SOS Knit Pants -easy hacks

November 16, 2018

Not only did the SOS Knit Pants get a facelift but we also released the mini version and added a few easy hacks. Here are some of the P4P team’s favorite mods you can do to get even more looks.

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Moto Hack

The SOS Knit Pants have been around awhile and there seems to be a never-ending request for a Moto style option. With the revamp of the original pattern, we thought, what better time to take the Moto for a spin. Rather than trying to make you figure out the pieces on your own, we decided to provide a full step by step tutorial, including pattern pieces…for FREE! You can “purchase” the Moto Hack HERE. These are definitely not a “quick-sew”, so be prepared to spend some time stitching all those pin-tucks, but seriously… how amazing are the final results! (This is for the women’s version only at this time but don’t worry…we plan on releasing the same hack for the girls’ soon!)

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Contour Waistband

Admit it, you’ve been thinking about using the Peg Legs contour waistband that’s included in the free Add-On with all our pants patterns, haven’t you? Well, I have, so I wanted to show you how easy it is to replace the SOS elastic waistband with the contour one.

Cut your SOS Knit Pants fabric pieces without the elastic and the knit waistband. Print and cut the contour waistband included in the Peg Legs Add-On. Sew the knit pants and the contour waistband as instructed in their respective tutorials.

Tip: If you would like the extra tummy control you can add a layer of power mesh in between the lining and the main fabric of the contour waistband.

For my contour waistband, I used custom brushed poly so it is pretty thick. The lining is the same fabric so I did not add any power mesh.

Attach the contour waistband to the SOS pants the same way you would attach it to the Peg Legs.

Tadah! All done. All you have left to do now is enjoy your new contour waistband SOS knit pants.

Note: please note that the rise on the contour waistband SOS will finish a little higher than the original pattern.

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Shorts

SOS Knit Shorts is one of the most popular requests and probably one of the easiest modifications. Determine your desired inseam and preferred hem allowance. I chose to keep the 1″ hem (1/2″ folded twice) as shown in the pattern and a 5″ inseam.

Measure the length of your inseam, starting 1/2″ from the pattern line (for seam allowance) to your desired length. Draw a horizontal line across the leg for both front and back. Now that you have adjusted your inseam length we will make our hem gauge for the hem. Cutting the outward notch will allow the hem to lay flat once folded. The angle of the gauge should be a mirror image of the seam just above it so that when its turned under it will lay flush. Again, my hem allowance is 1″, if you choose to do a narrower or wider hem, you will want to make your hem gauge to match the same length of your hem allowance. This is super easy and can be done both skinny and straight leg options. Now, you can customize your pants to any shorts length!

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Button/Snap Waistband

Most of the time, everyone raves about a “jean” with an elastic waistband that was accomplished with the SOS… I mean, other than leggings or sweats, what could possibly be more comfortable and look like real pants? With a few simple steps, we’re going to transform the SOS to mimic real pants with a semi-functional waistband to give you an even more RTW jean/pant look!

First, add 1″ to the waistband and elastic measurements. You’ll need that little extra so that the waistband overlaps one another. Construct you pants as instructed in the tutorial except as follows:

: Starting 3/4″ from the top edge, stitch front crotch seam.

: If you choose to finish the raw edge of the faux fly, finish each separately and do not sew together.

: With wrong side facing up, press faux fly to wearer’s left and fold the top fly piece wrong sides together 3/8″.

: Top stitch faux fly, being careful not to catch the portion of the faux fly piece you previously folded.

: Complete construction of the main pants as shown in the tutorial.

: Fold waistband right sides together.

: Aligning the elastic with the folded edge of the waistband, pin or clip in place at each end.

: Stitch with 1/4″ seam allowance along short end.

: Turn waistband right side out.

: Find center of waistband.

: Match center of waistband with back center seam of pants.

: Match the waistband with the center from seamline. The top fly will be folded and not stitched here.

: Continue pinning waistband to pants.

: Stitch.

: Add a snap or button and top-stitch fly closed along the center seam.

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Zipper Accents

The SOS just screamed for a zipper detail so I made myself a pair using some pretty decorative lace zippers. Here’s how to achieve this look.

Print and cut the SOS knit pants pattern pieces and grab two lace zippers. I used 9″ ones. I did cut a calf length instead of the pattern’s ankle length because I had a remanent of this grey athletic fabric that I really, really wanted to use. It’s very easy to make 3/4 length SOS pants…just cut both the front and the back leg at the calf marking instead.

Using a fabric pen or tailor chalk, mark the top of the zipper on both the front and back side seam.

We will now be changing the construction of the pants a little. Sew the pockets and crotch curves as instructed in the tutorial. Sew the inseam next. Hem your SOS pants using a coverstitch or twin needles.

Now that the inseam and hem are done, you will sew the side seams. Using your serger or a stretch stitch sew the side seam, front and back, right sides together and STOP AT THE MARKED POINT. Using a basting stitch, sew from the marked point to the hem.

Place your zipper on the right side of the pants and pin pit n place. It is important to have the zipper teeth on the side seam.

Remove the basting stitches to make it easier to sew the zipper in place.

Using a zipper foot and a straight stitch, sew the zipper on, making sure you fold the lace under the hem.

All done! Now go to Pinterest for some more zipper skinnies inspiration, order yourself some lace zippers and get creating!

How’s that for more options? We hope you love the hacks as much as we do. Sew up a pair of SOS Knit Pants using one of our hacks? Be sure to share in the Facebook Group or tag us on Instagram (@patternsforpirates).

Alex, Katy & Nicole

When It Goes Against the Grain

November 14, 2017

Woven Fabrics

We make woven fabrics on a loom. The weaver strings the lengthwise threads first, and we call them the “warp”. Then threads are woven through them creating the fabric. We call these horizontal threads the “weft” or the “woof”. We’ve named the edges of the fabric the “selvages” or “selvedges”, and we weave them more tightly to prevent fraying.

The warp creates the “straight grain” of the fabric, and the weft creates the “cross grain”.

Pattern pieces have grainlines printed on them. They are either arrows or fold lines.

Grainline

When we cut a pattern out, the best way is to fold the fabric carefully on the straight grain of the fabric, lining up the selvages . If you need to straighten the ends of your fabric, take a snip through the selvage near one end. Then pull a horizontal thread. The missing thread will create a straight line for you to cut along.

Fold Placement

Then place the pattern pieces down carefully with the grain lines on the pattern piece lined up with the straight grain of the fabric.

Finding the Straight Grain

An easy way to check if your pattern piece is “on-grain” is to measure from the line on the pattern piece to the selvages in a couple of places. The distance should be the same.

It’s important for long pattern pieces, especially something like a pant leg, to be grain perfect. If it’s not, the garment will twist, and once you cut it, there’s nothing you can do to fix it. You’ll also never be able to match stripes or plaids if you cut off-grain.

Smaller pieces like pockets, collars, cuffs, and yokes can be cut on the straight grain, the cross grain, or the bias no matter what the lines on the pattern say. The “bias” is the direction that’s 45 degrees from the straight grain. It has more drape than either the straight grain or the cross, and edges cut on the bias don’t fray.

When you cut major pieces on the bias, it’s important to cut them in opposite directions or your whole garment will twist. But it’s not important for small pieces like pockets.

How to Position Bias Cut Pieces

You can mark the bias on your pattern piece with a protractor or a quilting ruler.

Marking the Grainlines

Over time fabrics cut on the cross grain will droop more than then fabric cut on the straight. It’s not a problem for something like a skirt or pants made from a border print. The droop won’t be noticeable in the normal lifetime of the garment. You might see it in heavy curtains, though.

Knit Fabrics

Technically, knit fabrics don’t have a grain, but the direction you cut your pieces out matters just as much. Big machines make knit fabric, but they work the same way we knit with yarn and needles. Some machines knit back and forth and some knit in the round. One results in a fabric with selvage-like edges and other in a tube of fabric.

Close up of a Knit Fabric

No matter what yarn is used to create the knit fabric, the single knit process will result in a horizontal stretch in the fabric we call the “mechanical stretch”. Fabrics that only have horizontal stretch are usually called “two-way stretch”. The addition of elastane (Spandex, Lycra, etc.) to the yarns can create a fabric with both horizontal and vertical stretch, and it is usually described as “four-way stretch”. Whether the fabric is two-way or four-way, the horizontal stretch should be the circumference of your garment.

Horizontal Stretch Line

While the amount of elastane in the yarns might make the fabric stretchy enough for the garment to fit you cut with the vertical stretch used as the circumference, you shouldn’t cut it that way. If the mechanical stretch in the fabric hangs vertically, you’ll get elephant knees, saggy elbows, and baggy crotches. You can use the same method for making sure your pattern is lined up so the grainlines on your pattern are parallel to the edges of your fabric that we use for wovens. Knit patterns often have the horizontal stretch line marked, too.

There’s a saying in sewing- The fabric always wins. There is probably nowhere in sewing where fighting the fabric is more futile than not paying attention to the grain.

Roberta

P4P University- Ease

September 23, 2017

Ease is a term using to describe how much extra fabric there is around your body after the garment is sewn up. In sewing and pattern groups you often see the question, “Does this run big/small/true to size?” And most the time the same pattern and size will have an array of answers! Confusing right? The truth is the pattern is designed with a certain amount of ease the designer has picked based on the size chart.

So, when the designer like me drafts a pattern they decide how much ease they want for the intended fit. They use not only the listed body measurements, but an entire book of standard/average measurements for each part of the body to give the pattern a certain amount of ease everywhere along the body. I try to give the most important measurements in the measurement chart and finished measurements to help you pick the perfect size for your preference of fit. I usually have more measurements in the tutorial than on the listing pictures so that when you’re ready to pick a size for that certain garment you can see if you need to modify, grade between sizes on that particular pattern. Here is the size chart within the tutorial for the Peg Legs:

Some ease is needed for certain garments. Woven/non-stretch fabrics require much more ease since they don’t stretch. A body requires ease to move, bend, breathe, etc comfortably. Designers use the recommended amount in general for guidelines and can add more if they want a looser fit. Knit garments can, and often do have negative ease. Negative ease means the garment finishes smaller than your body and much stretch to fit on to your body as well as when you move.

There is a very wide span of “what fits” within a single garment. For a knit shirt using a stretchy fabric- lets pick cotton spandex with about 75% stretch) you can have up to about 50% negative ease and still move and breath, this would be what most would call “skin tight”. You can also have a few inches of ease for a looser fit, what most would call relaxed or baggy. And within that range, everything technically “fits” because you have enough ease for movement. The rest is up to the designer to create the design ease they have in mind. When the question is asked, “Is it true to size?” it really can’t be answered. It is true to the designer’s intended fit with the amount of ease they drafted into the garment. Whether it is how much ease you prefer personally for that garment depends on if your personal preference is the same as the intended fit. I’m always surprised to see someone post in our FB group “this is huge” or “it’s too tight”, I try very hard to show intended fit through listing pictures, use the best describing words in the listing and give a good description in the tutorial along with the measurements. But, what one person with the exact same measurements and fabric choice finds “too snug” another might describe as “huge”. It’s all personal preference!

Lets think about what a big range that is… I’m going to go down to 30% negative ease since this is a pretty tight standard athletic/swim amount of ease, most clothes wont be tighter unless we’re going to add in compression fit/slimming undergarments. I will do hips at 40 (top end of the medium). So you could easily have a well drafted pant pattern with a finished full hip measurement of anywhere from 28″ all the way to 45″ depending on the intended fit and suggested fabrics. Most knit pants can easily range from 28″-42″ depending on the kind of knit they’re drafted for.

Woven pants don’t have quite the range, since you take away the option of having negative ease and using stretch for the movement ease needed. But, A woven pant for a 40″ full hip can still range from about 42″ up to 46″ depending on the intended look of the design. We very often get the question if you can sew a knit pattern with a woven non stretch fabric. The answer is mostly no. Most knit patterns depend on the stretch of the fabric to give some, if not all, of that movement ease you HAVE to have for your body to comfortably move, bend, breathe, get the garment on and off, etc. If you would like to know how much wearing ease you need to get the slimmest possible woven garment there are ways to measure that. For your full hip you can place the measuring tape around your full hip-mine is about 40″. Keep the tape carefully in place, but loosen your grip at the front. Very slowly sit down, or bend/squat. You will notice that the tape will pull and need more room. This is called your “sitting spread”. Lovely name right 😉 , but it is how much you “spread” when you sit/squat. You need this much ease or extra fabric around your hip in any woven garment to be able to move comfortably. There are tighter dresses out there with less ease there, but you aren’t sitting cross legged on the floor in that tight woven pencil skirt. You probably aren’t even sitting comfortably in it. The hip is the easiest measurement to check your ease need. But, the same concept can be a check for bust, arms, thighs, etc. putting the tape measurer around and moving and breathing, letting the tape slide to the biggest range you use while moving. If you check this sitting/moving measurement against the finished measurements of the pattern you will know if you can use a non-stretch fabric and still move comfortably.

I did a quick video about measuring your needed “wearing ease” here:

A designer’s job is to choose how much ease they want for a certain intended fit and look. Lets take one of my patterns The Pumpkin Spice Dolman. It is a looser cut with a quite a lot of ease through the bust and about 0 ease at the full hip. I intended it to be a loose, slouchy fit and works best with fabric that has a soft drape. Some might find the design ease I added too much if they don’t like the loose, slouchy look. It doesn’t mean the pattern “runs big” since that is exactly the amount of ease intended for the look I was after. It just means you prefer a tighter fit that intended.

A slimmer cut shirt like the Slim Fit Raglan or Layer Me Up has negative ease at the best and less ease through the body. Again, this doesn’t mean the pattern “runs small” it is meant to be smaller and tighter as designed.

Lets take another pattern, this time a fitted one, the Peg Legs. The Pegs are a traditional tight fit legging with negative ease. The standard ease used in athletic wear is usually 20-30%. The Pegs are right in the middle through legs and up at the higher end at 30% at full hip and high hip. Since they do not have elastic I preferred the tighter end of normal to help them from inching down. We’ve seen them compared to others with less negative ease and neither are wrong, just a different preference on how fitted the designer had in mind.

Now lets talk about how you can use this knowledge to your advantage in sewing for yourself! Once you understand ease and fabric choices you can essentially make the perfect garment fit you every time before even cutting! WHAT? I know, amazing right? Now, this doesn’t happen overnight. It’s something you will come to learn about your preferences over time and experimenting. But, the more you pay attention to both your fabric choices and the design ease the faster you will get there!

Take all the clothes you love and look at them, study them! For that matter take the ones that you think are a little tight or loose too. How much ease does it have to your body? On the bust, waist, hip? What fabric is it made out of (this doesn’t have to be exact, but “thin and drapey or thick and stable categories work well). Now you can apply this to your sewing choices. You will learn if you like a looser fit with those thinner drapey knits- or a tighter fit with those. Maybe you tend to always love thicker stable knits with you do have a more fitted garment. Whatever you find in your “research” try to apply that to your pattern, fabric, size choices. If you know you tend to like at least 2″ of ease at your waist you can know if you want to grade in or out at a waist on any t-shirt pattern. Maybe you only like knit pants with some negative ease on the booty… When you open up a new knit pant pattern you can pick your size off that finished measurement chart and know for certain you’ll like the fit on the booty. If you are just beginning it’s something you will want to make an effort to pay attention to. Eventually it will become second nature 🙂 You’ll be able to open up a new pattern and know just how to use it to create YOUR OWN intended fit if you happen to not love the designer’s intended fit.

FREE Printable Measurement Charts

August 14, 2017

I am excited to be sharing this new FREEBIE with you today! The biggest/best part of sewing for yourself or your family is being able to create custom clothing for exactly the unique size and shape that you are. But that’s a lot of numbers to remember. So we are here to make it a little easier on you by sharing these measurement charts.

There is a fill-in chart for each member of your family. Simply print, measure, write it down, and get to sewing!

Need help figuring out some of these measurements? We’ve already got you covered! Head over to Judy’s post about “How To Measure Yourself” to see where to place the measuring tape and how to get the most accurate numbers.

What are you waiting for? Go grab a copy of these PDFs and make life a little easier on yourself!
FREE PRINTABLE MEASUREMENT CHARTS

Happy sewing, friends!

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!

Sleeves and Their Wrinkles

March 28, 2017

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 🙂

Pivot and Slide FBA Method`

June 22, 2016

We get a lot of questions about Full Bust Adjustments. Since I draft for a true hourglass, curvy figure lots of our ladies have bigger busts. So here is a quick and easy method for knit tops if you need a FBA.

Do you need a FBA?

I see a FBA suggested A LOT in sewing groups, even though it’s not always the problem/solution for ladies (Especially for a P4P pattern that already drafts for a bigger bust.)

So, how do you know? I began putting both upper/over bust and full bust in my measurement charts to help! (Need a refresher on these measurement terms? Here is our How to Measure Yourself post explaining them.)

If your upper bust is a size smaller than your full bust- you need a FBA. If you don’t have those measurements on your pattern then you will have a neckline and shoulder fitting too large when choosing your size from your full bust measurement.

I do NOT advise “choosing your size based on your upper bust measurement” and doing a FBA for that many inches. Indie patterns like mine are much more “true to size” than traditional paper patterns that tend to have a lot more ease built into them. With traditional paper patterns it is often very easy to size down 1-2 sizes on them and still have enough wearing ease. Most indie patterns are not drafted with that much extra ease. I draft my patterns right from that measurement chart meaning if I picked my size based on my upper bust (34.5) I would choose a size small, but I don’t need a small! Both my upper and full bust fit into a medium on the full size chart. I do not need a small with a FBA becuase my frame/upper body isn’t a small. It’s a medium 🙂 This is why I began adding the upper bust measurement into my patterns, to take out that guess work when I saw this recommendation quite a lot. And while it might work well for those traditional paper patterns with more ease- I do not suggest using this method for P4P patterns-or most indie patterns in general.

Here is my size chart with both upper/over bust and full bust.

Got some wrinkles on the full bust area? A FBA is NOT always the answer 🙂 There are a lot of other reasons you might have some wrinkling there!

Both raglan and dolman style sleeves will naturally have some wrinkling there. No matter who that pattern designer is, who is wearing it, fabric choice, or even gender wearing it! The drafting of these two sleeves lay flat when arms are out, which means when arms are down it naturally creates some wrinkling in the armpit area. No biggie 😉

Length is the armsyce is another reason one might have some gaping or pulling. If you are shorter or taller then the height the pattern is drafted for (P4P drafts for average 5’5″), or if you happen to have a different proportion there. You might need to adjust the length of your pattern from the top of shoulder to the armpit rather than needing a FBA. This is difficult to tell just from a picture. It is however much easier in person to see. If you’re not sure try pinching at the shoulder seam to take out some length if you think it might be too long. If it is too short you will feel like the entire shoulder area is too tight and that armpit seam will be up touching your armpit too tightly. For both it is easy to see if you try on the shirt prior to putting the sleeves in. If it is a tank, remember the bands will pull the armysce in though.

Here my lovely tester and model has a little wrinkling because she is a bit shorter than the drafted height. She would benefit from taking just a touch of length from the armsyce.

Here my lovely tester would benefit from the opposite, a bit more length in the armsyce.

You might have some issues with fit through the armsyce and bust if you are wide chested/through the upper back. You would find your upper bust measurement in a bigger size than your full bust. You would need a Small Bust Adjustment (follow the same method just pivoting and tracing to the smaller full bust size).

Here is a gorgeous tester of mine who has begun to trace off a size larger through the neckline and shoulders and adjust down to her smaller bust. This is prior to doing so. You can see it is a bit tight across her shoulders and upper chest area. but fits well in her full bust.

The last reason you might be having fit issues through the bust is not using the appropriate fabric for the top. If your pattern suggest 50% and you sew up a cotton jersey with only 20% you might have pulling at the chest. The opposite problem would be using a very stretchy fabric like a lightweight rayon spandex with a lot of horizontal and vertical stretch making the armsyce droop lower or even gape.

Here I am in the exact same size, but the feathers are a more stable cotton jersey with very little stretch and the grey is a rayon spandex with a ton of stretch and drape. The armsyce is an 1-1.5″ lower in the drapey, stretchy rayon spandex.

One more thing I see sometimes is the drag lines from bust to waist. This is something you will get naturally with an hourglass figure. You have a large difference from your full bust to waist. If your shirt/dress is semi-fitted then you will see those drags pulling into that smaller measurement at the waist. This isn’t asking for a FBA, it’s asking for a dart 🙂 But, most knit shirts don’t have darts, just curves along the side seams. You can’t get as drastic of a change from full bust to waist without a dart. But that’s okay! It’s the nature of a semi-fitted knit top. It doesn’t mean it is ill-fitting. Here are some pictures showing those drag lines, but I have room for my bust and the armsyces are fitting perfectly for my frame. My side seams aren’t pulling drastically to the front of my body on my bustline and it isn’t too tight across my back at the bustline. I don’t need a FBA for my patterns (yay! I do need them on patterns drafted for a more rectangular figure like traditional paper patterns! Just one reason why I love drafting for a curvy figure).

Okay, now if you’re still with me 😉 and you need a FBA here is my favorite, quick and easy method for a knit top. This only adds a bit of width right at the bust. It doesn’t add length. For most women and most knit tops this is sufficient. If you have 2 sizes difference in your upper and full bust you might also add some length to the front center at the bust line and ease it back into the side seam (making the front center curve down). To give your bust some extra length as well.

Here is one of my favorite testers. She has a smaller size upper bust than full bust. Here she did not do a FBA. You can see she has a bit of pulling pointed right to the apex of her full bust. She is your classic case of needing a FBA 🙂 Her side seam will be pulling towards the front of her body instead of laying more evenly along her side.

Here is the “Pivot and Slide FBA Method”:

Step 1: Choose your sizes based off the measurement chart.

Step 2: Pivot

Step 3: Trace

Step 4: Slide back

Now you have a new armsyce that goes wider at the bust, but the same smaller neckline/shoulder fit as the smaller size.

I hope this helps those out there needing this fit adjustment! Once you’ve got it down it really is a very quick and easy method to adding a bit more room for the ladies 🙂

P4P University:: Grading Sizes

June 20, 2016

Patterns for Pirates grades to a true curvy, hourglass, 5’5″ frame. Often times, one’s measurements may not fit within one size for bust, waist, and hip and in order to keep the intended fit of the garment, grading sizes is needed. Is it always necessary to grade sizes? No, but depending on the fit and ease of the item, it may be worth taking the extra step to custom fit it to your measurements. Unsure if you want to grade? Check out the Shirt Fits Explained post and our post about Ease as they may help you decide if you are comfortable with a different fit. For some of the looser cut tops like the Everyday Elegance and Relaxed Raglan, grading up a size for the waist is likely, not necessary as they are straight cuts from the bust down. But a top like the Layer Me Up, that is very fitted to the body would fit the best if graded to your measurements/size. Be sure to measure yourself prior to sewing! Our measurements tend to fluctuate without us really noticing, so I try to measure myself every couple of weeks to be sure I am still sewing the same size my measurements put me. Not sure where to measure? Read this: How to Measure Yourself. Below is the size chart for reference.

Now that you have determined your size and if you’d like to grade, how do you do it? Below are a few examples of grading for a larger waist and hip size. Any adjustments should be made to both the FRONT and BACK pieces. Do not be discouraged if your measurements put you within different or larger sizes than ready-to-wear store-bought clothes as pattern sizing does not translate the same. Our bodies come in all shapes and sizes, and we are all uniquely beautiful. The beauty of sewing for oneself is the ability to create an item custom fit to you.

Still need help or have more questions about P4P patterns? Join us over in the P4P Facebook Group and get to sharing!

P4P University :: Peg Leg 101

March 21, 2016

Have you heard about P4P’s Peg Legs? And no, we are not talking about those wooden pirate legs! P4P released the Peg Legs some months back in celebration of reaching 5k members in the P4P Facebook Group. (crazy right!?!? since we just celebrated reaching 15k members last month!) If you don’t have them, you can grab them HERE and don’t forget to join the Facebook Group for a special promo code (check the pinned post for details)! In the last few months, we’ve seen the good, the bad, the fails and the “HAAALLPP” questions posted frequently. So, just like any introductory 101 college course, we are going to give you all the basics with this crash course to make a successful pair of Peg Legs!

First and foremost, if you are new to P4P, check out our First Time User Tips. Pattern Assembly, a few fabric shops, general cutting instructions, and sewing machine stitches are all discussed there. So now that you’re familiarized with P4P, here we go!

What are Peg Legs? A classic mid-rise, tight fit leggings pattern for 4 way stretch knit fabrics. Options include 4 lengths: shorties, bike, capri and ankle with a no elastic waistband.
Sizes Included: XXS – Plus 3x
Fabric Recommendations: 4 way stretch knit with at least 50% stretch (vertically and horizontally). Typically 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. One of our tunic tops to cover your booty are a MUST 😉
- Nylon spandex / Supplex – great for performance wear. This usually has a higher content of spandex and will feel tighter, much like compression wear. Some prefer to size up 1 for a more comfortable fit.
- 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.

Fabric is extremely important to get an accurate fit. Here is an example of the same size medium, capri length made from a 2 way stretch ponte de roma and a 4 way stretch rayon spandex. You can see the overall fit of the 2 way stretch is much shorter in length and has a lower rise. I am able to put on the 2 way stretch pair but because there is no vertical stretch, they do not stretch and bend with movement and tend to slip down over time. While they are a super cute fabric, sadly, they sit in my drawer as they are not comfortable to wear.

STRETCH PERCENTAGES

So, you ask, how do I know if my fabric is 4 way 50% stretch knit? A 4″ piece will stretch to a minimum of 6″ both vertically and horizontally. Below is a stretch percentage guide. Cut a scrap piece of your fabric 4″ x 4″. Fold in half so it is now 2″ x 4″ and place at the end of the stretch guide. Hold fabric at one end (where indicated) and grab the opposite end and stretch. If you can stretch the fabric to 5.2″, your fabric has 30% stretch, 5.7 is 40% and so on. Unfold and refold the opposite direction and test again. To determine horizontal stretch, your grainline will run vertically with the stretch perpendicular and horizontal. The vertical stretch is with the grainline. For a printable copy, head on over to our Facebook Group and download a copy from the files section. 🙂 Need more help? Megan from Made from Mermaids has a great blog post with video about stretching fabrics. You can check it out HERE.

PICKING YOUR SIZE

Now that you have checked your fabric, how do you pick your size? If you are unsure on how to measure your body, check out our “How to Measure Yourself” post. The peg legs use the high hip (where your hip bones are) and the hip (across the fullest part of your booty) measurements to determine size. If you are in different sizes for your high hip and hip, you can grade between the two or use one size for the waistband and the other for your “legs”. This works best for those that have a high hip 1 size smaller than their hip. If your high hip is larger than your hip, it would be best to grade your sizes.

ADJUSTING THE RISE AND LENGTH

The Peg Legs are a mid rise legging, meant to hit under your belly button. For those wanting a higher rise or more tummy coverage, you can either add a taller waistband than the pattern calls for or increase the rise of the legs and use the existing waistband measurements.

Taller waistband: increase height of waistband to 10″ instead of 7″
Fold Over Yoga Band: double the height of waistband to 14″

To increase the rise of the legs: 1) follow the curve of the rise to a larger size on the pattern and blend. OR 2) Slash and Spread – Cut the pattern horizontally through the rise, add the desired amount and smooth out the curves.

Our patterns are drafted for a curvy 5’5″ frame. Using the same principle as found in our Petite & Tall Fitting Adjustment post, you will adjust your length of the legs by 1/2″ for every 1″ over or under 5’5″. The Peg Legs’ have a 28″ inseam for ankle length. If your inseam is shorter or longer, you will adjust to your desired length in the same manner.

Determine the amount you need to adjust your length by. Using the principle above – A 5’10” woman would need an additional 2.5″ (5’10” – 5’5″ = 5″ ~ 5″ x .5″ = 2.5″ ). A 5″1″ woman would need 2″ subtracted (5’1″ – 5’5″ = 4″ ~ 4″ x .5″ = 2″). It is best to split the total length that needs to be added or subtracted throughout the entire leg. Slash and spread the pattern in equal parts and blend the lines. The most common areas to adjust are the shorties, bike, and capri lengths as there are cut lines already indicated on the pattern. You may also need to adjust the rise, higher or lower depending on your desired height.

CUTTING YOUR FABRIC

You will need the following: 2 legs (mirror images) and 1 waistband. Note: the greatest stretch should be horizontal and what goes around the body. To create mirror images you can cut your fabric two ways:

Cut 1 pattern piece with pattern writing face up. Flip your pattern piece over and cut again.

Cut your pattern piece with fabric on the fold to create mirror images with 1 cut.

Once you’ve assembled your pattern, pre-washed your fabric and cut your pattern pieces you are ready to sew up a pair! Because this is a great beginning knit project, we have included a quick video tutorial! Enjoy!

Sewn up a pair of Peg Legs? We would love to see what you are all creating. Join the Facebook Group and share away.

How to Measure Yourself

February 8, 2016

One of the most important things in sewing for yourself is to get accurate measurements! It is also much harder than it sounds. I had my sister take a few quick pictures of me measuring so I could explain and give a few tips.

I took my pictures in a tight tank. I recommend taking your measurements in a thin/tight shirt or even just in the bra you are going to normally wear. (This is especially important if you are going to be making a more formal garment and plan on wearing a different bra for it- think strapless, push up, etc).

I HIGHLY recommend measuring in front of a mirror! This helps you really see where you are measuring and if you are holding it evenly around your body. It can mean a big difference!

On all measurements breath normally! Most people want to take a big breathe in and then take them— no need! Patterns are drafted with ease to breathe and move normally 🙂 So breathe in and out, then measure. You want to hold the tape snug to your body, but not squeezing.

Here are some common measurements needed for a pattern:

Bust— Full bust is around the fullest/biggest part of your bust. You want the tape as even horizontally as possible.

Over Bust– This is taken around upper back, under arms and over your bust.

Under Bust– This is taken directly under your bust around back. Try to keep your tape as even horizontally as possible.

High Hip– This is taken around your hip bones (this is where I like to wear my pants 😉 and most youth patterns are drafted to hit)

Hip– This is a deceiving name. It is measured around your fullest/biggest part, which is usually your booty. Most definitely my booty is my biggest part 😉 Try to keep your tape as even horizontally as possible (a mirror really helps on this one!)

Waist– This is your natural waistline. Contrary to most belief, it is NOT your belly button or where you wear your pants (even though you might like high waisted pants). It is taken at the smallest part of your mid section. if you don’t have a very defined natural waist there is a very easy way to find it.

Take any kind of stretch trim, fold over elastic, thin elastic, even a strip of knit will work, and tie it snuggly around your mid section. Now MOVE around, bend walk around, sit down, it will naturally settle on your smallest part.

This is your natural waist 🙂

Side Waist Length– Taken from your armpit vertically down to your natural waist. This measurement is vital in any pattern that should hit as your natural waist like the Sweetheart Dress or Boundless Knit Dress. Making sure this measurement is accurate will give you the most flattering fit. If the seam doesn’t hit you at that smallest point then you’re not using it to your advantage 😉

You can see here mine is about 8.75″. For reference the avg is 8″. I’m 5’10” :).

*Updated* I had a few more questions about the side waist length. So I’ve added a couple more pictures— THIS is how much I LOVE my group, I’m willing to put up pictures in my sports bra 4 months after I had a baby!!!! They are cropped very well 😉

Start with your arms DOWN. You want your tape to start where your crease naturally lies— not all the up to your arm. Think where you’d like your shirt to be (if it’s all the way up as tight as possible then it is uncomfortable and you can’t move your arms around).

This was such a hard picture to get! But here are the best we could get to explain… yes, I taped the tape to myself lol!!!

Thigh- Taken around thigh close to crotch, keeping the measuring tape flat horizontally around.

Total Crotch Length- Taken from back center natural waist, under booty, through legs, and up to center front natural waist. You will want the tape pulled taut. The easiest way I think is to tape the center back and then pull through front and read at the front. These are measured with tight, high waisted yoga pants here:

Inseam- Taken from crotch to where you’d like hem of pants. Notice the close up of my ankle here. The difference between ankle height (for skinny leg options like Peg Legs and SOS pants) and a floor length is 3″ on me! That’s a big difference!

Arm length-from armpit to hem of shirt. Most P4P patterns are meant to hit at the base of thumb, so past the wrist. It’s just a personal preference of mine– so if you prefer the traditional wrist length here is where you’d want to measure against the finished measurement in the pattern.

Finished lengths- I will use “inside shoulder to hem” on some shirts and “armpit to hem” on others depending on which is easiest to measure on that particular pattern. Here are both:

Take your time measuring yourself to ensure great fit! It will make a big difference in how happy you are with the outcome!

Not only did the SOS Knit Pants get a facelift but we also released the mini version and added a few easy hacks. Here are some of the P4P team’s favorite mods you can do to get even more looks.

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Moto Hack

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Contour Waistband

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Shorts

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Button/Snap Waistband

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Zipper Accents

Woven Fabrics

Knit Fabrics

Newest Patterns