Patterns for Pirates

P4P stylish, modern, wearable patterns

P4P University – Understitching and Topstitching

Hi Pirates! Today we’re going to take a look at understitching and topstitching to find out how to use them while making your favorite woven patterns. The written instructions are below or you can scroll to the bottom of the page to find the video tutorial.

P4P University Understitching and Topstitching

What is Understitching?

Understitching is the technique that is used to keep facings or linings from rolling out towards the front of your garment during wear. It provides you with the ability to keep any of the facing or lining from being visible while also giving you a nice, finished and crisp edge without any stitching showing.

How to Understitch:

Begin by sewing your two pieces of fabric right sides together using the pattern seam allowance. In my example, I am using the Brunch Blouse and added a full lining to showcase understitching. You most often use understitching while attaching a facing or lining, so I added a lining to this pattern by cutting an identical top from lining fabric. After sewing the bust darts, center back seam, shoulder seams, and stay-stitching the necklines on both my main fabric and lining fabric, I was ready to sew them together. Open out both tops flat and pin the necklines together, right sides facing. Then sew all the way around the neckline with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Clip around the entire neckline, about every 1/2 inch, to help the fabric release and ease around the curves before turning. You want to clip through your stay-stitching lines but not through your seam allowance. Only clip up to the seam allowance line.

Press your seam allowance all towards the lining or facing. Make sure you press this well. Stitch 1/8 inch away from the seam line, on the lining side. This will hold all your seam allowances to the underside of the top when you are wearing the garment and will prevent the lining fabric from showing. Sew slowly while keeping your 1/8 inch seam allowance and readjust every inch or so around the neckline to make sure your curves are laying flat with no puckers. I prefer to stitch from the right side of the lining and feel to make sure the seam allowance is all under the presser foot, but you may stitch from the wrong side as well to be able to see your seam allowances while sewing them down. Finally, press your neckline well, making sure you have the lining fully towards the inside of the garment. I like to make sure about 1/8 inch of the main fabric is also towards the back of the seam while pressing to further make sure no lining will be visible.

Steps to understitching

You do not need to add topstitching when you have used understitching.

understitching steps

What is topstitching?

Topstitching can serve many different purposes. You can use it to add a decorative element to your make, like the back pockets of your favorite SOS pants. Or, like in today’s blog post, it can be used to hold the lining or facing to a garment. All topstitching will be visible and therefore it is important to do it carefully and have accurate stitching. Here are some tips to help your topstitching turn out great.

Topstitching

How to Topstitch:

Begin by selecting a thread that is suitable for your fabric. When applying decorative finishes, you may want a thicker topstitch thread and select a top-stitch stitch option on your machine which will create a thicker, more defined stitch. For my brunch blouse, I chose to use regular all-purpose thread and a regular straight stitch on my machine. You will want to slightly increase your stitch length when top-stitching. I use a 3 length for finer and medium weight fabrics and 3.5-4 length for heavier fabrics. Typically, the topstitching is sewn at 1/4 inch. You can use a specialty foot or use the edge of your presser foot to help keep a smooth, straight line.

Pressing will be equally important in topstitching as it was for understitching. Make sure you have pressed the area you will be topstitching well first to minimize any potential for puckers. You will want to avoid back-stitching while topstitching and instead, tie off your thread ends. These tips will help your topstitching turn out fantastic. Take your time and focus on keeping your line very straight.

Topstitching

For my brunch blouse, I used a burrito roll method to finish my arms, as I added a lining. After sewing the lining and main fabric cap sleeves, right sides together, I turned the bodice right side out and pressed. Make sure you press your fabric so that all the lining is fully under the main fabric and will not show. Next, topstitch, using a 1/4 inch seam allowance and a stitch length of 3 down the sleeve hems. This topstitching attaches the lining to the fabric so that it will not be exposed during wear. Then I continued sewing the brunch blouse per the instructions, treating the lining and main fabric as one piece for the rest of the stitching.

Understitching and Topstitching Video

I hope you enjoyed this look at understitching and topstitching. If you have any questions, please visit the Facebook Group and join the discussion with so many very helpful sewists. And make sure to check out the other P4P University Posts for more help.

Cozy Wrap Sew Along – day 7

The wait is over! I’m here to announce the two winners of our Cozy Wrap Sew Along so let’s get to it.

Congratulations Celeste Wright! You are our first winner! Celeste won a $20 gift certificate to Patterns For Pirates and a January Fabric For Pirates Box (fabric and swag). 

Our second winner is Debra Moyer! Congratulations! Debra won a $20 gift card to Made for Mermaids and a January Fabric for Pirates box (fabric and swag). 

Thank you so much for joining me last week! I throughly enjoyed sewing the Cozy Wrap along side you. Big thank you to Judy for providing the Fabric 4 Pirates prizes too. If you haven’t checked out the subscription, do that here! It’s so fun!

Up next, the Mermaids are taking over the SAL group. See you back here in March!

Cozy Wrap SAL day 1 | Cut fabric

Cozy Wrap SAL day 2 | Sew shoulder and side seams

Cozy Wrap SAL day 3 | Add bottom bands

Cozy Wrap SAL day 4 | Add neckband

Cozy Wrap SAL day 5 | Add sleeves

Cozy Wrap SAL day 6 | Add waist tie

Cozy Wrap SAL day 7 | Winners announcement  

 

Cozy Wrap Sew Along – day 6

We did it! We made it to the last day of the sew long. Today we create the waist tie and show off our Cozy Wraps. 

You should have 4 pieces left in your pile. You’ll be creating the “main” and “lining” of the waist tie by stitching two short ends right sides together. You only have two long pieces now that you are stitching wright sides together, along all 4 raw edges. Don’t forget to leave a 2-3 inch opening to be able to turn the tie right side out. Top stitch all around, or be lazy like me and just close the opening. 

Give your tie a good steam press to reduce any waviness. Slide the ends of the tie through the tie openings of the side seams from the inside out. You can see this process in today’s video linked below. 

What an amazing job you did this past week! I’m so proud of you all! Here is my finished tunic Cozy Wrap, I absolutely love it!  Don’t forget to post a picture of your finished project in the comments of day 6 photo of the Cozy Wrap SAL album. We will choose the winners from that thread! 

 

Cozy Wrap SAL day 1 | Cut fabric

Cozy Wrap SAL day 2 | Sew shoulder and side seams

Cozy Wrap SAL day 3 | Add bottom bands

Cozy Wrap SAL day 4 | Add neckband

Cozy Wrap SAL day 5 | Add sleeves

Cozy Wrap SAL day 6 | Add waist tie

Cozy Wrap SAL day 7 | Winners announcement  

P4P University – Adding Trim to Hems

P4P UNIVERSITY – Adding Trim to Hems!

Hello pirates! Today’s topic will focus on how to add a decorative trim to any hem – this is a super easy way to add a unique and decorative touch to your garments! This post will walk you through the steps to select your trim, prepare your hem, add trim to your hem, and also to launder your garments with trim. For this example, I will be using the Cozy Pants – Youth pattern, and I have chosen to do the shorts with the plain waistband and no pockets. I love adding trim to the most basic options because I feel that it adds a fancy design element while still keeping the project quick and easy – my favorite!

Now let’s get started!


Helpful Tips in Selecting the Trim: 

  • STRETCH FACTOR – If your trim is not as stretchy as your garment fabric, you will want to be sure the pattern you’ve chosen will still be wearable with a non-stretchy hem. Adding a non-stretchy trim will restrict any stretching. For the shorts pattern I have chosen, the legs are wide enough that it’s okay if the hem no longer has stretch. But if it was more fitted, then I’d have to switch to a trim that has an equal or similar amount of stretch.
  • TRIM WIDTH – For added convenience, I recommend selecting a trim that is either as wide or wider than the length of the finished hem. This allows for you to stitch the trim and hem in place in one step! This is optional of course, but I like to minimize the steps wherever I can! 🙂 Wideness of the trim will also depend on if the trim is placed on top or under the hem. For example, if you’d like for the trim to be on the underside of the hem, you may want to choose a thicker trim and/or a trim that you don’t mind will have a portion of it hidden behind the hem.
  • PLAN AHEAD – It is a good idea to already have your pattern, fabric, and location of trim decided on before selecting your trim. This way, when you select a trim you will be able to envision how it will look.  Also – be sure to have a scrap of your fabric nearby when shopping to ensure color coordination!
  • TRIM CONTENT – Be sure to see if the trim is made from material that could shrink. Trim made from cotton will likely shrink, so before sewing with it I recommend washing it in a similar manner that you plan to wash the finished garment (see end of post for laundering tips). 


Preparing for the Hem:

Now that we have selected our trim, we are ready to add it to our garment! Construct your garment as usual, but stop before hemming where you plan to add the decorative trim. Follow the steps below:

  • PRESS YOUR HEM & MEASURE TO CUT TRIM, press hem as indicated by the pattern and measure the length along the edge of your hem. Cut your trim at that length plus an inch or two. I like to add a little extra length to allow some wiggle room, and I cut off the excess later (pictured first below).
  • PLACE TRIM ON OR UNDER HEM, place trim as desired to verify that the length of the trim has been cut correctly and also to visualize the end goal. Adjust the hem and/or recut trim as needed. Pictured below: trim placed under the hem, also referred to as the underside (pictured second), and trim placed on the topside of the hem (pictured third).

    


Add Trim on Topside of Hem:

  • PIN, CLIP, and/or TAPE TRIM IN PLACE, secure trim in place and leave any excess trim unpinned/not taped – I prefer to leave the excess until after I’ve sewn it to ensure I don’t end up with a gap. I use wash away wonder tape for adding trims, bindings, and difficult hems – it is my absolute favorite tool! It sticks everything in place, is clear, and washes away – perfect for this project! For these shorts, I used my tape and also a few clips for extra security (pictured first below). 
  • TOPSTITCH TRIM IN PLACE, finish using your favorite topstitch to secure both your trim and your hem. Be sure your stitching is catching both the hem and the trim. Once you reach the end, cut off the excess trim where needed. I like to overlap the ends of the trim just smidge and cover the edges with a little fray check. Here, I use my coverstitch – but you can also use a zig-zag stitch, triple stitch, etc. My thread is the same color as my trim – so you can’t see the stitching, but here it is stitched on (pictured second).
  • Note: if you are attaching a narrow trim that is smaller than the size of your hem, you will want to first hem your item, and then sew your trim in place. You may also consider using a blind hem to minimize the appearance of stitching before adding the trim. *Tip* For very narrow trims, use a narrow zipper foot on your sewing machine to help you sew right along the edge of the trim!

 

 

OR

Add Trim on Underside of Hem:

  • PIN, CLIP, and/or TAPE TRIM IN PLACE, leave excess trim unpinned/not taped. I prefer to leave the excess until after I’ve sewn it to ensure I don’t end up with a gap. I use wash away wonder tape for adding trims, bindings, and difficult hems – it is my absolute favorite tool! It sticks everything in place, is clear and washes away – perfect for this project! For this example, I am using just a small strip of fabric to show how to finish the hem since I decided to add the trim on top (previous example). Here, I have only used tape to secure the trim in place (pictured first below).
  • OPTIONAL STEP FOR NARROW TRIMS, open up the hem and stitch along the edge of the trim closest to the bottom (pictured second). In the example below, we would stitch along the trim edge opposite of the pom-poms/circles. This is needed if your trim will not be secured by the final hemstitch. If you complete this step, using wonder tape would be the easiest method to ensure the trim doesn’t shift around while you open up your hem. If you don’t have tape, you could use pins, but be sure to only pin through one layer of fabric while securing the trim to the underside of the hem. Clips would not work because you wouldn’t be able to open the hem up. When stitching towards the end, cut off the excess trim where needed. After you have stitched the trim to the fabric, refold your hem.
  • *Tip* For very narrow trims, use a narrow zipper foot on your sewing machine to help you sew right along the edge of the trim!
  • TOPSTITCH TRIM IN PLACE, finish with your favorite topstitch (pictured third). If you did not complete the optional step, this stitch will also serve to stitch your trim in place – so be sure your stitching is catching both the hem and the trim. Once you reach the end, cut off the excess trim where needed (if you haven’t already). When the edges of the trim meet, I like to overlap the edges just smidge and cover the edges with a little fray check. Here, I use my coverstitch to finish the hem – but you can also use a zig zag stitch, triple stitch, etc.

      

And that’s it! Here is my finished product, with the trim stitched on top of the hem. How cute is this?? 


Caring for Garments with Decorative Trim:

Below, I have included my recommendation for caring for your garments with trim. However, this is just my preference, so be sure to defer to your own best judgement – especially when working with delicate fabrics and trims. I tend to use pretty versatile fabric that can handle a little more activity :). Also, I would be lying if I said I ALWAYS do this for items with decorative trim because I’m known to just throw everything in the wash together without a second thought. However, this has honestly led me to some sad occasions while folding laundry and seeing that my pom poms or fringe are now a mess and they are not always salvageable!! So I recommend the following:

  • WASH IN COLD WATER ON DELICATE/GENTLE CYCLE, preferably by itself so it doesn’t risk getting tangled with any straps or strings from other clothing.
  • SKIP THE FABRIC SOFTENER, fabric softener can lead to build-up on fabric over time. This can cause some fabrics to actually lose softness, and it can even lead to discoloring some fabrics. 
  • HANG/AIR DRY, this is strongly recommended based on personal experience! But if you must, you can try drying on the lowest heat setting in the dryer and taking out the garment as soon as it is dry to avoid allowing it to continue drying and get overheated. However, air drying is the safest and most reliable option.

I hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful! Have fun sprucing up some of your garments quickly and easily, and be sure to share your embellished P4P items in the Patterns for Pirates Facebook Group! 

 

 

Cozy Wrap Sew Along – day 5

Welcome to day 5 of our Cozy Wrap sew along. Today is probably my favorite day because I get to make those cute, trendy gathered sleeves. The pattern includes a banded short sleeve, a cuffed regular sleeve and a gathered one. 

If you opted for short sleeve, you will create the bands by sewing each one right sides together to form loops. I highly encourage you to pre-press the cuffs wrong sides together before creating the loops. Just like we did the past few days. 

The standard long and gathered sleeves are attached in the round. That means you are sewing the side seams of the sleeves first. Matching the armpit seam to the sleeve side seam, attach the sleeves to the opening. If you opted for the gathered sleeves, you need to run a gathering stitch or two at the wrist. Pull the gathering threads so that the opening matches the cuff. I personally love gathering with my serger. Our P4P University Gathering blog covers a few gathering methods. 

To attach the cuff, simply match the cuff seam to the sleeve seam and sew right sides together. We have a tips and tricks P4P University cuffs 101 blog that I encourage you to check out. 

We are so close to finishing! All we have left to do is create the waist tie tomorrow. You can see today’s video below. Check in with your progress in the comments of day 5 photo of the Cozy Wrap sew along album. 

 

Cozy Wrap SAL day 1 | Cut fabric

Cozy Wrap SAL day 2 | Sew shoulder and side seams

Cozy Wrap SAL day 3 | Add bottom bands

Cozy Wrap SAL day 4 | Add neckband

Cozy Wrap SAL day 5 | Add sleeves

Cozy Wrap SAL day 6 | Add waist tie

Cozy Wrap SAL day 7 | Winners announcement  

Cozy Wrap Sew Along – day 4

Welcome to day 4 of our Cozy Wrap Sew Along. Easy day today! All we have to do is add the neckband…the very long neckband. You should have two narrow long strips of fabric (do not mix them up with the tie pieces!) Sew them right sides together on one end so you have an even longer neckband. 

Fold the band wrong sides together and give it a good press…just like we did yesterday! Unfold it and fold each end right sides together, sew  and re fold wrong sides together. You should not have a neckband with no raw ends anymore. Time to pin it to the neckline and front raw edge. I recommend pinning the center seam to the center back of the neckline first. Proceed with pinning each front raw edge to the band, right sides together, without stretching the band. The only part of the neckband that will be slightly stretched to fit it’s between the two shoulder seams. 

After you serge the neckband on, you need to finish the serger tails. I cover a few ways to do that in this P4P University blog. 

You can see in today’s video how I attach the neckband to my tunic Cozy Wrap. When you finish adding the neckband, give it a good press and add a picture of your progress to the comments of Day 4 photo. 

Cozy Wrap SAL day 1 | Cut fabric

Cozy Wrap SAL day 2 | Sew shoulder and side seams

Cozy Wrap SAL day 3 | Add bottom bands

Cozy Wrap SAL day 4 | Add neckband

Cozy Wrap SAL day 5 | Add sleeves

Cozy Wrap SAL day 6 | Add waist tie

Cozy Wrap SAL day 7 | Winners announcement  

Cozy Wrap Sew Along – day 3

 

Good morning, pirates! What a wonderful start to the sew along it has been! Today we add the bottom bands. All Cozy Wrap lengths have the same bottom finish. The most important tip I can give you for today’s steps is to start by pressing all 3 bottom bands. Fold them wrong sides together along the length and give them a good steam press! This will help tremendously when you attach them to the bottom raw edge.

Unfold the back band and sew each side folded right sides together. Turn the band out! See how easy that was now that it was pressed. You’ll repeat this steps for the two front bands, except you will only be sewing on one of the sides for each, not both. 

The bottom bands are cut at 1:1 ratio to the raw edge of the top so you will not be stretching them to fit. You can sew these steps with a sewing machine or a serger, just remember to keep a constant 1/2″ seam allowance. All you have left to do is give your stitches a good steam press to reduce any waviness from sewing.

You can see today’s steps in the video below. Remember to take a picture of your progress and post it in the comments of day 3 Cozy Wrap sew along album.

See you back here tomorrow!

 

Cozy Wrap SAL day 1 | Cut fabric

Cozy Wrap SAL day 2 | Sew shoulder and side seams

Cozy Wrap SAL day 3 | Add bottom bands

Cozy Wrap SAL day 4 | Add neckband

Cozy Wrap SAL day 5 | Add sleeves

Cozy Wrap SAL day 6 | Add waist tie

Cozy Wrap SAL day 7 | Winners announcement  

Cozy Wrap Sew Along – day 2

Let’s start sewing! Today we stitch the shoulder seams and side seams. If you are making the midi length and your fabric has lots of vertical stretch I encourage you add clear elastic the shoulder seams. It will help prevent any stretching during wear. I am using a waffle knit with minimal vertical stretch for my tunic Cozy Wrap so there is no need for shoulder reinforcements.

Once the shoulder seams are done we sew the side seams. Yes! This Cozy Wrap pattern has the sleeves added in the round so we will do that in a couple of days. For the side seams you must use your sewing machine as well. Remember, the whole pattern can be sewn with a sewing machine (using stretch stitches). If you chose to use the serger, like I have, you do need to stitch part of the side seams with the sewing machine to ensure a nice clean finish. You can see in the video below achieved a beautiful side seams going between my two favorite machines. 

Once you finish today’s steps, post a photo of your progress in the comments of the Day 2 photo of this sew along’s album. You can find the album (and lots of new sewing friends 😉) here, in the SAL group.

 

Cozy Wrap SAL day 1 | Cut fabric

Cozy Wrap SAL day 2 | Sew shoulder and side seams

Cozy Wrap SAL day 3 | Add bottom bands

Cozy Wrap SAL day 4 | Add neckband

Cozy Wrap SAL day 5 | Add sleeves

Cozy Wrap SAL day 6 | Add waist tie

Cozy Wrap SAL day 7 | Winners announcement  

Cozy Wrap Sew Along – day 1

Welcome to the Cozy Wrap Sew Along!

Happy New Year! I’m so excited to start our 2021 sew alongs with the Cozy Wrap top. The pattern comes in Youth and Adult and you purchase the bundle and save. Don’t forget the Cozy Pants if you’re looking to pair your top with a new bottoms.  If you are still undecided which style to make, our Round Up blog will give you an overview of all options included, from sleeve styles to top lengths. You can also use the Easy Hacks blog for added options.

Let’s start by taking the measurements needed for the best fit. P4P has an amazing blog that gives you tips for accurately taking your measurements. You can read all about it here. If your measurements put you in a different size for chest/waist/hips be sure to check out our P4P University blog and grade to achieve the perfect fit. Our most recent patterns include videos as well. On page 3 you will notice an active button that will take you to the video about adding or removing length. Please refer to it if you are taller or shorter than 5’5″.

 

Still debating which knit type will work best for your desired look? Take a look over our P4P University Knit Types blog. We also included a cheat sheet that you can print. If you are like me and sometime are just keen on using a specific print for a specific pattern, read our Different fabric, different fit blog post before you cut your fabric.

The Cozy Wrap patterns includes a shirt, tunic, knee and midi length as well as short sleeves, long hemmed sleeves and gathered sleeves. This pattern is drafted from light to medium weight fabrics with 20-30% stretch. The Cozy Wrap can be worn both as a wrap or as a cardigan. For my Cozy Wrap tunic I will be using January’s Fabric for Pirates.  Fabric for Pirates is this sew along’s sponsor so our winner will get to enjoy their very own January box!

Day 1 video is posted below. I have used the projector file . Once you cut the fabric, post a picture of your pretty pile in the comments of DAY 1 photo of the Cozy Wrap album in the M4M & P4P Sew Along Group.

Cozy Wrap SAL day 1 | Cut fabric

Cozy Wrap SAL day 2 | Sew shoulder and side seams

Cozy Wrap SAL day 3 | Add bottom bands

Cozy Wrap SAL day 4 | Add neckband

Cozy Wrap SAL day 5 | Add sleeves

Cozy Wrap SAL day 6 | Add waist tie

Cozy Wrap SAL day 7 | Winners announcement

Sweater Weather – easy hacks

 

From brrrrrr to ummmm! This cold days, stay nice and warm with the newest P4P pattern, the Sweater Weather! Our blog contributors team has put together some quick and easy hacks to give you even more options to the pattern. Dana is showing you how to make a wonderful Sweater Weather dress, Jody ditches the side seams for a classic banded look and I took the sweater from winter to summer. Let’s get started! 

…..

Dress

I live in sweater dresses in the winter months because it gets cold in the UK.  I couldn’t resist doing a little hack to the new Sweater Weather length to recreate a Pinspiration I’ve had on my to-do list for a while.

I measured the front pattern piece and then held the tape measure up to myself to decide how much length I wanted to add.  I decided to go with 6 inches extra added to the tunic length, which is a little more that I would normally add but there is a hi-low cutline, and so I wanted to make sure the front would be long enough for decency. 


I use a projector these days and it was as simple as adding 6 inches extra length to the bottom of the front and back bodice pattern pieces, which I did on the fly with my perspex quilting ruler and rotary cutter.

However I also printed out the pattern piece so you could see how it would work on paper too.  The pink paper is the added section. I then decided to mark the notch for my side slit 2 inches up from the bottom edge of the pattern, but this would be up to you.  I chase a 7 year old and a puppy around all day so I didn’t want that side split going too high, but you could go with whichever height you choose.  Then repeat for your back piece.

The only other change I made was to copy the bishop sleeve look from my inspiration pic, and I did that by just cutting the bell sleeve width to the slim cuffed sleeve length.  Projector and paper pattern piece pictures below:

Then I cheekily used my overlocker/serger to gather the bottom of the sleeve by increasing my stitch length and differential feed to their highest setting and whipping round the bottom of the sleeve piece, which gathered it in just enough to fit the cuff. Perfect!

Finally just construct the rest of the garment as per the instructions in the tutorial, and you’re done!

Happy Sewing!

Dana x

…..

No side split

Hey everyone! I have another super quick hack for you. As fun as that side split is that comes in the pattern, I was wanting a most basic top, so I decided to do without the side split for this! It’s as simple as adding a bit of length to the front bodice piece, and sewing the two waistband pieces together in a circle! I’ll break it down for you below.

First, you’ll need to make your front and back bodice pieces the same length. I chose to do Top length for this one, and the front bodice piece was about a little over an inch shorter than the back. Since I also use my projector and don’t print out the pattern pieces, I marked the new Top cut line digitally on my PDF file on my computer. In order to figure out how much length to add, I measured from the Split Marking on the side seam down to the Top cut line on the BACK bodice piece. For my size, that distance measured 2.65 inches.

I then measured down from the Split Marking on the side seam of the FRONT bodice piece and marked where the new Top cut line should be. (Doing this with Paper pattern pieces, you would simply lay the back bodice piece over the front piece and see how much extra to add to the bottom of the front!)

This is what the new digitally measured cut line looks like when projected.

Once I cut my bodice pieces (following the newly marked cut line for the front bodice!) You can see that my front and back bodices are the same length now!

Next, you can sew up your shoulder seams, add the sleeves, and then sew your side seams. When sewing the side seams, instead of stopping your stitches at the split marking like you would have to do if you were making the side split, you can just keep on keeping on and sew right on down to the bottom! Like so:

Lastly, you’ll need to create and attach your waistband. Take your two waistband pieces and place them right sides together. Stitch them together along the short ends.

Now fold the waistband circle wrong sides together aligning the raw edges.  You can now slip the waistband on the bottom of the sweater, aligning raw edges, and sew in place.

Now you have a comfy sweater without the extra side split!

Happy Sewing!

-Jody

….

Short sleeves

Last but certainly not least I wanted to show you how easy it is to take the Sweater Weather from chilly months to hot summer days. It’s as simple as using lighter fabric and making it short sleeves. For my example, I used custom bamboo spandex (my favorite fabric base!). There are not many modifications you need to do to get the look. Simply skip cutting the sleeves and sleeve cuffs when you gather your pieces. 

Sew the shoulder seems and instructed. Press the sleeve opening 1/2″, wrong sides together as shown below. This will create a memory hem. 

Sew the shirt side seams. Using your favorite stretch stitch (I used my coverstitch) hem the sleeves 1/2″. Press again for a crisp look. 

Tadah! Easiest hack ever! Continue sewing your Sweater Weather top as per the tutorial. 

ALTERNATIVE HACK: If you prefer a longer short sleeve, you can band it instead of hemming it. Before sewing the side seams, measure the opening. Cut two bands 4″ tall by the measurement you just did. Sew each band in a loop (at the short ends) using 1/2″ seam allowance. Press length wise, wrong sides together. Sew the shirt side seams. Attach the cuffs to the sleeve opening, matching the side seam. Press and optionally top stitch the seam allowance towards the sleeve. There you have it! A cuffed short sleeve. 

How adorable is Teri? She tested the Sweater Weather top and made herself a tie die short sleeve one too.

How fun and easy were these? We can’t wait to see your take on these hacks. Share your creations in the Patterns for Pirates FB group or on any social media platforms you use! 

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