Blog - Patterns for Pirates

P4P Cardi Week :: Cocoon Lace Hems

January 22, 2017

I’m sure by now you’ve all browsed Pinterest for cardigan inspiration, I know I have. When I saw a dolman style cardigan with lace trim I knew right away I needed to make myself one so in today’s blog I’ll show you how easy it is to get the look and I’ll also give you some tip for working with lace.

Start by cutting the Cocoon Cardigan pattern pieces. You will not need to cut the the band, we will be replacing it with trim. I made a tunic length, 3/4 hemmed sleeves with no pockets but you can apply this technique to either one of the styles. The fabric and lace I used are both from Hobby Lobby.

Assemble your pattern pieces as per the instruction. I like to leave the band for the end so you now have your cardigan ready to add the lace trim. The pattern band is shorter than the edge circumference and since most lace trims have no stretch we will have to measure the opening. The trim you will need will be equal to this length.

TIP: If your trim comes in 2 yards or less increments you will need to attach two pieces together. To do that I like to use a zig zag stitch and just slightly overlap the ends. Stitch them together with a narrow zig zag stitch. Don’t forget to place a little piece of water soluble stabilizer under your lace when you stitch it.

Pin (or clip) your lace to the cardigan raw edge, right sides together. Yes, there is a right side to the lace trim too! 🙂 Pin all around the edge, making sure you do not stretch the cardigan. When you get to the curved edge pin even closer since that part is not only stretchy but also on the bias.

Once it’s all pinned in place sew the lace around the opening very slowly. I like to use my sewing machine for this step, instead of the serger. A stitch length of 3.5 with a 3.4-3.6 tension should be all you need. All you have to do now is top stitch around the opening, about 1/4-1/8 inch away from the trim and you are all set. See how easy that was?

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 is here!

January 22, 2017

We had so much fun when we ran #P4PRaglanWeek that we decided to do it again. But this time, we are focusing on our favorite layering pieces: Cardigans! That’s right, Pirates! We are asking you to dig out your Grandpa/Cpt Mack, Carefree, and Cocoon/Butterfly Cardigan patterns…and the Kimono pattern too! Let’s get busy sewing!

We are giving you a full week of cardigan sewing, with hacks and add-ons and easy tutorials. This is going to be so much fun!

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

Saturday, January 21: #P4PCardiWeek Announcement

Sunday, January 22: Cocoon / Butterfly Ruffle + Lace Hems

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

Friday, January 27: Varsity Sweater Style Hack

Saturday, January 28: Carefree Cardigan Flannel + Vest Hack

Monday, January 30: #P4PCardiWeek Winner Announcement

To sweeten the deal, we’ve gone through and updated the older patterns to include the layers feature, as well as the international and copy shop files. How do you get the updated copies from previous purchases? That’s easy!

If you purchased from PatternsforPirates.com or Craftsy, log into your accounts and download the updated file. It’s already in there, waiting for you!
If you purchased from Etsy, email a copy of your receipt to help@patternsforpirates.com and the Pirate crew will email you with your updated files.

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)!

Grandpa Cardigan | Cpt. Mack Cardigan | Carefree Cardigan | Cocoon Cardigan
Butterfly Cardigan | Summer Kimono

Now get out there and sew some cardigans, matey!

Butterfly Cardigan :: New Pattern Release!

January 17, 2017

We are celebrating another pattern release day and you’re going to love it! Remember the Cocoon Cardigan that we put out right before the holidays? It’s in mini size now! Meet the Butterfly Cardigan!

The pattern is drafted for girls sizes 3M – 14. It’s a dolman style sleeve, so it’s got a looser fit and is quick to put together, just like other dolman style tops. There are THREE sleeve lengths (short, 3/4 and long — each with multiple band options), TWO hem lengths (cropped or tunic length), TWO neckband options (short or tall), and optional pockets (patch or inseam)! On top of all of that, we have also included a PDF layers feature for printing.

The three different sleeve length options will take your littles from one season to the next. Choose between short sleeve, 3/4 length, and long sleeves and your littles can easily transition between all four seasons.

With two different hem lengths, you’ve got all of your bases covered. Get more coverage with a longer-length tunic…

…or make it in a short and sweet cropped length!

Don’t worry, we made sure to include pockets (!!!) in the Butterfly Cardigan! Who doesn’t love pockets?

Not quite convinced yet? Go check out all of the rest of the adorable tester images in our Facebook group HERE and get inspired!

Can’t take it any longer and need the pattern right now?! Go grab your very own copy of the Butterfly Cardigan and get to sewing! Don’t have the Mama version of the Cocoon Cardigan yet?

Go grab a special bundle pricing for the Butterfly + Cocoon Cardigans HERE. Butterfly and bundle will be on sale (no code needed) through Monday January 23,2017.

And don’t forget to share your gorgeous makes with us over in the Patterns for Pirates Facebook group!

Knit Types

January 13, 2017

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.

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

How to lower or raise a neckline

January 6, 2017

We have seen a lot questions about raising or lowering the neckline of various P4P shirts or dresses. On the blog today I show you how easy it is to alter the neckline to achieve the look you want. For this tutorial I will use the Sweet Tee pattern in a beautiful viscose rayon (dress option lengthen 3.5″) but you can apply this technique to either one of the shirt patterns.

Start by printing and cutting your pattern in the size needed. The only piece we will be altering will be the front of the shirt (or bodice).

For lowering the neckline you will need to mark on the center fold where you would like the new neckline to be. I usually lower my Sweet Tee neckline 1.5 inches. Using a French Curve (or going slowly) draw a curve similar to the original one from your mark to the inner shoulder point.

Cut your fabric using the new front pattern piece. The rest of the pattern pieces will remain the same. The only other change you will need to make is the length of the neckband or binding.

To raise the neckline you will need to grab your front bodice piece and a blank piece of paper. Align the center fold of the front pattern piece with the side of your paper and glue them together.

Mark a point 1-2 inches above the original top center depending on how high you’d like the neckline. Using the French Curve draw a curve from the center point to the inner shoulder point. Cut the new front using this modified pattern piece and the rest of the pieces as in the original pattern.

The only additional modification you will need to make is to adjust the neckband or binding length. You will need to make it longer or shorter depending on the new neckline. I like to calculate the new neckband length after I sew the front and back pieces together at the shoulder. To find out the new neckline circumference lay the neck opening along a ruler and multiple it by 2.

Your new neckband length will be 85% of this circumference plus 1 inch to accommodate the seam allowance. (C * 0.85 +1 ). Cut the new neckband/binding using the new length but keeping the width suggests in the pattern. All you have left to do now is sew the shirt or dress according to the tutorial and you have just made yourself a custom outfit. Easy peasy…right? 🙂

I can’t wait to see your creations in the Pattern for Pirates group.

Happy sewing, pirates!

Blanket Scarf

December 16, 2016

Have you been following our 2016 Holiday Freebies? You can see our Free Adult Mittens HERE and our Free Adult Slouchie Beanie HERE! Today I’m here to show you how to make a Blanket Scarf!

Blanket scarfs are a great, easy item you can whip up for yourself or others during those colder months!

You can pair them with a top or dress for a touch of color and finish off your outfit with the perfect trendy touch.

You’ll need:

Flannel- 1.5-2 yards

Scissors

Optional: Sewing Machine and matching thread

You’ll want your scarf anywhere from 1.5-2 yards long. A few factors that you can consider when deciding on the length are how tall are you? The more petite you are the less you’ll need. How thick is your flannel? The thicker the fabric the less you’ll need.

I cut mine into a square. Since my flannel was about 56″ wide. I squared it up at 55″ x 55″. You don’t have to have a perfect square either, if your fabric is thinner or you’re taller you might want to keep the width and make your length a bit longer (up to about 2 yards).

You can finish the edges anyway you’d like. You can leave them raw (they will fray with wear and washing).

You can stitch around the edge with a finishing stitch of your choice. (zigzag, overlock, ect.) Pictured here with a zigzag, which will still fray up to the stitch if you’re not right on the edge.

You can do a narrow hem, folding 1/4″ and another 1/4″ enclosing the raw edge for a cleaner finish.

You can also stitch around the inside where you’d like the fray to stop. You can fray the edges up to the stitch line by pulling the cross grain threads up to the stitch line.

Now you’re ready to style it!

***I’m sorry, but my camera man (aka my husband) wasn’t very interested in all the different ways you could style a blanket scarf, and he often cuts my head off! You will also hear my kiddos (you can even catch Little Guy being super naughty…) in the background. But, hopefully they are helpful still 🙂

You can wear it bandera style by folding it in half at a 45 degree angle creating a large triangle, then wrapping it around the back of your neck and tucking tails under.

You can wear it shawl style.

You can wear it like a traditional scarf wrapped about your neck.

You can to the tie front, wrapping it back around your neck and tying in the front.

You can wear it like an infinity scarf.

Drape it over your shoulders. You can wear a belt over to hold it in place as well.

You can fold in half lengthwise wrap around back of neck and pull ends through the fold.

You can wear it over your head and wrap one end around to the back.

You can wrap around the back and criss cross through the front.

Still with me? 😉 Don’t miss our other 2016 Holiday Freebies here:

Free Fleece Mittens

and

Free Slouchy Beanie

They all pair perfectly together for some great cozy finishing touches!

2016 Holiday Freebies :: Slouchy Hat Pattern (4 Sizes!)

December 13, 2016

Ready for our second holiday present to you this year? This one is for the entire family!

This slouchy hat pattern comes in four sizes, which should cover the heads of the majority of your family!

XSmall (fits 17″ – 18″ head circumference) – Toddler
Small (fits 19″ – 20″ head circumference) – Child
Medium (fits 21″ – 22″ head circumference) – Teen/Adult
Large (fits 23″ – 24″ head circumference) – Adult

Grab your free pattern pieces here. If you need help putting the pattern together, pop over to the First Time Users Tips page or ask in our facebook group .

Recommended fabrics: Ponte, sweater knits, liverpool, brushed poly, rayon blends, tshirt knits, upcycled sweaters, etc. Anything with a decent amount of drape to it works best, otherwise the “slouch” won’t happen as well. I suggest washing your fabric before you begin to pre-shrink & help prevent color bleeding in the future.
Cuff piece: Any knits with at least a 20% stretch.

Supplies needed:

Main Fabric: 1/3 yard
Cuff: less than 1/4 yard required

Step 1: Assemble your pattern and cut your pieces out. You will need two of the main hat, cut on the fold. And one cuff piece, cut on the fold.

Step 2: Lay two mirror images, right sides together. Using 1/2″ seam allowance, sew around the two outer edges. Make sure to leave the bottom and the top “v” open.

Step 3: Open up the hat and fold it (right sides still remaining together) so the “v” lays flat, and the two side seams are meeting in the middle. Stitch the top opening shut.

The top of your hat should now look like this. You’ll have an X of one long seam (going from bottom edge to bottom edge) and one short seam.

Step 4: Fold your cuff piece, right sides together, meeting the shorter ends together.

Step 5: Stitch (using 1/2″ seam allowance) short ends together.

Step 6: With wrong sides together, fold the raw edges together to meet each other.

Step 7: On both your hat body and cuff pieces, mark raw edges into halves. (The hat body will be the two seams. The cuff will be one seam and the halfway point on the opposite side.)

Step 8: Slide the cuff over the hat body, aligning the raw edges and matching the half-marked points. Note: The cuff is slightly smaller than the hat body. Stretching the cuff only, stitch through all three layers of raw edges.

Step 13: Flip cuff down. You’re finished!

Need some inspiration? Take a look at the fabulous hats that our gorgeous testers made!

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 mittens you’ve managed to make from our freebie pattern!

2016 Holiday Freebies: Fleece Mittens Pattern!

December 8, 2016

The Pirate Crew is here to bring a little more “yo ho ho” into your holiday with some freebies! Today is the first of three patterns we are releasing, for FREE! In case you were stumped on Christmas sewing ideas, here is the first of our scrap-busting, super quick, free patterns.

These mittens are a one-size fits most. We’ve also provided a cuff and a non-cuff version, so you can mix other fabrics into these easily if you’d like. The pattern is written for a basic fleece fabric, though some of our testers have had success with sweater knits and other various fabrics.

Grab your free pattern pieces here. If you need help putting the pattern together, pop over to the First Time Users Tips page or ask in our facebook group .

Note: I use my sewing machine for the construction of the mitten body, because the thumb area can be really tricky if you’re using a serger. When using fleece, it helps to use a walking foot in your machine to help reduce pulling. It also makes feeding the fleece through your machine a more even process.

Recommended fabrics: Fleece, cuddle/minky, sweatshirt fleece, upcycled sweaters, etc. I suggest washing your fabric before you begin to pre-shrink & help prevent color bleeding in the future.
(Optional cuff) Any knits with at least a 20% stretch.

Supplies needed:

1/3 yard Fleece fabric
(optional cuff) less than 1/4 yard required

Step 1: Assemble your pattern and cut your pieces out. You will need two sets of mirror images of the main body pieces.

Step 2: Lay two mirror images, right sides together. Using 1/2″ seam allowance, sew around the entire outside of the mitten body. Make sure to leave the bottom open.

Step 3: Clip the corner between the thumb and fingers, making sure not to cut into your stitching, but getting as close as you can to it. This step is super important, otherwise the mitten will fit really strange in the thumb and it’ll be super uncomfortable.

Step 4: [If doing the cuff version, skip to step 6] Turn the opening up 1″ and hem. (Optional: turn 1/2″ and then another 1/2″ to enclose raw edge.)

Step 5: Turn mitten right-side-out. Repeat with second mitten.

Step 6: CUFF VERSION ONLY Complete steps 1-3. Also cut 2 cuff pieces, one for each mitten.

Step 7: Fold your cuff piece, right sides together, meeting the shorter ends together.

Step 8: Stitch (using 1/2″ seam allowance) short ends together.

Step 9: With wrong sides together, fold the raw edges together to meet each other.

Step 10: On both your mitten body and cuff pieces, mark raw edges into halves. (The mitten body will be the two seams. The cuff will be one seam and the halfway point on the opposite side.)

Step 11: Slide the cuff over the mitten body, aligning the raw edges and matching the half-marked points. Note: The cuff is slightly smaller than the mitten body.

Step 12: Stretching the cuff only, stitch through all three layers of raw edges.

Step 13: Flip cuffs down. Repeat with other mitten.

Step 14: Sit back long enough to admire your handiwork, and then go sew a million more pairs of these comfy mittens!

Check out the adorable mittens that our gorgeous testers made! (And check back with us next week, because we’ve got more freebies coming your way!)

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 mittens you’ve managed to make from our freebie pattern!

Cocoon Cardigan :: New Pattern Release!

December 1, 2016

Lately, we seem to tease you a lot with patterns in-the-making. Tease. It’s what we do. The Cocoon Cardigan was a long, drawn out tease, with multiple appearances in our Instagram feed. But guess what? It’s here! The wait is over! No more teasing, we promise.

Oh boy, you are going to LOVE this cardigan. It’s like wearing a hug. A hug that is full of customizable options, that is!

The pattern is drafted for sizes XXS – Plus 3X. It’s a dolman style sleeve, so it’s looser fitted and insanely fast to put together. There are THREE sleeve lengths (short, 3/4 and long — each with multiple band options), TWO hem lengths (cropped or tunic length), TWO neckband options (short or tall), and optional pockets (patch or inseam)! On top of all of that, we have also included a PDF layers feature for printing.

**Want to learn more about how to measure yourself for this pattern? We’ve got you covered with an in-depth blog HERE.

The three different sleeve length options will take you from one season to the next. Choose between short sleeve, 3/4 length, and long sleeves and transition between all four seasons.

With two different hem lengths, you’ve got all of your bases covered. Get more coverage with a booty-covering tunic…

…or take it a little shorter and a whole lot sassier with a cropped length!

And ladies. Have we talked pockets yets? POCKETS! Doesn’t that make literally every outfit better? We have included both in-seam and patch options. So you can go wild! (As wild as one could go with pockets on a cardigan, haha.)

Were you wondering if the Cocoon Cardigan would work for maternity wear? Yes, yes, a million times yes! It’s perfect, no alterations required!

Not quite convinced yet? Go check out all of the rest of the gorgeous tester images in our Facebook group HERE and get inspired!

Can’t take it any longer and need the pattern right now?! Go grab your very own copy of the Cocoon Cardigan and get to sewing!

Tips for working with sweater knits

November 25, 2016

Have you seen the sneak peek Judy posted on Instagram? Check it out if you haven’t already. If you did you might have noticed that soon you will be sewing those pretty sweater knits you’ve been saving. In the blog today I will give you some of my tips and tricks to work with this kind of fabric.

1.Grab the lint roller! No, I have not lost my mind…believe me, you will want the lint roller close by when you cut sweater knit. Whether it’s a open weave or a dense one, sweater knits tend to leave a lot of residue when being cut.

TIP: Use the lint roller to not only clean your cutting mat but also the edges of the fabric pieces you just cut. That will help keep your sewing machine cleaner.

2. If cutting with a rotary cutter, use a new or very sharp blade. I find sweater knits to be more prone to getting a run in the fabric if the cutter or scissors is not very sharp.

3. Water soluble stabilizer is not just for embroidery! When working with sweater knits on your sewing machine I highly recommend placing a piece of WSS under your fabric. This will not only make sewing it easier but it will also prevent puckering and even more important it will stop your machine from “eating” your fabric. Sweater knits, especially open weave ones have a lot of “holes” so your machine is basically sewing through air.

Tear away the excess, the remaining water soluble stabilizer will disappear when you first wash the garment. I prefer transparent WSS but opaque ones work just as well.

4. You can sew sweater knit entirely with your sewing machine however a serger will make the process faster and easier. You might need to adjust your settings a bit to accommodate this type of fabric. My favorite serger stitch when sewing sweater knits is the FLATLOCK stitch. Check your serger user manual to make the proper settings for a flatlock stitch, they will vary from model to model. Here is an example of how a white thread flatlock stitch looks like on a black piece of fabric.

A narrower flat lock stitch

A wider flat lock stitch

I use this type of serger stitch when I make sweater knit bands and hems. Use a matching thread so the stitch will blend in with the fabric.

5. Just as with all knits, always use a ball point needle in your sewing machine and serger. You’ll also need to lower the pressure foot tension of your sewing machine.

6. The markings on open weave sweater knits will need to be added with chalk/ a tailor pen or by adding tailor tacks. Notches are impossible to see on sweater knits.

I hope you find these tips helpful when you will be sewing the new Cocoon pattern releases soon. I will leave you with another sneak peek of this amazing cardigan. Now get the sweater knits stash out and as always post your creations in the group so we can all ohh and ahhh over them.

Alex

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