Patterns for Pirates

P4P stylish, modern, wearable patterns

Kelli Dress Hacks

Straight Cut Skirt

I absolutely had to make this dress as soon as I saw Judy’s first sketches for the pattern. I love the cinched in waist and wrap over top and skirt, it’s just my kind of look. Sometimes it’s nice to have a little more coverage on a skirt, though, and I knew I wanted to try a really simple little hack to straighten the bottom edge of the underskirt piece, for a faux wrapover look.

The option is included for the full length skirt pieces, so it was the easiest hack to do and got me just the look I wanted for me.

The rest of the pattern is cut out as normal, the only piece we will be adjusting is the underskirt piece (the un-ruched skirt piece).

I was making the knee length, so I simply measured from the top of the skirt down to the knee length cut line on the right of the skirt pattern piece.  Then I took that measurement (for me making the plus 2X size it was 25 3/4″), and used it to measure down the same length on the left side, using the full length skirt piece as a guide.

I am projecting onto tracing paper here to make it easier for you to see, as my fabric was a bit busy!

Then just draw a straight line across the bottom of the pattern piece to create your new straight hem skirt piece.

If you are using a projector, like me, you can also bring up the handy measurement grid included with the file for calibration, and use that as a guide for drawing a nice straight line across the pattern piece.

 

As I said, this is the only pattern piece that needs adjusting.  Then just sew up your dress as per the tutorial for the pattern, until you get to the instructions for the skirt pieces.

Follow the instructions for the floor length skirt pieces and hem the bottom of the ruched skirt piece, then gather the side as per the tutorial.  Next construct the back skirt and then hem both the back and un-ruched skirt pieces (the piece we adjusted) separately.

Finally, lay the un-ruched skirt piece facing up.  Then lay the ruched skirt piece facing up on top of it. Baste them together along the top and sides, making sure the hems line up nicely with one another.  Here is a picture of the ruched skirt piece laying on top of the un-ruched skirt piece prior to basting.

Lastly, you will want to lay your back skirt piece, right side facing down on top of the two front skirt pieces.  Here pictured below with the bottom corner flipped up so you can more easily see the layers.

Sew the side seams, taking care to make sure the hems all line up together nicely.  Basting the first inch of each side seam at the hemline can help with that.

Flip the skirt through right sides out, and finish the construction of the waist seam as the tutorial instructs and you’re done!

Nice and quick and easy.  I hope you love your new straight hem skirt as much as I do mine (which is quite a lot!)

 

Happy Sewing!

Dana xxx

 

Side Seam Splits for Floor Length with No Slit

If you feel like you need a little more stride/walking room in the floor length with no split you can easily add a side split (or apply this same method to the back seam for a back slit).

Simply stop stitching the side seams of the skirt where you would like the slits to go to.  Press remaining 1/2″ seam allowance not sewn to wrong side and hem.

It’s that’s simple! Now enjoy your extra walking room in your floor length dress!

 

 

Lumberjack – Reversible Hack

It’s here! It’s here! And I don’t mean only the cooler weather! The updated Lumberjack Shacket is here and now it it’s available in V figure (based on men measurements) and Hourglass figure (women’s measurement). Everyone gets a Lumberjack shirt or shacket!

The pattern includes a lined and an unlined option so today on the b log I wanted to show you how to take the lined option and make it fully reversible! Yup, one shirt that can be worn both ways. 

Let’s get started! Print and cut the pattern and fabric as instructed in the tutorial. Make sure you use the lined option. For this tutorial I used a nylon, poly blend woven (the solid black) and a custom minky (the green one) for the lining.

NOTE: the hood I used for this hack is 1″ smaller on the front that the final pattern. If you want to achieve this exact look, remove 1″ from the hood pieces as show below. If you use the pattern hood as is, make sure to read below what small adjustments you need to make.

Once all pattern pieces are cut sew the main bodice and add sleeves and pockets as instructed in the tutorial. Repeat with the lining. Set the bodices aside for now. Sew the hood as per the lined tutorial. Place the hood (lining out) right sides together on the lining neckline. The hood will be about 1/2″ shorter than the lining neckline. 

Sew the hood in place with a 1/2″ seam allowance, making sure to stitch through all 3 layers. 

If you use the pattern hood, you will place the lined hood right sides together with the MAIN, not lining. The center back will match the neckline back and the front point will reach the fold line of the inner fold line. Sew it in place. Lay the lining over, right sides together and stitch along the neckline. The hood will be sandwiched between the right sides of the bodices. 

Tip: Tie the two sleeves in a knot for both main and lining so they are out of the way when you sew. 

Place your main and lining right sides together matching the raw edges of the neckline and bottom. Pin them in place.

The main will be longer, that’s the way it is supposed to be.

Sew along the neckline, the hood will be sandwiched in between the main and lining. Sew the bottom edge too. Seam allowance for these steps is 1/2 inch. 

Turn the jacket right side out. We will now top stitch the neckline and bottom hem.

When top stitching, fold the excess fabric down (or up) 1/2″ on the placket part. See picture below for how it will look both at the neckline and bottom hem. 

Following the first fold marking, press the front placket once on both sides. Pin in place. I like to add a strip of water soluble double sided tape to the raw edge of the lining. It will help tremendously when sewing.

Note: if you used the bigger hood, it will go all the way to the fold on both sides. 

Fold the placket one more time along the second fold line. This will no overlap over the raw edge of the lining, right where the double sided tape is. Press it down with your fingers. If you don’t have any DST handy for this step, you can always pin it in place. Sew the placket down.

I also like to top stitch all around the placket, on all 4 sides. Once you finish these steps (and your jacket looks like the pic below) set it aside. 

CUFFS

Let’s work on the cuffs. Press both cuffs, length wise. Open them up and press the top of each cuff 1/2″. Thus will create a memory hem. With the cuffs opened up, sew each at the short end to create a loop. 

Refold the top memory hem over the loop. 

Place the unfolded raw edge of the cuff on the lining sleeve opening. You will stretch the cuff to fit the opening. Match the sleeve seam with the cuff seam. Sew in place with a 1/2″ seam allowance. Repeat this step with the other cuff and lining sleeve.

Time to make it look like a shirt! Push the lining sleeve through the main sleeve so they are wrong sides together. 

Fold the cuff along the middle crease that we pressed earlier. The edge is still folded 1/2′. Once you bring the cuff over, the sleeve raw edge will be inclosed in the cuff. Pin the edge of the cuff on the sleeve all around. 

Stitch the cuff down. Look how beautiful is the cuff with no raw edges on the lining! Take a second to admire your work!

BUTTONS

Sew the button holes on one of the plackets. Let’s add the buttons now! To make this Lumberjack fully reversible I added buttons on both sides of the placket. I hate to say it but the easiest way to do this is to hand 🖐 stitch 🖐  the buttons on both sides simultaneously. Make sure that you don’t pull the thread extremely tight. You need wiggle room for the buttons to be able to be fastened. 

All done! This is how to take the newest Lumberjack pattern and turn it into a fully reversible shacket. 

I am very excited to see if you take on this project! Don’t forget to share it in our Facebook group and on Insta! 

All Buttoned-Up | Easy Hacks

Grab those buttons and snaps…the All Buttoned Up pattern is here!! What a beautiful staple for year round sewing. We am so excited to bring you two easy hacks for the All Buttoned Up pattern that will give you even more options. First off, the gorgeous Dana is showing how to achieve the – ohh so popular – lettuce hem look. In the second half of the blog, our talented Rachel is creating separates with the ABU pattern. Yes!

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LETTUCE HEM HACK

 

If you are looking to give a cute and flirty finish to your new cardigan, a lettuce hem is a great way to go. It’s quick and easy and looks fantastic.  Here’s how to do it!

First you will want to remove your hem allowance.  Shorten the bottom edge of your bodice piece by 1”, and the bottom edge of your sleeves by ½”.  Cut out the rest of your pieces as normal.

Then continue with the tutorial instructions until you reach the part where you are told to memory press the hems.  We don’t have hems so instead you will sew the bottom half of the side seams together.  This will enable you to hem the whole of the bottom edge in one go.  (You can’t sew the whole of the side seam, otherwise you will have to hem your sleeves in the round, which is a little tricky with a rolled hem).

Next we will change our overlocker/serger onto its settings for a 3 thread, narrow rolled hem.  You will need to remove your left needle and then change your tensions, stitch length, width and differential feed. Your manual will show you how to do this.  This is the page from my manual for reference but different machines will have slightly different settings.

 The only difference between a lettuce hem and a regular narrow rolled hem is to decrease the differential feed down as far as it goes, and to gently pull the fabric to stretch it as you feed it into the presser foot.  Both of these actions will stretch the fabric as it is sewn, and helps give the wobbly lettuce edge.

You can also slow the fabric as it comes out of the back of the feed dogs, and gently stretch the hem once it is sewn, as this increases the ruffled look.

Then, once you have perfected your narrow rolled hem on scrap fabric you can hem both sleeves and the bottom edge of the cardigan.

 

Reset your machine to its previous settings and finish sewing the side seams, from the hem edge of the sleeve up to the underarm, and down to join the top of the previous side seam stitching. Weave in your tails, or trim and finish with fray stop.

Construct the rest of your garment as per the pattern tutorial.

You’re done! Enjoy your fun new cardigan.

 

 

Happy Sewing

Dana x

 

 

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SEPARATES

Versatility is a requirement in my wardrobe so I always put my patterns to work for me. As soon as I saw the All Buttoned Up Cardigan, I knew I wanted to create separates, too!

For this make, I worked up a cropped cardigan and a pencil skirt, with the crew neck and self-facing placket options. You can follow the same method for the v-neck with banded placket.

Start with the dress length cardigan and cut the full length piece in half at the “Crop” length line. You will now have your cardigan and skirt pieces separated.

Construct your cardigan per the pattern directions.

Assemble your skirt by stitching together at the back and sides.

Cut fusible interfacing strips that are 1.5” wide by the length of your skirt. Iron on the interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric, aligning with the front edges of your skirt. Just as you did with the cardigan, press the front edge ¾” towards the inside and press.

Cut your waistband 5” tall by the length of the top of your skirt, minus ½”. For example, the top of my skirt is 31” wide so I cut my band 30.5” long.

From here you have 2 options. If your fabric has great stretch and recovery, you can cut 2 strips of interfacing ¾” wide by 5” tall. Fuse them to your fabric ½” from the edge.

 

If your fabric has poor recovery, you will want to cut a piece of 2” elastic to sew into your band. No interfacing is required because your elastic will provide stability to your waistband.

Assemble your waistband using the same instructions that you completed for the neckband.

Stitch your waistband to the top of your skirt, ¾” away from the front edge of your skirt.

Complete your skirt placket, buttons, and hem using same instructions for the cardigan.

 

Wear your pieces together for a coordinated look or separately with jeans or a sweater… your options are unlimited!

Happy sewing!

Rachel

We hope you enjoyed these simple modifications to the All Buttoned Up pattern. Don’t forget to share your creations in the P4P Facebook group and on Instagram so we can all admire them!

Paperbag Pants + Skirt :: Easy Hacks

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Drawstring

 

No elastic on hand, no problem you can still sew up your Paperbag pants, shorts or skirts and just add a drawstring instead!  Lets get started!

All pieces will be the same with the exception of the belt, if you are wanting to make your own drawstring you will cut 2 belt pieces instead of 4 as we are not going to use the lining pieces.  You can also used premade drawstring if you don’t want to make your own, you will just need to cut it the length of two belt pieces.

You are going to sew up your pants or skirt exactly as shown in the pattern until you get to your waist band.  Take your front waistband piece, iron it lengthwise in half and mark the center front and both your seam allowances and casing.  You will also want to mark two buttonholes on either side of your center front.  I placed mine about 3/4 of a inch from the center front on both sides, centering them in the middle of the casing section. (the middle section) I would also recommend adding interfacing to the back of your fabric where you are planning on sewing your buttonholes to add some stability.

Next you will sew your buttonholes on your sewing machine, make sure you are only sewing them through the one layer of fabric on the front waistband where you have marked.  Now you can finish your waistband as indicated in the pattern and attach it to your pants or skirt. Tip: instead of buttonholes you could add grommets for a different look.

If you are using premade drawstring you will just thread your drawstring through your buttonhole into the casing.  If you are wanting to make a matching drawstring you will sew your two belt pieces together along the short ends just like the instructions state for the belt, finish the seam or trim with pinking sheers.  Next fold the belt in half, long edges together and sew down the long edge with a 1/2 inch seam allowance.  Trim the seam allowance close to the seam but not through and turn your tube inside out to form your drawstring and press well. I just use a safety pin to turn my drawstring inside out but you can use whatever method you find easiest.  If you would like you can topstitch the drawstring as well.  You can also finish the ends or just knot the ends as I have done here.  Insert your drawstring into your casing and you are done!

 

 

Angela

 

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Half  ties

 

If you like the idea of a belt but are a bit short on fabric, or like me, constantly lose separate belts, then this hack will show you how to make a half-belt, sewn into the side seams of the new Paperbag Pants.

First of all you will cut out your pattern pieces as usual, except for the belt pieces.  For the belt you will simply cut out 3 belt pieces, instead of 4; and only 2 belt loops, instead of 3.

 

 

Construct your trousers/shorts as per the tutorial until you come to the waistband and belt pieces. Then take your 3 belt pieces and sew the short sides together until you have one long piece.  Fold it in half and cut to make 2 pieces, then take each of those 2 pieces and cut them in half until you have 4 pieces of even length.

 

You will have two pieces without a seam and 2 pieces that have a seam in the middle.  Take one piece without a seam and one piece with a seam and sew them right sides together, starting from the short edge nearest the seam, up one long edge, across the top and back down the other long edge, leaving the bottom short edge open. Clip the corners and turn through.  Press and top stitch.

 

Next, take your waistband pieces and lay the back piece out facing up, then measure ½” from the bottom edge and lay one of your waist ties on it, with the side that has the seam facing up.  Lay the front waistband piece, facing down, on top of it.  Pin/clip and sew down the short side of the waistband, sandwiching the waist tie in the centre.  Repeat for the other side.

 

Fold the waistband wrong sides together and press.  Sew your channel for the elastic, as instructed in the tutorial, being careful to move your waist ties out of the way as you come to the side seams so that you don’t catch them in the stitching.

 

 

Sew the waistband on as normal, the only difference is that you will only be using the front belt loops (2 in total), thread in your elastic, and you can finish off by tying your waist ties in a bow!

 

 

Enjoy your new garment and never have to worry about losing those waist ties again.

 

 

Happy Sewing!

Dana x

Infinity Wrap – easy hacks

Infinity Wrap is here! As with the rest of the P4P patterns, this one is definitely not lacking in options. With this release hack blog we wanted to show you two easy mods you can do to the pattern. First off, I will slim down the straps to a tapered end. Second hack will be a crop option. You can use both on the same Infinity Wrap or just one.

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Tapered Straps

The Infinity Wrap features long wide straps that you can wrap in various styles. But what if you want the straps to have less bulk towards the ends? Well… easy! Let’s taper them. Place both straps on top of each other (so we can make only one mark and one cut). Find the center of the short end. Fold the strap length wise at the center. We will now mark the center of the folded piece.

Mark the center of the long side of the straps. I used a clip for this step.

Lay the folded straps on the table. Make sure they are all nice and wrinkle free. Draw a straight line from the center of the folded short end to the center of the long edge. Using a quilting ruler and a rotary cutter, cut along the drawn line.

That’s it! It is that easy to make a tapered strap.

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Crop Top

Now let’s make  a crop top! Start by cutting the straps as per the tutorial. You will not need the pants, briefs or skirt. You do need to cut a strip of fabric, that is the length of the waist elastic. You can grab that measurement from the cutting chart.  I cut the band 5″ tall. Since I wanted to use the left over fabric I had on hand I actually made the band out of two pieces, instead of one. Press the band lengthwise.

Open the band and press 1/2″ along both length of the band as shown below.

Open the memory hems. Sew the short ends of the band to create a loop.

Mark the center of the band. You will have the seam on the back if you made the band out of one piece or on the sides if your band has two pieces like mine. Create straps as in the tutorial and mark the center piece.

Gather the straps.

Matching the center markings pin the straps to the band, right sides together. Sew in place with a straight stitch or serger.

Fold the memory hems, fold the band along the center and pin wrong side together. Using your favorite stretch stitch, sew as close to the edge as possible.

TIP: if your fabric has poor recovery or you need more support, slide a 1.5″ elastic in the band.

The Infinity crop top is now ready to be paired with your favorite Patterns for Pirates skirt (I used the Pirate Pencil Skirt) or pants.

We can’t wait to see your take on the Infinity Wrap!

Cutie Briefs – easy hack

The Cutie Booty and Cutie patootie Boxer Briefs patterns have release and they are not one to be skipped! The pattern features a center front and a center back pieces as well as a separate lining pattern. In this easy hack, I wanted to show you how to fully line the center front and back. This hack is perfect if you want to enclose the briefs’ seams.  

Start by cutting the pattern pieces as instructed in the tutorial. You will cut two of the front center and two of the center back piece. You will not need the liner. 

Stitch the front and back main pieces right sides together at the crotch seam. Repeat with the lining. 

Matching the notches in the pattern (front and back), pin the main the the leg piece right sides together. Take the lining and pin it right sides to the wrong sides of the leg, making sure the notches are in the correct spot. Your leg piece will be sandwiched between the two lining pieces. 

Sew them with your favorite stretch stitch or serger. 

Turn the briefs right side out. They will look like the picture below. 

Pin the right side of the remaining leg to the right side of the lining piece, matching the notches. 

Bring the lining over and “stuff” the finished leg of the briefs inside the center “sandwich”. This is very similar to the burrito roll method used to create lined tanks. Pin it in place.  

Br

Sew the pinned side with a serger or a stretch stitch. 

Pull the briefs right side our through one of the openings. Tadah!! Magic! Now your Cutie Briefs center seams and fully enclosed. 

Finish the briefs as instructed in the tutorial. The example in this blog is the Cutie Patootie youth option but this hack can be done to the adult one too. Just imagine using lace for the leg pieces and a solid color for the center pieces. Va! Va! Va! Voom!

I hope you will give this easy hack a try! Can’t wait to see what you create!

Be Bold Bodysuit – Easy Hacks

The much anticipated Be Bold Bodysuit has now released. I couldn’t be more thrilled to share with you some easy hacks that the P4P blog team has prepared for you. We will show you how to add a your favorite P4P skirt to the crop top and make it a custom dress. Rachel is adding a faux placket to her Be Bold Bodysuit and Shannon is making a very cropped 😉 crop option. Ohh and did I mention that you can turn the BBB into an undergarment compression bodysuit? Djem is showing you how below. 

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Dress 

Let’s start off this easy hacks series with my favorite of all – a dress!! Hello, beautiful! The Be Bold Bodysuit includes a crop top option which makes an excellent bodice for many of the P4P skirt patterns. 

In the mini tutorial below, Judy shows you how to add the X Factor skirt to the Be Bold crop to to create a gorgeous, comfortable square neckline dress. Print the skirt portion of the X Factor pattern and cut the fabric. Sew the side seams right sides together. 

Mark the center of the skirt front and back as well as the centers of the bodice front and back. 

Matching the marked points, pin the skirt and bodice right sides together. Serge or sew with you favorite stretch and a 1/2″ seam allowance. 

Hem the skirt and enjoy your new Be Bold dress! 

I used the same method as above to make a Be Bold – Sweetheart mash. Instead of using the X Factor, I use the Sweetheart dress, Easy peasy! My next mash will be with the Boundless dress. If you chose to to the Be Bold crop with the Boundless gathered skirt, make sure that you use the cutting chart for the natural waist skirt, NOT the empire one. 

My dress below is bamboo spandex and Judy’s baby girl’s dress above is cotton spandex. 

Just look how stunning Sylvia looks in her Be Bold thin strap option mashed with the Sweetheart dress. Her polka dots fabric is double brushed poly. Just radiant! 

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Faux Placket

Adding a faux placket is an easy way to gain extra mileage from your Be Bold pattern. And it couldn’t be easier!

You can add a faux placket to any of the Be Bold styles, but I chose to add mine to the tank bodysuit.

Did I say that it couldn’t be easier? Keep reading…

Cut the pattern pieces for your preferred Be Bold style.

Cut an additional rectangle, 6.5” x 1.75”.

Optional! Finish the edges on your serger, without cutting off any of the seam allowance. It adds a bit of stability to your placket.

Fold the bottom and side edges in ¼” towards the wrong side and press into place.

Pin your placket piece to the center line of your bodice, aligning raw edges at the top of the placket and neckline. At this point, I like to use hem tape to secure the placket into place.

Edgestitch into place. Fun tip! Use your blind hem foot to help keep your topstitching super-straight!

Assemble the rest of the garment per the pattern instructions.

Add your buttons once your garment is complete so they don’t get in the way of your construction.

I mentioned it was simple, right?? Enjoy the newest addition to your spring wardrobe!

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Compression undergarment

Love the Be Bold Bodysuit, but want a little tummy control? No problem. It’s all about fabric choice. You’ll want to use a heavy athletic knit with a high spandex content, like supplex or compression tricot. In my navy bodysuit below, I used supplex for the main fabric and lined the front and back bodysuit with power mesh. I treated the supplex and power mesh as one layer and followed the tutorial as written. However, if you are looking for something compressive, that can be worn as an undergarment, you’ll want something a little more like the black bodysuit on the right.

 

For the black bodysuit, I used tricot for the main fabric and power mesh for the lining. The only adjustments were made to the front bodice pattern piece.

 

  1. Mark 1.5″ down from the armpit of the front pattern piece.
  2. Using the bottom curve of the Front Shelf Bra as a guide, create a line.

 

3.  Measure from your side seam to where you feel the start of your bra cup. Mine is about 3″, mark this measurement on your pattern.

4. From the top of the shoulder seam, mark 2.5″ down. Connect the lines as illustrated above.

5. Using a french curve ruler or whatever you have around (I used a drinking glass), create a curve connecting the shoulder seam line and the underbust line.

6.  Cut out that section, and you now have your new front pattern piece! Using this piece, cut out your main fabric and lining on the fold.

7. Follow the construction of the tutorial as written, treating the deep plunge as a normal neckline. You will want to use a 1:1 ratio for the picot, while slightly stretching along the curve.

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Very crop top

This very cropped cami and top are super comfortable and perfect to wear under low-cut tops and for loungewear. I will be living in these and the best part is they are so quick and easy to make. Here are the two tutorials for creating the crop. The first shows the tutorial using the thin strap option and the second is the tank option.

Very Crop Cami Using the Thin Strap Option:

  1. Take your lining pieces for your pattern. Simply cut 2 fronts and 2 backs following the thin strap tank lines to create a cropped cami with lining. 
  2. Sew the top together using the thin strap tank directions from the tutorial. 
  3. Once you have sewn the side seams, baste the main and lining pieces together along the bottom edge. Treat these two as one while you attach the picot as directed in the pattern.  

This cropped cami is great for pairing with low cut tops for some extra coverage. I made this option in white cotton jersey, lined with the same fabric and used bra strap elastic in place of fabric straps. (paired here with RTW Jeans and Top).

Very Cropped Top Using the Tank Option

  1. Take both your front and back bodice pieces and lay the front and back shelf bra liner pieces on top, lining up the shoulders. 
  2. Draw a line on your front and back main bodice pieces along the bottom of the shelf bra piece. 
  3. Cut your main bodice pattern pieces on this line and use this for your new pattern.
  4. Cut your main fabric for the very crop tank top using your new pieces and cut your lining from the shelf bra lining pieces. Follow the tutorial for sewing the tank top. Once you have the neckline, arms, and side seams sewn, baste the lining and main fabric together along the bottom edge. You will now treat the two fabrics as one piece. Last, apply picot elastic according to the tutorial for the shelf bra.  That’s it.

This very cropped top is great to wear in place of a bra or sewn up in athletic fabric to match with your favorite workout wear. This is not supportive enough to be a sports bra, but very comfortable for lounging, a sleep bra, or paired with your own bra as a very cropped top.

 

I hope you will get to give these easy hacks a try. Which one will you do first? Don’t forget to share them in the P4P Facebook group and on Instagram so we can admire your work too! 

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! 

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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

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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

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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! 

Cozy Pants and Wrap – Easy Hacks

Ready to wrap yourself in cozy goodness and cuddle up with those holiday movies and a hot cocoa? I know I am! The Cozy Wrap and Pants are just the perfect addition to your wardrobe. In this Easy Hacks post the P4P blog team is showing you how to achieve more looks using the newly released patterns. Michelle will walk you through adding a yoga waistband to the pants; Dana and Judy are taking the side split “up a notch”…or two. Rachel is bringing her Cozy Wrap up on the fancy chart by making it a dress and Alex is transforming the belt into two sewn-in ties. Let’s get started! 

 

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High pants split 

First up, a super easy hack that doesn’t even need any adjustments to the pattern pieces. Have you seen those cool high side split pants all over Pinterest? You can achieve the look with the Cozy Pants. The pattern includes two side notches, one for shorts and one for pants length. All you have to do is use the shorts side split marking for the pants option. Sew the pants just as in the tutorial. 

These style looks beautiful in lighter weight fabric and tied at the ankles. See how easy it was? 😊

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Duster wrap with high split

I have had a duster cardigan with a high side split like this pinned on my Pinspiration board for a while, now.  I knew I could make it happen with this really easy hack of the new Cozy Cardi and I love how it turned out!

I have a written blog post below, or if you prefer a video I did one of those, too.  You can find it here:

Cut your pieces out and mark your notches.  In this instance you can see the two pins at the top which mark the notches for the waist tie, and then the pin underneath them is the notch for the shirt length side slit, which we’ll be using here with the midi/duster length cardi to get the look we want. 

Then assemble your pattern as per the tutorial.  The only difference being the side seam will have a much longer hem up to the side split notch than the tutorial photos show.

Don’t forget to give those side seams a good press to open them up.  It really helps you get a good finish and helps the hem lay nicely ready for sewing.  You can see the opening for the waist tie here, just above the tip of my iron.

 

Sew up that side seam hem (don’t forget the waist tie opening) and the hack is done.

 

It really is that easy! Now it’s done I have to make a little pair of shorts to wear with it for the spring/summer.  These winter months will fly by, right? Here’s hoping.

Happy sewing!

 

Dana x

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Sewn in ties

Up next I wanted to show you how to make sure you don’t lose your Wrap belt 😉 I decided for my short sleeve option to actually sew the ties in the side seams instead of creating the belt. Start by cutting the 4 pieces for the belt. instead of making one long belt we will create two ties. Sew 2 of the 4 pieces right sides together along the long edges and one of the short ones. Turn the tie right side out through the raw edge. PRESS! Repeat the steps for the other tie. 

Use the belt hole marking on the pattern to place the ties on each side of the back of the Wrap Top as shown below. Align the raw edges. Sandwich the ties in between the right sides of the back and front pieces. Sew in place with your favorite stretch stitch. 

That’s it! Continue sewing the top as instructed in the pattern. Be cautious of the long ties when stitching, you want to make sure you don’t catch them when you sew the other steps. 

Here you go! The look of the Cozy Wrap without the risk or misplacing the belt. You can tie these in the front or the back of your shirt. 

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Wrap Dress

With a few simple pattern modifications. you can use the Cozy Wrap Top to make an adorable dress!

You will be modifying a few pattern pieces that require custom sizing, so please read through the tutorial before cutting your fabric. The modifications will be dependent upon the size that you are making so I can’t provide exact dimensions for this tutorial.

For this dress, I used the knee length pattern pieces as my starting point.

Lengthen your Front pattern pieces to be the same length as the Back. I lined up the armscyes for the Front and Back pieces to determine how much longer I should extend the Front.

From this point, you will follow assembly instructions for the Cozy Top, including belt openings, but omitting the side split. You will sew the side seams together through the bottom hem.

Once you have the front and back of your dress assembled, you will measure the full length of your bottom hem to determine how wide your Bottom Hem Band should be. You will cut a band that is 8” tall by the length of your measurement.

For reference, mine was 53 ½” by 8” tall. You will fold the band in half, with wrong sides together, and sew to the bottom of your dress without stretching, matching raw edges.

Because you’re lengthening the front of your dress, your neckband will be lengthened by the same amount, adding an additional 1” to accommodate the ½” hem on each end.

Add closures of your choice, like snaps, to the neckband and dress front where you feel most comfortable. I wanted my dress to wrap tightly so I placed my closures near the side seams, on both sides. You’ll need to try on your dress to determine where you want your closures to be.

Now you’re ready to go, with no fear of your dress slipping open!

And the best part? You can still wear your dress as a cardigan. I’m crazy about versatile clothing!

Happy making!!

Rachel

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Yoga Waistband

Anyone else can’t resist a good yoga waistband?? I’m not sure what it is about them but I just love them!  The extra support when folded up or comfort and security when folded over.  Either way, it’s a win in my book!  It’s also a super easy hack to add to your cozy pants and I’m going to show you how.  Essentially we are just doubling the height of your waistband.  If you want to wear your band up and are making the high-rise option, I recommend doing a few inches less than half. If you plan to wear it folded down- doubling is perfect for either the high or low rise waist. 

  

First, you’ll want to print and cut out your chosen waistband piece in your size.  

Now grab a few extra pieces of paper and tape them together.

Next, you’ll want to trace your waistband piece onto your new papers (make sure to leave a little extra room at the bottom).

Then you will line up the edge of the waistband with your traced waistband and tape.   Cut that out and it’ll be your new pattern piece.

Cut your fabric with this new pattern piece and attach as directed in the pattern.  You won’t add any drawstrings to this at all.  Then you are done!

Easy peasy and a fun different look.   Perfect for cozy pants or if you want them to lean towards an “athletic” style you can do that too!

Happy Sewing!

-Michelle

Wow! So many sew options to try! Which one will be your first? Be sure to post your Cozy Wrap and Pants in the Facebook group and on Instagram. We can’t wait to see them! 

Vintage Jumper – Easy Hacks

The Vintage Romper is here and we couldn’t be more excited to share with you the blog team’s take on some easy hacks. Grab your patterns and let’s get started!

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Pants/skirt

Do you love shorts like we love shorts?! Then you’re in the right place. I’m going to spend a little time today showing you how to hack the new Vintage Romper into a shorts or skirt only piece. It couldn’t be easier and I have even filmed a little tutorial showing you how to adapt the waistband pattern piece and then put the waistband together too, which you can find here:

However, if you like it old skool here is the written blog post. 

 

First you will want to cut out your skirt or pants pieces as per the regular tutorial. Then take your waistband piece and double the height of it. I used the Youth pattern to make mine and this measured 2 inches in height so I doubled it to make it 4 inches tall and then cut the length out as usual. I wasn’t going to use the strap pieces so I extended the waistband height out over the strap piece here, just to save paper.  Cut your waistband lining piece out in the same way.

 

Waistband piece cut with the height doubled

 

shorts pieces, pockets, waistband outer and lining.

You will then have your pants/shorts/skirt pieces; pockets if using; extended waistband pieces; interfacing if using.  Construct the rest of your garment as usual until you get to the section where you have to attach the waistband. You will attach the waistband as per the tutorial, the only difference being you don’t have the bib and straps to sandwich between the outer and lining of the waistband pieces. So you will attach the waistband outer right sides together with the pants/skirt.

Waistband with overhang

You will have an overhang of the waistband over the edge of the pants piece .  This is correct, it enables you to attach a fastening for the top of the waistband at the end, like a button and buttonhole or poppers. Then sew the lining right sides together with the outer, up one short edge, along the top and down the other short edge.

 Clip your corners, turn it through.

 

Topstitching after pressing

Press and topstitch around the entire waistband. 

Then finish off your garment as per the regular tutorial instructions and you’re done!

We style them with tights, Doc Martins and a crop length Hepburn. I loved it so much on the shorts I had to do it for the skirt too!  

Anyone else find that their child turns into a karate expert as soon as you turn on a camera?!

Obviously you can also just sew this up with the regular height of the original waistband too. The choice is all yours! 

 

Happy sewing! 

 

Dana x

 

 

Front zipper

Up next we wanted to show you a different style jumper that can be achieved with the new Vintage pattern. Let’s add a zipper to the front instead of the side. This a s great opportunity to show off your favorite zippers and pulls. For my example I am using zipper by the yard with a fun rainbow finish zipper pull. I also went with a Doodles French Terry instead of stretch woven. Cut your pattern as instructed in the tutorial. You will make two changes. Remove the part of the waistband beyond the notch on both ends. Repeat for the waistband lining. The other modification would be for the bib. Cut two 2 mirror images instead of 1 set mirror pieces and the lining on fold.

After sewing the darts on the back pants pieces, sew the back crotch seam and the two side seams. The pants will not be sewn at the front crotch just yet.

Prepare the bib by sewing the left side main and lining piece right sides together along the top and slanted side raw edge. Repeat for the ride side bib. You will now have two bib piece that will have raw edges on the vertical center seam and bottom.

Attach the main print waistband to the pants right sides together by matching the center to the center back and the raw edged to the front raw front seam.

Pin the straps matching the strap placement notches. Place the bib on the top edge of the waistband, right sides together matching the raw edges. Repeat on the other side with the other half of the bib. Place the lining on top, right side down, sandwiching the bib in between the main and lining waistband. Stitch in place.

Mark the place of the zipper stop on the wrong sides of the fabric. Place the front of the jumper right sides together matching the front raw edge. Baste in place from the top to the marked point and sew in place down from that point along the front crotch seam. Attach the zipper using the same technique as in the Vintage Jumper tutorial.

Finish your jumper by attaching the straps to the front and hemming. All done! I can’t wait to see your take on this hack.

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Overall buckles

Love the Vintage Jumper, but you’re terrified of button holes? Never fear! Buckles are here!

Adding buckles as a button replacement is an easy and super cute hack… no extra sewing involved!

For the Vintage Jumper, you’ll need 1 ¼” buckles. I ordered mine from WAWAK and they came within 2 days, but you can also order from Amazon or pick them up in your local fabric store.

I’ve put together a video tutorial, but if you prefer written instructions, just scroll a bit further!

Mark your button placement on the bib with tailor’s chalk, 1” from the top and side edge of the bib.

Take your button post and push it through the backside of your bib, at your chalk mark, going through all layers of your fabric.

Protecting the front side of your button (as I’ve done here with a simple cloth bag), hammer the button post into the button.

Thread your straps through the buckles, starting with the top…

Running through the bottom…

Back through the middle…

And behind the front of the strap, back through the top loop.

Give yourself plenty of play in your straps to make fit adjustments

5.     Adjust the straps to your preference and you’re done!

I have always loved overalls! I am so glad to have this updated pair in my wardrobe. As with all Patterns for Pirates makes, you can’t stop with one. I already have the fabric ready to make another pair soon.

I hope you enjoy your new jumper!!

Rachel

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Skip the Zip

If you’d rather skip the zip you can choose a fabric with high stretch and recovery and slip it on/off. It’s a very simple modification, just make sure your fabric is stretchy enough to slip on and off with the snug waistband at natural waist. You will want a fabric that is more stable and can “hold” that waistband shape nicely. Or you can add some 1″ elastic into the waistband to help keep the shape.

Cut out all your pieces the same, except the waistband. You will need to trim off the extra 1″ on each end since we will not have them overlapping for a button. If you’re adding elastic I cut mine just slightly shorter then my new waistband piece so it would be snug to her waist.

Instead of sewing your zip into your side seam you’ll just stitch it up. Stitch your waistband pieces into a circle. If you are adding elastic sew it into a circle as well.

You will follow the same steps as the tutorial attaching the main waistband piece, sandwiching the straps and bib between the main and lining waistband, and top-stitching band. You will just be sewing in a complete circle rather then having the ends that overlap for a button.

All done, now you can just slip it on/off with no zip!

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Zipper Guard

If the feeling of the zipper on your skin bothers you- you can add a simple zipper guard quickly and easily. You will cut out 2 rectangles (you can curve the bottom edge if you’d like I did or leave it a rectangle) a little longer (1-2″) then your zipper and about 2″ wide.

Stitch your pieces right sides together along one long and short edge like a L (J if you curved your corner like me) shape. Trim seam allowance and flip right sides out. Press and stitch.

Place your zipper guard along the side seam with zipper with the raw edges aligned to the seam allowance of the front pant/skirt. Stitch guard to seam allowance (do not stitch through pant/skirt).

Pin in place from front. Stitch in the ditch along your zipper seam on the front pant/skirt through the zipper guard.

You can also continue to stitch in the ditch across the bottom and up just a little to help keep the guard in place when taking on/off. This is what it will look like after with the zipper guard keeping the zip from touching your skin:

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Add some Ears

Adding a little face and ears is always a way to make my daughter super happy with something I sew her. She requested a kitty for this one after seeing one similar at a store. It was such an easy little modification. I simple free-handed the ears… but we do have some ears in the Oversized Sweater-Youth pattern and I used the faces from our free Animal Faces for our Jolly Roger Raglan. I only freehanded the ears to make sure they fit perfectly and…. well… I didn’t want to print anything 😉

Stitch the ears up and sandwich them between the main and lining bib. Ta-da… that’s it! So cute and simple!

What an amazing line up! We look forward to seeing  your own “”hacked” Vintage Jumper  creations on Facebook and Insta.

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