Patterns for Pirates

P4P stylish, modern, wearable patterns

Harvey Relief

As most of you know, I’m a Texan.  The tragedy of Hurricane Harvey came so quick and devastated so many, it’s completely overwhelming.  We know so many friends and family who evacuated, are without their home, had to leave in the shortest notice with nothing but their children in tow, and so on.  There are so many heart-wrenching stories and those that were lucky are doing everything they can to help their neighbors, it’s inspiring.  I was at a loss of what I could do with P4P to help, but I’m hoping together we can raise some funds to send down to my fellow Texans in need.

 

I will be donating 100% profit of all sales made TODAY (August 31, 2017) on the P4P site.  And to try to boost that number I will be doing a site wide sale code (we usually only do site wide sales 2-3 times per year!) Use code: TEXASSTRONG for 20% off your total purchase today only- August 31st, 2017.  To help give the most we can, I’m asking kindly to share without affiliate links today- this will help get every penny to those who are is desperate need.

Turns out I’m not the only PDF Sewing pattern designer thinking of those on the Texas coast either.  My sister, who has huge ties to the southern coast, immediately set down and designed some wonderful Texas Pride cut files and is giving 100% profit of all sold to the Harvey Relief.  You can get them bundled all together here or buy few individually as well.

I loved them so much- I purchased them and made one for each member of my family.  Even my husband asked for one, although I haven’t grabbed his pictures just yet.  My son isn’t quite old enough to understand the situation, but he knew the shirts meant people in Texas needed help and we were going to try to help so he was ready to pose for me unlike he usually does.

I think Megan might have made this saying just for my Baby Girl 😉 She’s always Rarin’ to GO! So many parents with younger kids are now without diapers, formula, bottles, let alone their pacifiers, blankies, lovies…any comfort we can provide those little babies will make my heart lift up.  So many found themselves carrying their small children above the flood waters.

We’re not the only ones that have joined in trying to send funds for the Harvey Relief. A ton of PDF Sewing pattern designers are looking to help and many have set up their own sale codes in their groups! I’m so grateful to be in an industry that is so kind and willing to work together to help others.  I urge you to go take a look at each designer here and make any purchases today while they are giving some proceeds to a Harvey Relief charity.

The Harvey Relief sale codes are only valid TODAY- August 31st, 2017 so please let everyone know that might be interested in PDF Sewing patterns! We will be posting in the P4P Facebook Group where you can tag any friends/members.  Again, if you are an affiliate with P4P or these other designers please remember not to use affiliate links when sharing today so we can give everything we can to the charities.

Thank you, together we can help!

-Judy

How to Print P4P A0 Copy Shop File with Blue Prints Printing

We now offer the A0 Copy Shop File with all our newer patterns for an added convenience.  The A0 Copy Shop File is meant to be printed on a large printer on larger size paper (A0 size paper that is ;)).  It is about the size of an engineer’s print.

Most of our patterns fit on one to two of the A0 size papers.  This means you don’t need to tape together the smaller paper to tile together your larger pieces.  Very few pieces cannot fit onto that size and still need to be pieced (very long pieces usually- like Essential Tank Maxi which spans from shoulder to floor), but that’s 2 pieces rather than 50!  Here is an example of a pattern printed on an A0 size sheet:

We get asked a lot about where to print them!  And now we have a great suggestion for you.  We had  Blue Prints Printing reach out to us wanting to help make the process smooth and easy for everyone trying to print PDF sewing patterns! Most PDF plotting companies are based around printing engineer blueprints/plans.  So the process can seem confusing to upload and understand what you need for a PDF sewing pattern instead.  Not only did they ask all about the sewing patterns and what P4P seamstresses are looking for, they actually created a page and a great tool on their site for merging all the patterns into an order for a great experience JUST FOR US! <3  *They also set up an affiliate program for the P4P blog- accounts made through the P4P blog links will be affiliate links. *

They worked hard to make the process simple.  They have clickable step by step instructions on how to upload your patterns and order with suggestions on paper size, paper type, etc. to make the ordering process easy for a PDF sewing pattern. They also gave us an exclusive P4P discount code for the kick off: p4p-intro15 which will give you 15% off on print orders of $40.00 or more.  This comes out to $1.12 per page, which is the lowest we’ve found online anywhere.  They have incredibly fast shipping too!

But just to make sure, I’ve made a quick video all about how to get your A0 Copy Shop File from your account here on the P4P site, uploaded to their site and receive that big box of patterns all ready for you to create without taping or gluing sheets together.

They package very nicely so that your patterns come very smooth and protected as well!   You do pay shipping for this box, so it makes most sense to order as many together as possible in a “bundle” to save on shipping 🙂

They are welcoming the Pirates over with huge open arms and if you have any trouble they will be more than happy to help with your question or concern 24/7 at: service@blueprintsprinting.com or you can call from 9am-5pm, M-F Mountain Time/ leave voicemail other times at:  888-507-1002.

I hope this helps all you seamstresses out there that love PDF patterns, but don’t love taping them together!

Judy

P4P Presents the Summer of Wovens!

As many of you already know, I am a lover of knit fabrics.  I love how quickly they can be sewn up, and how comfortable the different types of knits are to wear.  BUT, we’ve seen in our Facebook Group that there is a desire for patterns that use woven and non-stretch fabrics.  We hear you and are about to make your woven pattern dreams come true!

To help kick off the first official day of summer, our P4P Team is announcing our “Summer of Wovens”!

What does a “Summer of Wovens” entail, exactly?

— Our pattern releases throughout the summer will ONLY be for woven fabrics.  Was there something you were hoping to see from us?  Of course we’d love to hear!

— Before we can get to the new goodies, we are making sure to update our older woven patterns to feature our layers format, including the A0 copy shop printing formats.  We will also be extending the sizing into the full range that we use now.  Our very first woven pattern for women was The Everyday Elegance  and we have been working behind the scenes on updates for this, as well as perhaps including a few new options for the pattern itself.  Here is our gorgeous Nicole modeling her newest EE:

— Of course we have new patterns already in the works!  Along with her EE, Nicole is sporting a sneak peek of the first *new* pattern, which is already in pre-testing! Perfect for a lightweight fabric for a comfortable and casual summer days/nights, these bottoms are a pull-on woven pant filled with options.  Since we are in pre-testing now, we still haven’t found the perfect name for these pants.  And, I always reserve my right to change my mind on the options we will offer on the final pattern! (I fully admit that I’m a girl who likes to exercise her right to change her mind! Lol.)  So things might change but this is the basic idea of what we are working on at the moment.

— Lastly, we will dedicate the blog to tips, tricks, and posts all about sewing with woven apparel fabrics.  A lot of seamstresses think of quilting cotton when they see the term woven, but we will be focusing on woven fabrics that are specifically made for apparel.  After all, they will be used for apparel patterns!  There is a large variety of available woven fabrics and it will be our mission to help you understand what works best for the project you’re about to tackle.  Let us know the questions you have about sewing apparel in woven/non-stretch fabrics and we will try to answer as many as we can.  We would really love to help you better understand this new type of fabric!

We hope everyone is excited to see what else we have coming this summer and can use up some of that woven fabric you’ve got hiding in your stash!

Spring Mini Capsule Winners

Wow, we have LOVED seeing everyone’s mini capsules they made during the contest! It was amazing to see so many wonderful outfits. Plus doesn’t it feel great being ready for Spring?? If you haven’t finished your mini capsule yet, please continue to work on it and post when you can. We would still love to see what you create 🙂 We enjoyed it so much, we will be hosting another capsule contest in the Fall. Now on to the winners! Winners will be tagged on Instagram and/or Facebook and simply need to email patternsforpirates@gmail.com AND madeformermaids@live.com for their pattern prizes. Fabric and grand prizes just email M4M. Drumroll please…

5 Winners each get to choose 1 pattern of choice from EACH M4M & P4P:

Alicia Zylstra from our FB groups.

@faerieflings from Instagram.

Debbie Brennan‎‎ from our FB groups.

@sillybugzboutique from Instagram.

 

Sara Marie from our FB groups.

 

3 Winners each get to choose 3 patterns from EACH P4P & M4M:

@sewing4sanity on Instagram.

Alyssa Arthur from our FB groups.

Amanda Massicotte Jones from our FB groups.

1 Winner for a $50 store credit to Sincerely Rylee ‎‎Fabric Shop:

@songofgrace on Instagram.

1 Winner for a $50 store credit to Pretty Posh Prints:

Cherie Williamson from our FB groups.‎

1 Winner for a $100 store credit to Knitpop:

Abby Mercer Eason from our FB groups.

GRAND PRIZE WINNER with their choice of a Brother Coverstitch Machine or $100 Joann Fabric Gift Card:

Nicole Joyce from our FB groups. 

CONGRATS to all the winners!! Thank you so much again to our sponsors and everyone who participated! If you blogged about your capsule sewing, please leave a link in the comment section below so we can check it out.

Spring Mini Capsule

We’re rounding out our Spring Mini Capsule Contest that we partnered with Made for Mermaids and I’m here to show you the two I got finished! (I wanted to make four…two got completed 😉 )

Katy , Alex, and Roberta  all shared theirs as well!

I finished up my Little Guy’s spring capsule quick! This totally gave me false hope of  finishing all of them lol! I did mostly tees and shorts since our spring gets pretty hot here in the south. Here was my plan for him.  I ended up leaving the yo-ho henley off for another raglan and the Lumberjack for a muscle tank.  I also didn’t quite make it to any undies…but he really needed the shorts and tees more anyways!  I switched out the joggers for the Cpt. Comfort jeans after finding some adorable striped denim that needed to be used.

I did 3 pairs of Pirate Playground Pants in the shorts length option.

These are a french terry with inseam pockets. I added some top-stitching to the pockets as well.

  Another french terry pair here with inseam pockets and I added a little stripe down the side in the wrong side of the french terry.

And yet another french terry 😉 Can you tell my favorite fabric for the Pirate Playground Pants yet? These are the patch pocket option I added a little band to the pocket with the wrong side of the french terry.

One pair of Cpt. Comfort Jeans that I modified to a shorts length in a striped denim.

And one pair of Swashbuckler Swim Trunks.  I still need to find the perfect drawstring for these!

Tops I did a three Jolly Roger Raglans in short sleeves. Two basic tees in cotton jerseys and one in swim fabric as a rash guard!

I added a Wingman Shirt in a cotton spandex.

And a Muscle Tank too.

We had fun with the silhouette machine and added a few of his favorite things to the plain ones.  The graphic ones took Mama a LOOOOONG time to get drawn out, but Little Guy is over the moon with them so I guess the time was worth it 😉

They can mix and match a bit and now he’s ready for that warm weather! <3 I loved this little challenge and contest so much I told Megan we’ll need to do another in the Fall!

My Little Guy isn’t one for modeling much- so here are a few shots of them on a super silly boy!

 

I also snuck in another mini capsule for a baby shower gift! Hers didn’t mix and match quite as well as a traditional capsule should…but I still thought it was a great little set 🙂

For bottoms I used the Baby Bear Joggers with yoga waistband and cuff options. As well as some quickly drafted size 3 month leggings (as I called Megan complaining her Bonny’s didn’t go down to a small enough baby size 😉 )

I did 3 tops for her.

A Heart Breaker Cami in the plain option.

A Sugar Pie in short sleeves and curved tunic hem option.  I added a cute little vinyl as well.

And a tiny Me Hearties in short sleeve and peplum options. I finished all the edges with a little scallop elastic.

For her layering pieces I did two Butterfly Cardigans.

One in tunic length with tall bands in a ribbed knit.

And one is a very lightweight sweater knit in tunic length and short bands.

I added in two little headbands using M4M knit headband and a little tiny hat too 🙂

Although you can mix and match a bit I paired them together for a few photos of my favorite outfit pairings! <3

The teeny tiny capsule was oh so cute to make and I think mama to be enjoyed it too!

We have absolutely loved seeing everyone’s mini capsules for this contest.  I think it must go down as one of my very favorite contests we’ve done!  Don’t miss out on the rest of the capsules that were shared here: Katy  , Alex and Roberta.

We will be announcing the winner tomorrow!

Sleeves and Their Wrinkles

I’ve scrolled past the question or remark about wrinkling around armpits a ton in sewing groups.  I’m here to talk about the #1 cause of armpit wrinkle on the sleeves.

It’s easier to understand why we have wrinkles around the armpit when we know how the sleeve was drafted.  Different sleeve types are drafted differently.

 

Dolman sleeves are also drafted so that there are no wrinkles when we have our arms lifted horiztonally.

Raglan sleeves are drafted so that there are little to no wrinkles when your arms are lifted.

Set in sleeves on knit tees are drafted so that there are no wrinkles when our arms are at a diagonal.

Okay, so what does that mean? When your arms are in other positions than the ones the sleeves are drafted for there will always be wrinkles/extra fabric/pulling.  Lets see a few real life picture examples!

Dolman: Shown here: The Sweet Tee Others we have in the shop are: The Pumpkin Spice Dolman and CoCoon Cardigan

Arms up (almost horizontal– I don’t stand with my arms straight out too much for pictures ;)): very little wrinkling or extra fabric and if my arm was up slightly more horizontal it would go away completely.

Arms Down: All the extra fabric is now “bunched”up under my arm when I put them down.

Arms Up:

Arms Down: in this more stable cotton spandex you can really see the difference!

 

 

Raglan: Shown here in the pink and grey: Slim Fit Raglan , Shown here in the black and leopard: Relaxed Raglan , and Shown here in youth: Jolly Roger Raglan

Arm Up: (almost horizontal).

Arms Down:

Arms Up: (again it was near impossible to find one all the way up/out but this is close!)

Arms Down:

Arms Raised: higher than horizontal. You can see the wrinkling move from under the arm to on top, it is being pulled since it is higher than the raglan sleeve is drafted at.

And another raglan set courtesy of my Little Guy 🙂

Arms Up: although it’s a close up, you can see his hands are on his hips-so not fully horizontal, but close!

Arms Down: (that look guys!  He’s a sassy one for sure…that doesn’t enjoy modeling for mama 😉 )

 

 

Set in Sleeves: Shown here: Sweetheart Dress , Shown here in youth: Henley , Shown here: fit picture from testing the upcoming youth tee 🙂 , and also in the shop we have Grandpa Cardigan , Wingman Shirt , Boundless Knit Dress , Buried Treasure Tunic , High Low Tide Top

Arms Diagonal:

One Arm Down and One Arm Extended Up: see the wrinkles are in different spots. My arm that is down creates wrinkle under the armpit area.  My arm that is extended all the way up creates them on top of the shoulder. (Also super crazy face I’m making because it was super windy 😉 ).

Arms Diagonal: the only wrinkling going on here is because I’m pulling my arm to the back (pointing my elbow backwards) unnaturally to try to show off the top.

Arms Down:

Here is a few youth examples of set in sleeves as well!

Arms Diagonal:

Arms Down:

Arms Diagonal:

Arms Down:

Arms Diagonal: (no wrinkling)

Arms Down: (wrinkling at under arm)

Arms Extended Up: (wrinkling above arm/shoulder)

If you’re realizing you have wrinkles at the bust, not sleeve we’ve also blogged about those here!

I hope this helps all you wonderful seamstresses out there creating knit garments and trying to make sure you’re getting the fit right 🙂

 

Heart Breaker Cami- Swim Top Hack

During testing we had a lot of ladies used swim knit as a swim top for their littles! I think the design looked like a great swim top!

So, I thought I would share the very simple mods I did to use the Heart Breaker Cami as a swim top for my Baby Girl!  I recommend adding swim elastic around all the edges.  This helps the suit stay put when wet. I used 3/8″ swim elastic so I didn’t have to change any measurements to the binding 🙂

*I know a lot of ladies will be asking if they can skip the elastic.  Technically yes, you can sew it with just swim knit and it will stand up to the water.  BUT, the elastic will make it a “real swim suit”.  What does that mean exactly?  The swim elastic is made to hold up to the water and chlorine and doesn’t stretch out when wet.  The swim fabric does  stretch out and get heavier when wet.  For me personally, if I’m going to give the time to sew up a swim suit, I want it to be a nice, stay put, last all summer one! So, I absolutely take the time to put in the elastic 🙂 I don’t want it to grow and fall down on her while we’re swimming or constantly be slipping off her shoulders if I skip it.

Follow the tutorial for the first step of attaching binding.  Then serge or stitch your swim elastic along the opposite edge of binding that has not been attached yet.  You want the edge of the swim elastic to be even along the edge of the binding. For the front curved neckline you will want to put slight tension on the elastic as you’re attaching, you don’t need to stretch much- just a touch- so that it hugs to your little one’s body.

Finish the binding exactly per the tutorial.  Repeat these steps for the rest of the binding- putting a small amount of tension on the elastic only around the curved areas (under arms).  For the shoulder straps and X back binding pieces you do not need to stretch the elastic at all- use a 1:1 ratio.

I also added some swim elastic into the bottom hem to keep it from riding up.  For the cropped version I slipped elastic into the band there at the bottom.

And now she’s ready for the summer!  I can’t wait to see her in it (especially since I found these perfect accessories to go with it!)

Spring Mini Capsule Sewing & Contest


Hey ya’ll- Judy’s sister, Megan here from Made for Mermaids! Judy and I have been talking about how badly we needed to start sewing warm weather clothes. Our kids have simply outgrown all their Spring (aka Summer in Dallas 😉 ) clothes. While we are constantly sewing for new pattern releases, most the time we’re using prints to show in tutorial and testing photos. Many times pieces end up not making any sense in our wardrobe and I find myself wearing the same staple, simple tops I have in my closet over and over. We decided a mini capsule was the perfect solution!

What is a capsule wardrobe? 

It’s a wardrobe made up of really versatile pieces that you completely LOVE to wear. Pieces that are simple; they can be mixed, mashed and worn several different ways. It’s about quickly and effortlessly being able to put an outfit together.  Now a full capsule wardrobe is made up of jewelry, shoes, accessories, everything you need to wear on a day to day basis. What we’re going to be doing is sewing 9 staple pieces for your closet. I’m trying to sew 3 mini capsules… I know I know, but we really need these so I’m hoping I can get them all done! One for myself, one for my daughter and one for  my son. 

How do you plan capsule sewing?

This will be different for everyone, depending on where you live, lifestyle and personal preferences. I can tell you how and what I have chose for our mini capsules. I love to have a board to help me plan. The visual really helps me be able to put it together exactly how I want. Don’t worry, I have FREE Photoshop templates if you’d like to make your own with photos or text. You can also use picmonkey or another editing/collage type site to help you. If you need directions on how to use the template, check the bottom of this post. Simply click each link below and they will download.

M4MWomensCapsuleTemplate

M4MGirlsCapsuleTemplate

M4MBoysCapsuleTemplate

First I decided what pieces I wanted to sew. I looked in my closet (and kid’s) and tried to see what was missing. Now I just typed these out, but you can do more of a suduko style where each row and column make an outfit, so you can REALLY make sure all your pieces can be worn together.

How do you choose patterns?

I choose patterns a few different ways.

1- What do I LOVE to wear and feel GOOD in? What do I find myself always pulling out of the dryer to wear again? Same for my kiddos. I find them asking to wear the same shirts and dresses all the time.

2- What is my wardrobe lacking? Do I need shorts, tanks, tees? We moved last Fall and my daughter’s new school dress code is much more strict than her last. She can’t wear any sleeveless tops or dresses, which throws out 90% of her Spring wardrobe from last year. I know I sound like a broken record…  but it’s HOT here in Dallas so I plan on making her a LIGHT cardi to be able to throw over tanks.

3- What will work with the warmer weather? Luckily for both M4M and P4P most our patterns have tons of options with different sleeve and hemlines that can be worn year-round 😉

How do you choose fabrics?

What makes capsules great is they are no fuss. So you don’t want to choose fabrics that clash, but rather coordinate and compliment each other. Think solid or solid-like fabric for most of your mini capsule. What am I talking about with “solid-like”?? A print that reads as a solid to blend the other fabrics together and something that coordinates with the focus fabrics. Think subtle: stripes, dots, heathered, burn-outs, etc. Also think about using different textures, so even if the fabric is solid or plain, it looks different against another piece. Choosing different types of fabrics will help your wardrobe not look or feel too bland. Remember to think about the weather and choose fabrics that won’t feel too warm. I know you know, by now that Dallas is HOT 😉 so I like to use ITY, rayon spandex, rayon challis, georgette, model, bamboo jersey, chiffon and light, open weave sweater knits when moving into warmer weather.

Here is Judy’s mini capsule fabric laid out for her Little Guy!  He’s old enough that he wanted to help pick! So, lots of superheros going on, which he considers a neutral 😉 She managed to keep in within a color scheme to help the tops and bottoms coordinate with each other.

How does the contest work?

We have several random participant prizes for you! To enter, all you need to do is sew a 9 piece mini capsule using all M4M and/or P4P patterns…now if you already have a favorite, staple piece you’ve sewn from one of our patterns and MUST have it in your capsule, that’s ok. They can be mash ups or a combo of our patterns. Then post your final capsule in our FB groups (P4P and/or M4M). The final post must be in a collage format. You can also share on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or other sewing/fabric FB groups. You MUST use the hashtag #sewminicapsule and we would love if you would tag M4M and P4P, and use #madeformermaids and/or #patternsforpirates . If you don’t use the hashtag we won’t be able to find your entry! You can sew multiple capsules for yourself and little one/s for more than one entry. Contest ends April 10th. We will have 12 random winners, open to international friends. Are you ready for prizes??

5 winners will get 1 pattern of choice from EACH P4P and M4M.

3 winners will get 3 patterns of choice from EACH P4P and M4M.

1 winner will get a $50 store credit to Sincerely Rylee Fabric Shop.

1 winner will get a $50 store credit to Pretty Posh Prints.

1 winner will get a $100 store credit to Knitpop.

Our grand prize winner will get their choice of a Brother Coverstitch 2340cv OR $100 gift card to Joann Fabric!

We can NOT wait to see what you make! If you have questions, need advice, inspiration, make sure to post in our FB groups, (P4P or M4M) we would LOVE to see what you’re sewing for your capsule!!
How to use the Photoshop templates-

Open file in Photoshop. Download all the photos you may want to put on your board. Click on the layer that says ‘Place Photo Here’. Click “File”, “Place” and then choose the photo you’d like. You can resize the photo by holding Shift and dragging the corners. Repeat with each box. Then save as a photo file so you can share with us!

If you want to just add JUST text to the board, click on the layer that says ‘Place Photo Here’ then add your text there for each box.

If you want to add text on top your photo, add a new layer above the layer that says ‘Place Photo Here’. Then add your text there for each box.

Want some inspiration?? Check out these boards from our team and/or blog contributors!

 

 

Cross my Heart Cami- Lined Cropped Hack

The Cross my Heart Cami just released and I know a lot of ladies are asking about how much support the cropped length has.  It is not drafted or designed to offer any support like a real bra.  But, here are some tips in lining it and adding a touch more support if you’d like it.

To line I cut 2 fronts, 2 backs and 1 set of the binding pieces and band.  I used the blue for my main fabric and black for the lining.  I also cut 1 size down from my measurements on everything but the band and used a more stable, thicker athletic knit for both main and lining.

 

I sewed the top a little out of order to line.  First I gathered my front and sewed the side seams to both my main and lining fabric.  I added some 1/4″ elastic into the side seams on the lining to help add a bit more support.

Then I attached one side of the band RST to my main fabric top. (My underbust is a size smaller, so mine will look a little smaller and more gathered than most 🙂 )

Attached the other side of the band RST to the lining top.

Now fold the band in half and put main and lining wrong sides together.  You can baste along the top edges of the top here to help keep them all in place.

Attach neckline binding exactly the same, treating the 2 top edges as 1.

After stitching the neckline bindings on you will stitch the shoulder strap bindings in the round.  With shoulder strap marked from pattern pieces, fold in half widthwise and stitch short ends creating a circle.

Attach binding piece exactly per the tutorial, aligning your stitch line on the binding with the side seam of the top.

Now you have a fully lined, no seams exposed cropped length cami 🙂

Although I could wear this around the house very comfortably I wouldn’t venture out in it still.  Personally, I’m much more comfortable in something with cups of some sort.  You can definitely add cups into the lining as well if you’re wanting that too, but I didn’t have any of hand to throw in there 😉 I wouldn’t consider it enough support to use as a sports bra either.  If you’re wanting more of a sports bra I would recommend adding some power mesh inner lining to help hold the ladies in place.

Mine will still be worn around the house all the time, layered over a sports bra (I often wear 2 to help hold those girls), and layered over a bra as well in those hot months when I’d rather not have 2 full layers on!

I can’t wait to see what all you lovely and creative ladies do with this pattern!

<3 Judy

Knit Types

We get a lot of questions about knit fabrics since most our patterns are drafted for a stretch knit!  We’ve done a few other blog posts trying to answer those questions that get asked most frequently like, What fabric pairs best with this top pattern?” We have our P4P Shirt Fits Explained blog about all the P4P top patterns, their intended fit and what my favorite fabrics are for them.  We also have Different Fabric, Different Fit post all about drape, thickness and stretch and how it can affect the fit of your top/dress.

knit types

Now I bring you a Knit Fabric Cheat Sheet– this is a printable, quick reference guide to knit fabric types that are popular.  I did not encompass every kind of knit fabric available, but I tried to put all the knit fabrics you might see at local stores and what most of us will be ordering online for home apparel sewing.

Sometimes different textile companies like to name/call fabrics by different names as well- so in turn the fabric shop will call it that name.  It can get confusing, but often if you ask the shop what it’s most like in terms of a more popular/well known fabric you will be able to find something to compare it to on this list.

For example: Liverpool.  Liverpool is something that I personal had never heard of in my years of fabric shopping until about a year ago.  It began popping up and becoming popular in LA fabric shops that buy from local textile companies directly and sell in their shops. It is what the textile companies were calling their “textured polyester” (this is what you’re most likely going to see it labeled as at a Joann) and so it’s what the fabric shops were calling it as well.  If you walked into a Joann and asked for “Liverpool” they most likely will not be able to point you in the right direction.

So in short, the fabric industry is constantly finding new ways to create fabrics and each textile company is going to name it what they want 🙂 If you learn the most popular knit types, what the fibers feel like and act like (poly, cotton, rayon, ect), terms like stretch percentage, drape and what that means, different ways to tell the weight/thickness of fabric it will be easier for you to order knit fabric online and know exactly what you’re expecting to receive in the mail! I added some notes at the very beginning of the print out about stretch percentages and weights of fabrics to help as well!

I still recommend going to your local stores and feeling as much knit fabric as possible.  Here I am walking into a Joann Fabrics and looking through a big chunk of their knits.  I tried to grab a variety and talk about them for those who are new to knits:

Same thing at a local Wal-Mart and their knit selection:

I will try to do a few more local stores and maybe some unboxing from online shops one day! 🙂

Here is your printable Knit Fabric Cheat Sheet again.  You can save on your phone or computer and pull it up when trying to order online and are feeling unsure or print it out and take it to your local store to make sure you’re getting what you need for a certain project!

I hope this helps everyone out there just beginning to dip their toes into sewing knit garments! I LOVE my knit pieces for myself, kids, even hubs gets some from time to time 😉 They’re more forgiving with fit, quicker to sew, comfortable to wear and usually require no ironing in the morning! 😉 I’ll try to make knit lovers out of all you!!! <3 <3 <3

 

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