Blog - Patterns for Pirates

Mama Bear Joggers :: Stretch Woven

May 9, 2017

Joggers have been a really popular trend lately. A big reason, aside from the pure comfort, is because they can be dressed down with a pair of sandals or they can be dressed up with some heels for a day out in the city. But did you know? The Patterns for Pirates Mama Bear Joggers (as well as Papa and baby of course) only require 20% stretch! This leaves SO many options to choose from when deciding on fabric to sew your own. Inspired by Judy’s olive poplin version (below), I sewed up a couple joggers for myself in some other fabric options.

While rummaging around for something to use, I discovered some stretch denim that was hiding away in my fabric stash. I just knew it would be perfect! This denim is about 25% stretch and wears incredibly comfortably. I wear these joggers around the house or I like to style them with a pair of heels and a blousey, loose or fitted tank top for a day out. The denim definitely adds some structure to the pants but certainly does not take away from the comfort.

I also found some stretch twill in my stash and knew I HAD to whip up a pair of summer shorts with it! I used the Mama Bear pattern in shorts length, but added about 2.5″ to the bottom hem line in order to do the roll-up hem instead. I love the look of it over the traditional version for this purpose. Some ribbon in my stash was used for the drawstring and really finished off the look. These are just seriously cute and comfortable!

So next time you’re at the fabric store or digging around in your stash at home, break out your stretch ruler (you can find one in Judy’s cheat sheet) and then use those stretch wovens!

::: Written by Kelly Bailey – P4P Blog Contributor :::

Read more about sewing joggers for the entire family here!

Read some easy Bear Jogger hacks here!

[Read more…]

Peg Legs SAL: Day 7 – Recap and winners announcement

May 3, 2017

We made it to the last day of the Peg Legs sew along. You all did an amazing job this past week! I’ve seen so many beautiful pairs of Peg Legs being sewn.

Let’s recap what we did so far:

Day 1: Fabric selection

Day 2: Printing and measuring

Day 3: Cutting the fabric

Day 4: Attach add ons

Day 5: Sew inseam and attach legs

Day 6: Attach waistband

Without further ado…here are our 5 Peg Leg SAL winners

First winner: Sarah Wilkinson

$15 P4P store credit

$50 So Sew English store credit

$50 Stika Fabrics store credit

$50 Midnight Mountain Fabrics store credit

$25 Beanpop store credit

$50 RP Custom Fabrics store credit

Second winner: Erin Cooper

$15 P4P store credit

$50 Aurora Designs store credit

$50 Little Bear Fabric + Trim store credit

$50 Smoogie Custom Fabric store credit

$25 Little Lady Bug Fabrics Gift Card

$30 Store Credit($50 NZD) Levana Fabrics

Third winner: Raven Brown

$15 P4P store credit

$60 Boss Lady Fabric store credit

$50 The Fabric Snob store credit

$50 RockerBye Destash Fabric store credit

$50 Water Tower Textiles Canada store credit

€25 Droomstoffen store credit

Fourth winner: Lorie Peugh Judd

$15 P4P store credit

$50 Made Whimsy/ You Made Something store credit

$25 Star Dust & Moon Beam Textile Company gift card to each store

$50 Pretty Posh Prints store credit

$50 Sash Fabrics store credit

$30 Phat Quarters store credit

Big prize winner: Phillipa Lyes

$50 P4P store credit

$100 Sincerely Rylee store credit

$75 Sew Vagabond store credit

LFRB full of fabric from Sly Fox Fabrics

$50 True North Fabrics store credit

$50 Sweet N Charmed Fabric store credit

Congratulations to all of the winner and all participants! Please contact the shop owners to claim your prizes.

Thank you to the sponsors who made all these amazing prizes possible. Be sure to check out their awesome fabric selections!

Smoogie Fabric and Design

Sitka Fabrics

Star Dust and Moon Beam Textile Company

Levana Fabrics

Midnight Mountain Fabrics

Little Bear Fabric and Trim

Fabricmail Sweet N Charmed

Phat Quarters, Pretty Posh Prints

Little Ladybug Fabrics.

Peg Legs SAL: Day 6 – Attach waistband (with optional pocket)

May 1, 2017

Can’t believe we’re almost at the end of the sew along. Today we’ll be attaching the waistband. Whether you’re doing the high or low rise or the contoured waistband like I did, now is the time to add it to the leggings. This step can also be done with the sewing machine or the serger. If you use a sewing machine, remember to set it for a stretch stitch. A triple stretch stitch will work great!

If you are attaching your waistband with your serger you can either do a regular overlock stitch or you can even do a flat lock stitch. Using a flatlock stitch will eliminate the bulk at the seam that you get with an overlock stitch.

For this sew along I used the new contoured waistband which, let me tell you, is the best thing ever! Best tummy control while still comfortable.

It is very important to cut your fabric along the grain. We have seen some FB comments suggesting to cut the waistbands against the grain for more support. I highly discourage that because your peg legs will loose shape in the wash and will not fit as intended.

TIP: If you are more of a rectangular shape than hourglass, you can add elastic to the top seam of your contoured waistband.

You can see the waistband construction video here.

Don’t forget to post your final picture in the Peg Legs SAL event and hastag it #peglegsSAL before May 3rd 10 pm EST. Be sure to come back on Wednesday for the Sew Along recap and the winners announcement.

Peg Legs SAL: Day 5 – Sew Inseam and attach legs

April 30, 2017

Welcome to day 5 of the Peg Legs Sew Along! Today we will be sewing the inseam, hemming each leg and attaching them. Start by pinning (or clipping) the inseams on each leg, right sides together. You can either serger it or stitch it with your sewing machine. If you use your sewing machine for this step, make sure to use a stretch stitch!

If you’re using your serger, test the stitches on a scrap piece of fabric, preferably the same as the one you used for your pegs. Testing first will give you a chance to see if you need to make any adjustments to the tension or stitch length or width.

Once you’ve sewn the inseams you can either hem or sew the crotch curves. I prefer to hem first because I find it easier to maneuver if the legs are not attached together. When hemming your Peg Legs make sure you steam press before and after you stitch. You can use your coverstitch machine or your sewing machine for this step, just remember to use a stretch stitch.

Last step of the day is sewing the crotch curve. Pin or clip the curve right sides together, matching the inseam and the back and front rise. The easiest way to do this is to turn one of the legs inside out and place the other leg (right side out) inside.

You can see the day 5 video here !

When you’ve finished these steps, don’t forget to post a picture in the Peg Legs SAL Event and hashtag it #pegsalday5.

Peg Legs SAL: Day 4 – Sew add ons (pocket, color block, side strip etc)

April 29, 2017

Hello there! Day 4 is here and we’re starting to sew! Woohoo! Today we’ll be putting the leg pieces together. If you added a pocket, or a side strip, or color blocked the side strip, now is the time to put them together.

I love to work “assembly line style” so I pin…well clip…all pieces together first. Then sew/serge and then topstitch. If you are using a sewing machine make sure you use a stretch stitch like the “thunderbolt” , a triple stretch stitch or a very narrow zig zag. When top stitching with a sewing machine I highly recommend using twin needles. Check out the Twin Needles Blog for some tips and tricks!

For my SAL Peg Legs pair I stitched with my serger and topstitch with the coverstitch machine. You can see how I put together the add ons in the day 4 video here!

If you want to take it up a notch you can use decorative top stitching too. The Decorative stitching blog is an excellent source for all of you who would like to take the Peg Legs up a notch!

Once you’ve assembled your leg pieces post a picture in the Peg Legs SAL Event and hash tag it #pegsalday4. See you back here tomorrow!

Peg Legs SAL: Day 3 – Cutting the fabric

April 28, 2017

Welcome to day 3 of our Peg Leg sew along. So far we have picked the fabric(s) we will use, measured for accurate sizing and printed the pattern. Today we will be cutting the fabric so grab those sharp scissors or rotary cutter and let’s get started.

It is imperative that you cut your fabric following the grain/stretch recommendation. Do not cut your pegs against the grain even if you feel that it may save you some fabric. The final product will not look as nice and you will notice sagging and misshaping.

Don’t forget to cut MIRROR pieces for both your main part and the color block ones! The easiest way to make sure you cut all the fabric correctly is to fold the fabric and make only one cut instead of two mirrored ones. Check out day 3 video here!

TIP: Cut all pieces of the same fabric before cutting the pieces of the coordinating fabrics.

Once you cut your fabric post a picture of the pieces in the Peg Leg SAL Event and hashtag it #pegsalday3. See you back here tomorrow!

Peg Legs SAL: Day 2 – Printing and measuring

April 27, 2017

Today we will be printing the pattern in the size needed. In order to do that it is very important that you take your most accurate measurements. You will need your waist, hips and inseam measurements in order to choose the correct Peg Legs size. P4P has an amazing blog that gives you tip for accurately taking your measurements. You can read all about it here.

If you are like me you may need to grade between sizes. My hips put me in a larger size than my waist….or maybe I should say my waist puts me in a smaller size than my hips? 🙂 Worry not! We have a blog post for easy grading too!

Two things are very important to remember when grading the pattern.

Smooth transitions between sizes!
Grade both the front and the back of the legs.

Now that we established which size(s) we need it’s time to print the pattern. Did you see that the new updated Peg Legs and Add On pack feature layers now? How amazing is that? Save that ink and print just what you need. Haven’t used layers before? Check out this blog before you do so. If you need to grade between sizes you just need to select the sizes needed when you print. Easy peasy.

Day two will not require you to post any pictures in the Peg Leg SAL event. See you all back here tomorrow!

Thank you to our sponsors!

Peg Legs SAL: Day 1 – Choosing the fabric

April 26, 2017

Welcome to day 1 of our big 50K celebration Peg Legs Sew Along! With all the amazing things happening this week it was a given that we would sew together the new updated and FREE Peg Legs and add ons patterns.

Let’s get started by selecting the fabric. This step is very important as choosing the right fabric is extremely important ensure proper fit. Weather you choose, double brushed polyester, cotton spandex or performance knit, it is a must to check the vertical and horizontal stretch. The Peg Legs require the use of fabric with 50% horizontal AND vertical stretch. Typically fabric with 5% spandex or more will work.

Cotton Lycra/spandex (note- Lycra=spandex). Medium weight is usually 10oz or more
Rayon spandex. This is typically thinner so may not be opaque.
Nylon spandex / Supplex – great for performance wear. This usually has a higher content of spandex and will feel tighter, much like compression wear.
Polyester spandex – brushed polyester spandex is what many of the boutique leggings are made from however, it is a slightly harder to find the fabric in retail stores. Be sure to check the vertical stretch percentage as some may be less than the 50% require stretch.
Stretch Fleece – Fabrics such as Polartec Powerstretch are a 4 way stretch fleece. Regular fleece, like blizzard, anti-pill and cuddle fleece found in retail stores are NOT recommended.

Our Peg Leg 101 blog is full of useful information for first time Peg makers and not only so be sure to bookmark it.

Have you decided which add on will you be using? So many choices, right? I will be making the color block option with a pockets for this SAL. Make sure you also check out the awesome hacks we have been showing you this past week.

I decided to use a this Cosmic Thunder nylon spandex and accent it with Lime moisture wicking poly spandex (both from Made Whimsy fabric). If you would like to mix and match fabric types I recommend using fabrics with similar weights and stretch. Remember to always prewash your fabric before cutting it! If you’d like to know more about the various types of knit fabrics out there, be sure to check out Knit Types blog here.

Once you decided which fabric(s) you will be using post a picture of them in the Peg Leg SAL Event and hash tag it #pegsalday1

We could not end day 1’s blog without telling about the awesome prizes. Make sure you sew along with us this week and post your daily pictures in the Peg Legs SAL event because 5 lucky winners will be receiving P4P store credit and fabric from our sponsors.

Thank you:

Smoogie Fabric and Design

Sitka Fabrics

Star Dust and Moon Beam Textile Company

Levana Fabrics

Midnight Mountain Fabrics

Little Bear Fabric and Trim

Fabricmail Sweet N Charmed

Phat Quarters, Pretty Posh Prints

Little Ladybug Fabrics.

50K Fan Celebration :: Ruched Side Panel Hack

April 25, 2017

Hey guys, I have a super easy hack to the new Peg Leg Add Ons for you today!

You will need to cut your side panel piece from the Peg Leg Add Ons twice the length.

Gather along side seams. I used two rows of stitches on each side to help keep gathers even (it’s also a safeguard just in case one of them breaks along the way!).

Gather the ruched piece to original length. I like to clip in the middle of each piece and then the ends before I begin to pull the gathering strings. This will help to keep your gathers even throughout the piece.

Lastly, attach your pieces like normal!

So simple and gives you a whole different look!

We are celebrating reaching 50K fans in our Facebook group! To make it a party, our beloved PegLegs pattern just got an update AND some new add-ons. Before you go running to your machine to sew up your own leggings, make sure to read our PegLegs 101 blog post. This way, you’ll have all the the information you’ll need to make the perfect pair before you even cut into your gorgeous fabric.

But wait, there’s more! After any good party is an after-party. We are taking it one step further and sharing some easy hacks that’ll bring even more flavor to your favorite leggings pattern! We hope you check them out, make your new favorite pair of leggings, and know that we appreciate every single one of you amazing sewing guys and gals!

Here are our hacks / tutorials / latest tricks:

Lace Waistband Alternative | Drawstring Waistband Tutorial
Exposed Elastic Waistband | Stirrup Pant Hack
Ruched Ankles Adjustment | Decorative Topstitching Tutorial
Ruched Side Panel Hack

50K Fan Celebration :: Exposed Elastic PegLegs Hack

April 24, 2017

Want to make your Peg Legs even easier? How about skipping the band? Today we have an easy hack for you- adding an exposed elastic band.

There are so many types of elastic available in a variety of colors and designs, as well as a multiple widths. For this hack, you will want to first determine how high you would like your band to come. When I was looking for mine, I searched online for “boxer elastic” knowing that I wanted a large band and this gave me the biggest variety. I finally decided on one that was 5″ tall.

I chose to cut my Pegs as a low rise since the elastic I chose will add quite a bit of height. You can determine which rise is best for you, keeping in mind how tall your elastic is. You will then want to assembly your Peg Legs as per the tutorial until you reach the step of attaching the band.

For the width of my band, I used the cut chart as a guide. I added 2″ to this, as my elastic did not have the same amount of stretch as a fabric band would have had (you can always take more off if you need to, should your band be too large when attaching). Fold band in half width-wise, with wrong sides together, and stitch to create an elastic circle.

Mark both your elastic band and Pegs into even quarters, then slip band around waist of Peg (with right sides together), aligning quarter points. You will want to make sure that you will have to slightly stretch the band, not the waist of the Pegs. If you do not have to stretch, unpin and remove a small amount from the waistband. It is important to have the band stretch slightly to help hold the Pegs up!

Once you have the elastic waistband and Pegs clipped/pinned together, serge or sew around the waist as you would when attaching a fabric band using a 0.5″ seam allowance. Once attached, if you serged the elastic together in the first step, you will need to finish your seam. I prefer to weave my thread back through using a large needle, however you can also use one of the methods Alex described here. The last step is to hem your Pegs according to the tutorial directions and you’re all finished! Enjoy! ~Erinn

Here are our hacks / tutorials / latest tricks:

Lace Waistband Alternative | Drawstring Waistband Tutorial
Exposed Elastic Waistband | Stirrup Pant Hack
Ruched Ankles Adjustment | Decorative Topstitching Tutorial
Ruched Side Panel Hack

Newest Patterns