Patterns for Pirates

P4P stylish, modern, wearable patterns

2020, A Year in Review

This year was definitely a strange one…but you don’t need me telling you that.  Let’s keep it light by recapping all of the fun things that happened in our teeny, tiny Patterns for Pirates corner of the world.  I haven’t always done recaps, but it’s fun for me (and I hope for you too) to see just what we did during the year!  So without further ado… here is what P4P accomplished during 2020:

We added 10 new patterns to the shop (20 if you count the youth and adult as separate patterns!):

In order of release:

I truly love each and every pattern we put out this year!  (I might even be wearing some Cozy Pants and Cozy Wrap as I’m typing up this very blog post.)

We did some extra Free patterns this year because we felt like more people could use some smiles throughout this rougher year.  So, here are all the freebies we released!

In order of release:

We also made an announcement about how our free downloads are handled.  Starting 1/1/2021 when you check out with a freebie it will stay in your download section for 30 days.  After 30 days it will expire.  You can either download it to your own device or go through the checkout process again if you need to reprint in the future and didn’t save it. The freebies will always remain free and will always be there if you don’t want to save them to your own device/cloud/etc.

What else did we do this year? How about some special events we held…

Or what Sew A Longs we put on?

You can find each Sew A Long on our blog and as a playlist on our YouTube Channel:

I always love to see what the most popular patterns are through the year as well!

In order of popularity:

It looks the Pirate Community as whole likes to be equal parts glamorous and comfy… exactly how I feel too!

Let’s look at the most popular freebies this year!

Here are some links in case you want to snag these favorite freebies for yourself:

And our most popular YouTube Videos while we’re at it!  We worked hard trying to add more videos into Patterns for Pirates this year, I hope you enjoyed the added videos!

I was surprised to not see the Infinity Scarf with Hidden Zipper Pocket in the top freebies, but since it is on the blog and not downloaded that is probably why!  You don’t need to “checkout” or download any pattern pieces to make one up. 😉

We work hard on all social media fronts to make Patterns for Pirates easy for you to find and enjoy.  Here are some social media highlights from this year:

Our blog is run mostly by the wonderful Alex- you know her from our Sew A Longs! But we also have a team of contributors who help up write up blogs… together we managed to put out 6 more P4P University blog posts…these are great beginner blogs answering the questions we see asked the most frequently in the P4P FB group! So, if you ever have a basic sewing question hop onto the P4P blog and use that search… we are working on having the answers for you!

 

P4P University added this year: Waistbands , Elastics , Grommets , Easy Gathering Methods, Sewing Machine vs. Serger , Intended vs. Preferred Fit , and Sewing with Swim .  You can also find all the P4P University blogs rounded up in the FB Group Album!

Here are a few more highlights from the different Social Media outlets we use to keep you in the loop! If you follow me on each one you will notice I use them all slightly differently. I tend to share more selfies, in the moment/candid pictures and sneak peeks on my Instagram. I use the Facebook Group and Page to announce new patterns, sales, etc. I use the Blog to keep all details from everything from new patterns, sales, how tos, hacks, etc. The YouTube channel of course has all our videos from sew a longs, P4P universities, and tutorial videos as well.

 

Thank you to all the new followers, members, etc and for everyone who was here already and stayed with us! I appreciate each and every single one of the follows, members, subscribers, etc!

I’m excited to see what 2021 will bring for Patterns for Pirates as well- I wish you all a Happy New Year!

2nd Annual Holiday Charity Week – 2020

I began an annual tradition last year of giving a large portion of profits from the week of Christmas to a charity.  It makes my heart full to be able to reach out a helping hand, with the assistance of the Patterns for Pirates community.  I just hope that our donations will allow a little extra support for those who need it.

We’ve opted to support the same charities that were benefactors last year.  They may change in the future but for this year at least, they will remain the same.

I will be donating to both Action Against Hunger and a local North Texas Food Bank.  With the hardships that 2020 has brought upon everyone, so many more families need help getting enough food on the table and I hope this week will help get more food to more tables in need both here locally for area and across the world with Action Against Hunger.

                                           

 

You do not need to do anything special for your purchase to count toward the funds being donated during charity week.  40% of every single pattern purchase during this time frame will be donated automatically. *Note- the Fabric for Pirates Fabric Subscriptions transactions will not go through until the 1st of the month, which means even if you sign up during this week the transaction will not apply to this charity week.

If you’ve been eyeing any patterns for your stash, now is the perfect time to grab it and help make our donation amounts even bigger!

Thank you and Happy Holidays,

Judy

Important Announcement :: Changes to Freebies!

Growing pains exist in so many ways, even in business.  Some are easy to ignore — and some you can only ignore for so long.  This is one of those “for only so long” moments.  As we continue to grow, this little corner of the web continues to throw challenges our way.

Our main goal is to make every experience a great one when you visit us here.  Every. Single. Visit.

After consulting with several website gurus, the best way to increase website capabilities is to adjust how our “Freebies” work.  Starting January 1, 2021 (01-01-21), ALL free files will automatically expire after 30 day of purchase.

So now you’re thinking: How will this affect me?

Here are a few FAQs:

  • Q: Are these patterns not free any longer?
    • A: As we like to say: Freebies will always be free.  They just won’t stay in your account forever.  You’ve got 30 days to download them, or else you need to “purchase” them again….still for free.
  • Q: What do I need to do differently?
    • A: Not much.  Just download your files and save them to your computer, external hard drive, tablet, cloud storage, etc.  If you forget to save them somewhere, it’s not a problem.  The patterns will remain in your account for 30 days before you need to “purchase” them again.
  • Q: What happened to the free pattern that I “bought”?  I can’t find it in my account.
    • A: It’s simple….it’s been over 30 days, which means your download expired.  Add it to your cart, go through the checkout process, and download it again.  Easy peasy!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us for some extra assistance: [email protected]

Thank you so much for being part of our P4P family!  And get ready for five full days of fun with our 2020 Holiday Freebies…starting tomorrow!

Fabric for Pirates:: A Monthly Subscription Box

We couldn’t be more excited to announce our newest Pirate fun to all our Pirate Friends!  You can now sign up for our super fun and simple monthly subscription: Fabric for Pirates.  You will get a few things at the beginning of every month to brighten your month and give you some motivation to get some sewing done! The subscription is charged at the first day of each month (you can sign up or cancel anytime between) and we will ship your goodies to you by no later then the 10th of each month.

What will you get?

You will receive 2 yards of knit fabric.  This could be any kind of knit fabric from french terry, double brushed poly, cotton jersey, sweater knits, etc… We promise that it’ll always be seasonally appropriate, and we will avoid sending duplicate fabric types within consecutive months.  We want this to be a learning experience as well, so we want you to try out as many fabric types as you can!

Most months we will be sending 2 continuous yards of fabric, but we could throw in two 1 yard coordinate pieces too! The options are endless!

Along with the fun mystery fabric we will be adding a little “sewist swag”… just a little something extra we think most sewists will love! This could be a pin, patch, sewing tool, vinyl press on, etc.

We will also be working hard to provide some exclusive inspiration for your fabrics by showing you videos and pictures of what the pirate crew made each month, and maybe throwing in some tips for working with the different fabric types.

Maybe you immediately knew the ::perfect:: pattern to go with your fabric that month, but didn’t have it in your pattern stash yet.  Well don’t worry!  Because we are also going to include an exclusive discount code for you just in case you need to pick up a pattern for your new fabric!

The spots are limited! So don’t wait to sign up! <3

FABRIC for PIRATES MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION

Want to hear how cute Katy is explaining our new subscription? Here she is!

New Pattern Release :: Sailor Gaiter FREEBIE (5 Sizes Included!)

2020 has been a rough year for a lot of people, and so we’re popping in with an unscheduled freebie to hopefully make your day today!

The Sailor Gaiter is a classic knit, stretch neck gaiter.  It is super useful for everyday situations (think: bicycling, working out, general accessorizing, etc.)!

**If you’re planning on using this as a face covering, per your local mandated requirements, please review the guidelines provided by the CDC. This face covering is intended for general public use only and is not intended as a replacement for medical grade PPE.

You can wear it a ton of different ways for your own style and whatever you’re doing at the time.  Some of the most popular ways are as a face covering, headband, around your neck,  (the tall option) hat/beanie, and more.

We also added a ear loop option to help keep it on and up for those doing activities moving around a lot.

You can line it for a 2 layer option or just use 1 layer and hem the edges.
**If you choose the double layered option, you might want to consider sizing up, as it can start to get a bit tight with those extra layers!

The Sailor Gaiter is a perfect scrap buster!  It takes very little fabric, and very little time to put together!  All you need is some high stretch knit and you’ll be on your way. Our favorite fabric types for the gaiters were cotton lycra/spandex and athletic knits.

With five sizes in this quick and easy pattern, you can create a Sailor Gaiter for everyone from child to large adult.

What are you waiting for?  Go grab the pattern now!  SAILOR GAITER FREE PATTERN  And then be sure to head over to our Facebook Group, or to tag us on Instagram so we can see what you made!

We hope this freebie helps make 2020 just a little smoother for you and yours.

Spring Sale

The rain has come… spring has sprung!

Time for our annual Spring Sale 🙂 Grab all the patterns you’ve been eyeing… we usually only have 2-3 sales a year! <3

Coupon code: SPRING2020 , but the code should pop up on your checkout page and you can just CLICK TO APPLY 🙂 So need to strain to remember the code!

New Pattern Release :: Flutter Wrap!

I can hear spring time calling! The Flutter Wrap with it’s flutter sleeves and flounce options makes me so excited for spring time dresses… but we made sure to give it some warmer options to in case you’re not ready for warmer weather just yet 😉 No matter what weather you’re sewing for the Flutter Wrap will have you covered and feeling fabulous!

The Flutter Wrap can be an everyday top and dress or a show stopper formal depending on options you pick!  It can be tailored for any occasion!  The flounce and flutter sleeve options give it such a fun detail that add some glamour and fun.  It has a wide variety of fabrics you can use for the different options.  It is drafted for knit stretch fabrics with at least 30% horizontal stretch.  Flounce options work great with fabrics with a soft drape to create those beautiful cascading ruffle look with no gathering! Whoever you’re sewing the Flutter Wrap for they will surely feel gorgeous! The wrap style allows for easy fitting with tying it a bit tighter to looser and you can play with the neckline for more or less coverage on the bust!  Enjoy several videos in the tutorial including: fabric choices, adding/taking away length, grading/mashing between sizes-youth, easing in flounces, binding on neckline, flounce neckline, and even how to tie it up at the end!

You can pick from 3 different necklines: a plain neckline, a narrow flounce or a wider “sleeved” flounce- all are finished with a narrow binding to the inside of the garment.  A length for every occasion with a shirt length, knee length, knee length with flounce, maxi or maxi with flounce for the hemline.  Sleeves included are a tank, short flutter sleeve, traditional fitted short, 3/4 or long sleeve.

**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: SHIRT, KNEE LENGTH, MAXI LENGTH

MORE HEMLINE OPTIONS: KNEE WITH FLOUNCE, MAXI WITH FLOUNCE

 

TRADITIONAL FITTED SLEEVE OPTIONS: SHORT, 3/4, LONG

 

MORE SLEEVE OPTIONS: TANK, SHORT FLUTTER SLEEVE

NECKLINE OPTIONS: PLAIN, NARROW FLOUNCE, WIDER “SLEEVED” FLOUNCE

How about some fabric inspiration? Depending on  your options  you can choose from a very wide array of knits! Here are some of the favorite tester choices:

SWEATER KNITS:

DOUBLE BRUSHED POLY:

RAYON SPANDEX:

RIBBED KNIT:

VELVET:

OTHER SOFT DRAPE KNITS: POLY SPANDEX, SLUB KNIT, TRI-BLEND JERSERY, POLY FDY, ITY

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: Flutter Wrap Facebook Album | Flutter Wrap – Youth Facebook Album

Are you ready to sew your new favorite sweater?  Go grab the patterns now!

FLUTTER WRAP | FLUTTER WRAP – YOUTH | FLUTTER WRAP – ADULT/YOUTH BUNDLE

And if our pattern doesn’t hit just the right spot, we’ve also included a blog post that will help take your Flutter Wrap 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 Saturday March 14 (11:59PM US Central Time Zone).

Happy Sewing, Pirates!

2019 Review

I love looking back at everything we did throughout the year as we close out the year and begin a new one! I always feel like I’m not producing enough new things during the year, but always look back proudly at what we did!

Here are the NEW patterns we added to the site during 2019:

The Basic Tee – Mens | The Basic Tee – Womens | The Basic Tee – Youth | The Basic Tee – Bundle
Loggers | Loggers – Youth | Loggers Bundle
Sporty Piko | Sporty Piko – Youth | Sporty Piko Bundle
Minute Maillot | Minute Maillot – Youth | Minute Maillot – Bundle
Summer PJs | Summer PJs – Youth | Summer PJs – Bundle
Hepburn | Hepburn – Youth | Hepburn – Bundle
Twist Back Top | Twist Back Top – Youth | Twist Back Top – Bundle
Fierce Bra | Fierce Bra – Youth | Fierce Bra – Bundle
Fierce Undies | Fierce Undies – Youth | Fierce Undies – Bundle
Gala Gown | Gala Gown – Youth | Gala Gown – Bundle

We also started adding Metric measurement charts into our patterns, more videos, and extended our size range to Plus 5X this year starting with the Twist-Back Top <3

Here are all the NEW FREEBIES we added this year:

Heart Pouch | It’s a Cinch…Bag | Adventure Hat
Just Write Skirt | Witch Hat | Festive Fabric Trees | Hey Cookie Apron
Hooded Blanket | Pixie Hat | Ugly Sweater Party DIYs

We did a few fun events!

So many Sew A Longs! If you’re not part of our Sew A Long Facebook Group make sure to join in the fun 🙂

I always like to see what are the most popular patterns through the year as well, here are the most loved patterns during 2019:

The Basic Tee – Mens | The Basic Tee – Womens | The Basic Tee – Youth | The Basic Tee – Bundle
Cocoon Cardigan | Butterfly Cardigan | Cocoon/Butterfly Cardigan Bundle
Gala Gown | Gala Gown – Youth | Gala Gown – Bundle
Loggers | Loggers – Youth | Loggers Bundle
Wiggle Dress
Boundless Knit Dress | Boundless – Youth | Boundless Bundle
SOS Knit Pants | SOS Knit Pants – Youth | SOS Knit Pants Bundle
Essential Tank
Minute Maillot | Minute Maillot – Youth | Minute Maillot – Bundle

 

I can’t wait to add more to the site this year and continue to grow Patterns for Pirates with you!

 

1st Annual Holiday Charity Week

I love the holiday season and the kindness that comes along with it.  To help spread the love, I have decided to start an annual tradition of giving a percentage of sales the during the week leading up to Christmas Day to a charity.  I plan on picking a different charity each year or at least rotating them.

This year I will be giving 40% of all sales this week (12-18-2019 to 12-25-2019) from the P4P website to charity.  For 2019, I’ve decided to split the total between a local DFW food bank and a global charity: Action Against Hunger.

Together, we can help others this week and help to spread some of the holiday kindness.  If you happen to need a pattern, make sure and grab it now and know that your purchase will be felt by others!  Have all the patterns you need?  Consider taking a few moments to donate to either charity directly instead <3  No matter what, I’m here wishing every single one of you reading this Happy Holidays!!

-Judy

Fall in Love with Sewing :: 120k Member Saleabration and Giveaway :: WINNERS Announced!!

Today is the day! I loved seeing all the entries come in throughout the 10 days! I hope everyone had time to enter one thing!

We have a runner up and grand prize this giveaway… so we’ll announce Runner Up first!

Runner Up will win 10 P4P patterns of choice, an adorable sewing machine necklace, and a fabric bundle! Our winner was grabbed from Instagram! Handle: emenemely- Emily Howard <3

I hope you enjoy everything included in your prize!

Next up is the GRAND PRIZE…lets remind everyone what they’ll get!

I’m so excited to share the Grand Prize winner!! This entry was from our FB Group 🙂

 

Ree Nay, don’t be too sad about that serger acting up…you will have a new Juki serger for your next pair of loggers along with a Brother Coverstitch and so much more! <3 I can’t wait to see what you make will your new machines and I hope the Admin Love Bundle helps you fall even more in love with sewing then you already are!  I hope to see many more shares of that precious baby and yourself (and any other loved ones that are lucky enough to get your handmande items) wearing P4P patterns!

Just for fun I searched any other entries Ree had made!

And just because I enjoyed seeing all the entries come in these past 10 days let me share some with you!  Maybe some of them will inspire the perfect pattern match for some fabric you have in  your stash!

 

I hope everyone enjoyed the theme of falling in love with sewing this past week or so with us! It’s something we all share and brings us together <3 Even if you didn’t win I hope you got some sewing checked off your list, maybe grabbed a few ideas for your holiday gift wish list,  or got some inspiration from others entries!

Make sure you sign up for our newsletter so you never miss out on any amazing events like this in the future!

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