)!

Now get out there and sew some cardigans, matey!

P4P Cardi Week:: Butterfly Ruffle

January 22, 2017

Last week we released the Butterfly Cardigan, the mini version of the Cocoon Cardigan and is so cute on the younger girls. In case you missed the round up post, check it out HERE. To add some extra girly details to the Butterfly, we thought why not add a ruffle? We’ve had a similar cardigan pinned as inspiration for awhile so here’s our take on it.

The construction of the main cardigan (body, lower sleeve and cuffs (if chosen) remains the same, however, you will need to cut longer neckbands. You will then ruffle the band and attach in the same manner as you do for the original cardigan. Depending on the thickness of the fabric you are using, you will want to adjust the amount you multiply the band measurements by. I used a thinner rayon French Terry spandex so went with 2.5 times the band measurements listed in the cut chart of the tutorial. Use 2.5 to 3 times the width for thinner fabrics (rayon spandex, cotton lycra, etc) and 2 to 2.5 times the width for thicker fabrics (sweater knits and French Terry).

My original width measurements for a size 2 are as follows: Cropped front band: 31.5″ / Cropped back band: 13″ – Multiply by 2.5
My ruffle width measurements are as follows: Cropped front band: 78.75″ / Cropped back band: 32.5″. Since most knits are only 58″-60″ wide I will need to piece my front band so I chose to divide in half so will have equal pieces. I will now cut 2 front bands 39.5″ (I rounded up for the simplicity of cutting). Use the same length as indicated in the pattern. ( I added 1/2″ to mine but in hindsight should have kept it to the original 4″ for her size. The top neck tends to flop backwards too much with the weight of the extra height and ruffle.)

CREATING THE RUFFLE

1. Stitch short ends of front and back bands, creating a circle.

2. Fold in half lengthwise, wrong sides together and press. Mark the midpoint of front and back bands. This will make it easier to match and attach your ruffle to the cardigan.

3. Stitch a gathering/basting stitch (set your stitch length to the longest possible on your machine) at 3/8″ and 5/8″ from raw edge. Do not skip out on the second row of stitches. I promise, that extra step is worth it! You will have more even gathers and if one line of stitching breaks you have a backup without having to redo them. I also like to gather in shorter sections so will stop and start at each seam of the band. Be sure to leave a thread tail for easy pulling later.

4. Match raw edges and align the side seams of the cardigan to the seam of the band. Pin/Clip in place. Match raw edges and align the seam of the front neckband to center back neckline. Pin/Clip in place.

5. Pull gathering/basting stitch (top threads) to gather band to match the length of the cardigan. *Tip: once your gather reaches desired length, tie off your thread tails. It will help keep the gather in tact while you even them out. Continue gathering each section until your band is completely gathered. Pin/Clip in place.

6. Stitch your band to your cardigan body. Flip down, press and top-stitch (if desired).

If the Butterfly Cardigan wasn’t already cute enough as it is, this surely made it! Now add it to your cart and make your very own Butterfly Cardigan for your little! 😉

Take a look at our jam-packed schedule of cardigan love!

Saturday, January 21: #P4PCardiWeek Announcement

Sunday, January 22: Cocoon Lace Hems and Butterfly Ruffle

Monday, January 23: Ribbon Tie Closure Hack

Tuesday, January 24: Carefree Cardigan Fringe Hack

Wednesday, January 25: Duster-Length Adjustment

Thursday, January 26: Kimono Ruffle Sleeves + Hem

Friday, January 27: Varsity Sweater Style Hack

Saturday, January 28: Carefree Cardigan Flannel + Vest Hack

Monday, January 30: #P4PCardiWeek Winner Announcement

But wait, there’s more! We wanted to create a friendly pirate-y competition with our P4P Cardi Week!

To make it even better we have put all the cardigan patterns in the shop on sale all week (no code needed)!

Now get out there and sew some cardigans, matey!

Sew, what do I wear? Holiday Edition

November 19, 2016

We teamed up with the Made for Mermaids ladies and have been sharing some great inspiration pieces to add to your holiday wardrobe; whether it be for family photos, dinners, or parties. You can usually find me in some SOS Pants and a Sweet Tee or Mama Bear Joggers and a Boyfriend Tee but we have some fun holiday parties and a trip to Las Vegas coming up so decided to go all out and use some sparkly and luxurious fabrics. My three little ones keep me pretty busy and if you’re anything like me, I tend to wait until the very last minute to sew up my items and am left running out the door, trimming my last thread. So, with that, here’s my take on our ever famous Peg Legs and Pumpkin Spice Dolman, two of the quickest and most beginner friendly patterns, to make them party worthy.

First, let’s talk about Peg Legs. If you haven’t heard what Pegs legs are…Check out this blog post: Peg Leg 101. My drawer is full of basic pegs, but I didn’t want just any old pair so I decided to use stretch velvet. While the fabric does meet the minimum stretch requirements, I opted to take a slightly smaller seam allowance just to ensure that they wouldn’t end up a little sheer at the booty and looking more like tights. I also used supplex for my waistband since I wasn’t sure if the velvet would cause the waistband to slip too much. Changing the type and texture of the fabric took my “mom-iform” pants to luxurious!

Now on to my top. I’ve recently made a few Off -the-Shoulder Raglans using our raglan hack from a few weeks ago and am really liking the look so I thought it would be a perfect addition to the Pumpkin Spice Dolman to take it up a notch. I was also limited on my fabric and ended up using two front pattern pieces so I could use it for both the front and back. The back pattern piece of the PSD is wider since naturally our curves (our booty and shoulders) need the extra ease but I was ok with slightly slimmer fit through the hip that I would end up with by using the same pattern piece for the front and back.

To create the off the shoulder look, I widened the neckline at the shoulder seam by removing 2″. I also turned the edge 1/4″ and hemmed it rather than adding a neckband.

I hemmed the bottom and sleeves as well. To be honest, my serger hated the sequins and I ended up having to do most of the construction on my sewing machine. The blade was able to handle them, but with the combination of the speed, my needles kept breaking. So just as a cautionary tale, if you decide to use sequins, go slow! Even with my serger issues though, I was still able to complete my entire outfit in just over an hour…yes, you read that right; an hour! Now, run and grab all the sparkly fabric you can find and shine straight into the New Year!

Don’t forget to check out all the amazing ladies and their makes, if you haven’t already! There is sure to be something that inspires you! Have you joined in on the fun and made a P4P or M4M holiday outfit? Join the Facebook Group and share away. We’d love to your creations.

Nov 14 – Wild & Wanderful/ What Does She Do All Day?/ My Creative Room

Nov 15 – Sew A Piece of Joy / Red Stitch Blue Stitch/ Sewn Of A Stitch

Nov 16 – MaMoose / Rebel & Malice / On Wednesdays We Sew

Nov 17 – It’s Liesel / Stitching and Making / The Kisses Co

Nov 18 – SewSophieLynn/ I’m Just Like Mommy/ Lady and the Gents / The Crunchy Mommy

Spice Cake Dolman Pattern Release!

October 6, 2016

Are you ready for fall? We most definitely are!! One of the fall favorites for women is the Pumpkin Spice Dolman and with mommy and me fashion becoming ever so popular, it was only time we added the mini version to the girl’s pattern line up. We’ve actually had this planned for awhile but what better time to release it than in the fall! We’d like to thank So Sew English Fabrics for sponsoring this pattern and providing us with some gorgeous fabrics!

So, with that, meet Spice Cake!

This is a loose fitting dolman sleeve, loose through the chest, waist and semi-fitted at booty and is perfect paired with some skinny jeans or leggings. The extra wide “bat-wing” is on trend and fit in with modern boutique style tops. Some favorite fabrics choices are rayon spandex, brushed poly, French Terry spandex, sweater knits and jersey. I personally love the lighter-weight knits because the dolman sleeve drapes so nicely but you can get away using a very wide array of knits. The elbow patches can be made from any fabric and is a great way to add some extra punch to your girls’ top!

Packed with the same options as the Pumpkin Spice Dolman, The Spice Cake includes: