Katy McKinley, Author at Patterns for Pirates

New Pattern Release :: Runabout Romper + Dress!

May 22, 2020

I’m excited to share the newest P4P pattern with everyone! Right now, so many of us are trying to find a little more peace of mind. Trust us, we are too. So we thought it would be the perfect time to add some stylish “secret pajamas” to everyone’s closets. Who doesn’t love being comfortable and also love feeling cute too?! The Runabout Romper & Dress will give you both with a quick easy sew.

With this loose, slouchy fit, you’ll be comfortable all day. But we made sure to mix in some extra style with off-the shoulder looks, high/low skirts, slitted maxi lengths, and elastic cinched waistlines that will leave you feeling pretty darn good! There are so many options that you can make a huge stack and no one will ever know you’re sewing the same pattern, on repeat!

Consider yourself to be more of a visual person? Listen, friend. We’ve got you covered there as well. Our tutorial is packed full of videos, covering topics like fabric choice, sizing, mashing sizes, sewing the waistband and even a complete sew up video from start to end with with our Pirate Captain Judy!

RUNABOUT ROMPER | RUNABOUT ROMPER YOUTH | RUNABOUT ROMPER – BUNDLE

There are multiple sleeve options. You can pick tank, dolman short sleeve, or dolman long sleeve…depending on weather. There are also a ton of bottoms to pair with your bodice. Enjoy choosing between a curved knee length skirt, maxi length skirt with side seam slits, a looser-fitted shorts romper, or trendy jogger romper bottoms. With all of these options, you can add a cute faux drawstring, chest pocket, and/or slat pockets. Trust us on the pockets — we make sure they’re “real” pockets and you can actually fit things inside of them.

The dolman bodice includes a scoop neckline with a bit lower back (which still safely covers bras) and a super fun off-the-shoulder style neckline. The elastic waistband on every pattern option hits right at the natural waistline, allowing for a flattering silhouette.

We suggest using knits that are light-to-medium weight and have a softer drape. Think: double brushed polyester, rayon blends, sweater knits, modal spandex blends, bamboo blends, tri-blends, french terry/rayon blends, ribbed knits, and lightweight cotton blend jerseys.

**Want to learn more about how to measure yourself for this 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 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 and features!

BODICE OPTIONS: TANK, SHORT SLEEVE DOLMAN, LONG SLEEVE DOLMAN

DOLMAN NECKLINE OPTIONS: SCOOP AND OFF THE SHOULDER

DRESS OPTIONS: KNEE LENGTH AND MAXI LENGTH

ROMPER OPTIONS: SHORTS AND JOGGERS

EXTRAS: CHEST POCKET, FAUX DRAWSTRING, AND SLAT POCKETS

Whatever you do… DON’T FORGET THE POCKETS!

Whether you’re looking to lounge about in complete comfort:

Or dress it up to go out:

Ready to runabout the ~~town~~ house in your new digs? Grab the patterns now!

RUNABOUT ROMPER | RUNABOUT ROMPER YOUTH | RUNABOUT ROMPER – BUNDLE

Maybe hoping for a little more inspiration before you make the purchase? Head over to our Facebook group where you can see a Runabout Romper + Runabout Romper – Youth album full of images of our amazing testers!

The Runabout Romper & Dress has you covered! If you’re hoping for even more options, we show you a few more ways you can use this pattern in our Runabout Romper Easy Hacks Blog Post! I hope everyone out there is staying healthy and happy. The Runabout Romper & Dress will be on sale (no code needed) through Friday May 29th.

And if our pattern alone doesn’t provide enough options for you, we’ve also included a blog post that will help take the Runabout Rompers to the next level! Go check out our Easy Hacks Post to see how to make some slight alterations to the original pattern, to customize it even further!

P4P Spirit Month 2020

April 29, 2020

We’ve got spirit, yes we do. We’ve got spirit, how ’bout you?!?!

I am OVER-THE-MOON excited to talk about what’s happening in the month of May, y’all! It’s been officially dubbed “P4P Spirit Month” and we are kicking it into full gear the minute the calendar changes over to May 1.

What are we doing exactly? Our team is super in love with Me Made May and the idea behind getting to know your self-made clothing, and to celebrate your sewing skills. Big props to So, Zo…What Do You Know? for starting this social media movement a decade ago.

We decided to kick it up a notch by creating themes around each day. Think of it like Spirit Week at school…where all of your fellow classmates dress in theme together and you get to feel the excitement and camaraderie surrounding your themed clothing efforts. Instead of it only lasting a week, it’s the ENTIRE MONTH. And the themes are pretty achievable, using items you already have in your closet. You can play along as much or as little as you’d like.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE PRINTABLE CALENDAR HERE

The rules are pretty simple.

Wear a new / old Patterns for Pirates clothing item that you’ve made, matching up with the daily theme. ie: wear a purple Basic Tee on Purple Day (May 3).
- Simple adjustments / pattern mashes are fine to share. We just want to be able to recognize the P4P pattern you used to make your clothing item!
Take a photo of yourself in the item.
- It has to be a new photo, taken that day. Mirror selfies with a messy room behind you are completely acceptable. We just want to see you, in this moment, playing along with us!
Share the photo on the Patterns for Pirates Facebook Group wall, in a separate post that you’ve created.
- You must use the hashtag #P4PSpiritMonth so we can find your image. (It must be EXACT to come up in our search.)
- Tell us what P4P pattern you used to create your look.
Have fun with it!

Why play along with us? To have fun, of course. But also — there are some prizes involved. And they’re pretty sweet.

We will pick three random names from all of the images that are shared using our hashtag. (Our super pirate sleuths will make sure you’re following all of the rules and posting on the correct days.) And those winners will be walking away with some amazing prizes from Patterns for Pirates, Sly Fox Fabrics, Sincerely Rylee, Mily Mae Fabrics, and Thread & Grain. We will also be rounding up our favorite Spirit Day Looks and featuring them on our blog!

Each day that you participate and share counts as an entry into the contest. The winners will be random lottery winners, meaning that everyone has a chance….from a beginner who might be sewing their first P4P to a seasoned apparel sewist!

But wait. There’s more!

Each day, we will be featuring a different P4P pattern, and for 24 hours only, that pattern will be $2 off. No code needed. Each featured pattern will be announced in the Facebook group at 9am EST by Crew Member Katy McKinley…so go find her posts each morning to find the daily deal!

Have more questions for us? Please ask! We’d love to answer them.

Updated 06/09/20
IT’S TIME TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNERS AND CELEBRATE THE PARTICIPANTS, Y’ALL!!

Spirit Month was an absolute blast. Thank you so much to everyone who participated and celebrated their handmade wardrobes along with us! Before we get to the prize winners, let’s quickly share our favorites from each of the daily themes.

As for the winners? We randomly selected three lucky people to get the hookup with some fabric, patterns, and a wooden sewing machine necklace! Congratulations you three!

Cathryn Larkin is taking home Prize Package #1. With a slight edit….because we are sad to announce that Sly Fox Fabrics is closing up shop. That just means that Cathryn gets to pick her favorite indie fabric shop and we will hook her up with the gift card for it, on the house! Congrats, Cathryn!

Prize Package #2 goes to Kristin Moore!

And Prize Pack #3 is all for Danielle Heuseveldt!

Congratulations, you three!! Email help@patternsforpirates.com and we will help you claim your prizes!

New Pattern Release :: Classic Sports Bra!

April 23, 2020

We know that times are……something right now. Our new normal isn’t anything remotely what normal used to mean to us. It’s scary, lonely, wacky, busy, boring, stressful, and all of the descriptive terms you could ever lump into a couple months of life. Let me begin by telling you that our hearts go out to everyone right now. Our entire Pirate Crew hopes that you are safe, healthy, and maintaining whatever version of “okay” you can muster up during this moment in time. We absolutely love our Pirate Family and we wish you all the best. Thank you for continuing this feeling of community and camaraderie that we are all craving and deserving at this moment in time. You have no idea how much you mean to all of us.

And with that, we were hoping to bring a little sewing excitement into your lives! (drum roll please) :: It’s release day, y’all! Let’s talk about the Classic Sports Bra, our newest pattern duo!

Right now, sports bras might be more important than they’ve ever been. I can’t tell you how many of my friends are either completely taking advantage of their new schedule by working out more than ever before — and how many of my friends are taking advantage of their new schedule by rocking loungewear all day, every day. Whichever version of my friends that you are, we’ve got you covered.

The Classic Sports Bra is…well…a classic sports bra!

You can create a light impact bra out of casual fabrics for lounging, sleeping, and all around comfort. You can use an athletic knit for a light impact for yoga, walking and other lighter exercising. You can add more support with inner-lining, removable cups, more stable athletic fabrics like supplex, using the more supportive wider under bust band for a great medium impact sports bra ready for light jogging, hiit workouts, zumba, ellipital, etc. Anyone can find their favorite combo with racerback and straight strap options, full back or with a cut out and hook and eye bra back closure. Lets talk a little more about that bra clasp option… it’s amazing! It’s simple to attach and makes getting the tight fit bra on and off so much easier– especially after a hot workout when you’re sweaty!! wheww!

The sizing follows our normal XXS-Plus 5X size chart, but ALSO includes both small bust and full bust adjustment pieces. So if you find your full bust falls into a size smaller or larger then your over bust…we have you covered! Youth sizing is 12 months to 14.

The front color-blocking is perfect for using up those beloved….hoarded? 😉 fabric scraps you have saved for the perfect project! You can make a more solid by using all the same fabrics or create a super fun combo with all different fabrics!

The tutorial includes several videos throughout the tutorial including fabric selection, size mashing for youth, sba and fba explanation for adult, piecing the front color-blocking, “burrito roll” lining method and sewing in elastic, bottom binding, attaching hook and eye bra closure and TWO complete sew ups using different options.

You will also find one more file with our new release… the Projector File. This is a larger PDF with all pieces on the fold facing the same direction, a couple grid layers you can turn on to scale and off to cut, and one big page to scroll down as you cut. I hope this helps all those jumping into the new trend of going paperless!

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

COLORBLOCKED FRONT

FULL BACK

BRA CLASP

STRAIGHT STRAPS

RACERBACK STRAPS

So whether you’re ready to lounge or get active… maybe a little of both… you can grab the Classic Sports Bra and be ready for it all!

CLASSIC SPORTS BRA| CLASSIC SPORTS BRA – YOUTH | CLASSIC SPORTS BRA – BUNDLE

We know times are crazy right now and a lot of us are trying to budget more- so I took the time to hunt down a few small shops that sold the hook and eye bra clasps in a variety of colors (fun!) so we could help support a small business AND I could give you all an exclusive coupon code to help if you need this supply that might not be in everyone’s stash already! <3

– Stitch Love on Etsy or her own site code p4p20 for 20% off
www.stitchlovestudio.com/

– Sasha Fox Sewing Supplies on Etsy code: PIRATES40 for 40% off
[www.etsy.com/shop/SashaFoxStudio

-Bra Makery: 30% code for the website PATTERNSFORPIRATES (only on the site not on Etsy).
www.thebramakery.com

So you if need some hook and eye bra clasps for a new Classic Sports Bra, I would love for you to support one of these small businesses that gave us a great discount!

And if our pattern alone doesn’t provide enough options for you, we’ve also included a blog post that will help take the Classic Sports Bra to the next level! Go check out our Easy Hacks Post to see how to make some slight alterations to the original pattern, to customize it even further!

The release sale (no code needed) will be through Friday, May 1, 2020 (11:59PM US Central Time Zone).

Happy Sewing, Pirates!

Plushie Pals :: Free Sewing Pattern + Tutorial!

February 3, 2020

It’s February, which means I’m already brainstorming cute gift ideas for Valentine’s Day for the kiddos in my life. I love sending little packages of things to my niece and nephew up north, and including something handmade is always at the top of my list. And that’s exactly why these Plushie Pals were born!

We are bringing our newest pattern to you today, keeping in mind that you’re probably short on time like the rest of us. The Plushie Pals are super duper fast to sew, and end with the cutest results! The fox, bunny and bear pattern pieces are all included, but the pattern itself would be incredibly easy to adjust into just about any animal or character that you could think of! Let’s get to sewing, shall we?

Grab your “PLUSHIE PALS” pattern pieces here!

Oh! This time around, I loaded the pieces onto Cricut Design Space so you could cut them with your Maker. Find them here: Plushie Pals for Cricut Maker

Fabric Requirements (based upon 44″ wide fabrics):

– 1/3 yard main body fabric. Directional prints will require more. (I like to use flannel, but quilting cottons / kona cottons / felt will all work for this!)
– Felt for fox face and bear/fox bellies. The edges are left raw on these pieces, so you’ll want to use something that won’t fray.
– Scrap sizes of fabrics for ear accent colors.
– Buttons, embroidery thread for facial features.
– Fiberfill.

1/4″ seam allowance used throughout pattern, unless otherwise indicated.

For Fox/Bear options: With both fabrics facing up, align the belly piece to one of the main body pieces and stitch along long, outer curve, at around 1/8″ inch.

For Fox option only: With both fabrics facing up, align the face piece to main body piece and stitch along top and bottom edges, at around 1/8″ inch.

For all options: This is the best time to add facial features to your Plushie Pal. Using a fabric marker (I used a permanent one so it would show easier in photos), draw a triangular nose shape to help guide your stitches, if choosing to embroider the details. Details could also be applied and look adorable in fabric paints or using HTV. We didn’t include any specific facial details in the pattern because there are so many different ways to make a face. 🙂

For Fox/Bear options: Place two ear pieces, right sides together.

Sew along outer edge(s).

Clip seam allowances and turn ears right sides out. Press. Topstitch if desired. *repeat with second ear.

For Bunny option: Place two ear pieces, right sides together.

Sew along outer curved edges.

Clip seam allowances and turn ears right sides out. Press. Topstitch if desired.

Fold along the top, raw edge, meeting the corners together. Clip or baste top edge in place. Repeat with other ear.

For all options: With right sides together, align ears using the markings on the pattern pieces.

**Note: The bear and fox ears will need to be eased in along the curved edges. While the bunny ears will simply be centered against the marking on the body piece, be sure to tuck them out of the way while sewing so you don’t catch them in the next steps.

With the front body piece facing upwards, place the back body piece on top (right sides together).

Sew along entire outer edge, leaving only about a 3″ opening along one of the sides for turning.

Clip corners and seam allowances before turning. It is recommended to use pinking shears around all of the curved edges for a cleaner look once turned and stuffed. I circled the most important parts to make sure to clip, in order to avoid wrinkles or pulling at the “joints” of the arms and legs.

Turn your Plushie Pal right sides out, through the opening you left in the previous step.

Using fiberfil, stuff your Pal to your liking. Be careful not to overstuff. And using a tool like a chopstick / bodkin is incredibly helpful for filling the arms and legs and getting the stuffing into the corners easily.

Tuck your seam allowance back into the opening. Pin or clip. And using your favorite method, stitch it shut.

You’re all done! Be careful — once you make one, you’re going to want to make ten more! (Ask me how I know…..) They’re just so darn cute!

As always, we love when you share what you’ve made with us. Head over to the Patterns for Pirates Facebook group and show off the fabulous Plushie Pals that you’ve managed to make from our freebie pattern! Happy Valentine’s Day, friends!

New Pattern Release :: Oversized Sweater!

January 23, 2020

January for the majority of us means sweater weather. The trend right now seems to be leaning toward an oversized, super cozy, slouchy sweater — and we jumped right on board with that style! Aptly named, the Oversized Sweaters are about to be your new best friends. Let’s talk about them, shall we?

The Oversized Sweater patterns are super classic loose sweater / sweatshirt / jumper patterns. The fit and style is so versatile and can be used with all the cozy fabrics everyone loves and stockpiles during the winter months! It’s time to use that stack of fluffy fabrics you’ve accumulated! This fast and easy sew will fill up your closets with pieces your whole family will love!

You can pick from 3 different necklines: a classic crew neckband, a tall turtleneck, or a hood — and the youth pattern even comes with optional ears! You can get creative with the short pointy ears (kitty, fox, wolf), rounded ears (bear, koala, panda), and long bunny ears. Who can resist those adorable ears? The hemline also includes 3 options: tight waistband, curved hemline and a split high low hem.

With the loose fit and many options you can create so many different looks with fabrics like french terry, sweater knits, sweatshirt fleece, fleece, sherpa, etc.

**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 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: HIGH-LOW SPLIT / CURVED / TIGHT WAISTBAND

NECKLINE OPTIONS: FOLD-OVER TURTLENECK / CREW / HOODED

OPTIONAL ANIMAL EARS INCLUDED IN THE YOUTH PATTERN: POINTED EARS / ROUNDED EARS / BUNNY EARS

How about some fabric inspiration? The looser fit means you can use something super drapey or super thick for different looks. Here are some of the favorite tester choices:

SWEATER KNITS: