Runabout SAL – day 5 (hem skirt/shorts or add cuffs to joggers)

June 26, 2020

We made it to day 5 of the Runabout Romper Sew Along. Today is probably the easiest day. We are finishing the bottoms by hemming or adding the cuffs.

I opted for the dress do I will be hemming the curved edge. We have a P4P University blog with tips for hemming knits. You can read about it here. The most important thing about hemming knits with your coverstitch or sewing machine is to PRESS, press and press some more!

If you are sewing the joggers will will add ankle cuffs. Mark the quarters of the ankle opening and the cuffs. Stitch the cuffs on, matching the quarter point, making sure that you stretch the cuff but not the jogger.

Tomorrow we will be working on the waistband and finishing the project. Watch the video below and when you finished today’s steps, post a picture of your progress in the day 5 comments of the RRD album.See you soon!

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 1 | Print pattern and cut fabric

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 2 | Add chest pocket, sew shoulder seams and add neckband

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 3 | Sew side seams and add tank armband/dolman sleeves

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 4 | Add pockets, side seam skirt or shorts/joggers and inseam

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 5 | Hem skirt/shorts or add cuffs to joggers

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 6 | Add waistband and show off your creations

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 7 | Winners announcements

Sunflower and Busy Bee Easy Hacks

June 25, 2020

It’s swimsuit season! The new Sunflower Swim Top and Busy Bee Swim Bottoms are the perfect addition to your summer wardrobe. Dana is showing you below how to make a longer ruffle while Rachel is taking the Sunflower Top and making is shorter. Enjoy these cute easy hacks!

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Longer Ruffle

This is a really easy hack if you want a little extra tummy coverage or just want the look of a longer ruffle.

Cut out all your pattern pieces as usual but when you come to the ruffle you will cut it a little differently. First of all you will want to decide how wide you want your ruffle to be.

I measured the original piece which is 2 inches wide and I decided that I wanted to increase this to 5 inches wide.

I simply laid my perspex quilting ruler out over the pattern piece and used it to help cut out the original length and the increased width.

Here is my finished ruffle. Measuring 5 inches wide, in comparison to the original pattern piece.

Then just sew it together as usual. Easy peasy!

Happy sewing! Love, Dana x

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Shorter Top

Forget the itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot bikini… bananas are so much more fun!

Here’s how you modify the pattern for Sunflower Swim Top if you’d like to sport a shorter length. You’ll be modifying the pattern pieces, but the actual construction of the top will follow the pattern instructions as written.

You’ll need the front and back pattern pieces and the shelf bra pattern piece.

With both the front and the back pieces, it is most important to preserve the curves at the bottom of the pieces. You’ll see how I did that in the pictures provided.

Cut the back piece into thirds as indicated in the photo below. You’ll be discarding the center piece.

Take the top and bottom thirds and line up the bottoms of the cut-out curve, where you see the green line in the pic. Tape together. I added a little snipe of paper, where the green circle is, to help visually with cutting my fabric.

And that completes your new back pattern piece.

Line up your front and back pattern pieces and mark the bottom of the back piece on your front piece. This will ensure that your front and back pieces line up when you’re constructing the top.

Place your shelf bra pattern piece on top of your front pattern piece and line up the “fold” edges. The left edge of the shelf bra piece should intersect the mark you made on the previous step.

Trace the bottom edge of the shelf bra and cut along this line to create your new front piece.

Once you have your pattern pieces ready, construct your top with the instructions provided. You can even work in a shelf bra at this length if you desire.

Isn’t sewing for yourself so much fun? I can’t wait to rock these bananas at the pool!

Rachel

Which one of these hacks will you try first? As always, post your creations in the Patterns for Pirates Facebook group so we all get a chance to admire them.

Runabout SAL – day 4 (add pockets, side seam skirt or shorts/joggers and inseam)

June 25, 2020

Welcome to day four of our sew along! Today we start working on the bottom part. Whether you are sewing the romper or the dress today you are adding the pockets and sewing the side seam. Additionally, you will also be stitching the inseam of the joggers and shorts.

Tip: double check that you cut the correct pockets before you start sewing. You might have noticed that there are two pockets and pocket lining patterns. One is for the skirts and shorts and one is for the joggers. You can’t switch them around.

If you are sewing the skirt you will be stitching the side seams with your serger or your sewing machine. Be mindful of the side split directions if you opted for the maxi style.

If you are creating joggers or shorts, you will be sewing each leg at a time. This will give your crotch seam the most strength.

The day 4 video is below. Once you get the steps done, post a picture in the comments of day 4 photo of the RRD album in the FB group. This will count as your check in for today. See you back here tomorrow !

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 1 | Print pattern and cut fabric

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 2 | Add chest pocket, sew shoulder seams and add neckband

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 3 | Sew side seams and add tank armband/dolman sleeves

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 4 | Add pockets, side seam skirt or shorts/joggers and inseam

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 5 | Hem skirt/shorts or add cuffs to joggers

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 6 | Add waistband and show off your creations

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 7 | Winners announcements

Runabout SAL – day 3 (side seams and tank bands/dolman sleeves)

June 24, 2020

Welcome to day 3 of our sew along! Today is a pretty easy day. We will finish the bodice by sewing the side seams and finishing the sleeves.

if you are creating the tank style, you will be adding the arm bands the exact way you added the neckband yesterday
if you are doing the short sleeve option, you will be be hemming the sleeve as I am
if you are getting ready for cooler temperatures and sewing the long sleeves, you will be adding cuffs. The tutorial shows you how to add the sleeves in the round.

The word of the day is PRESS! Press and steam all your hems and cuffs, you want to make sure it looks great! Plus, hemming is a lot easier if you pressed before, I promise you!

You can see in the video below how I am a sewing the side seams and hemming the short dolman sleeves. When you complete these steps add a picture of your progress to the comments of day 3 of the RRD sew along album.

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 1 | Print pattern and cut fabric

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 2 | Add chest pocket, sew shoulder seams and add neckband

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 3 | Sew side seams and add tank armband/dolman sleeves

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 4 | Add pockets, side seam skirt or shorts/joggers and inseam

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 5 | Hem skirt/shorts or add cuffs to joggers

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 6 | Add waistband and show off your creations

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 7 | Winners announcements

Runabout SAL – day 2 (chest pocket, shoulder seams and neckband)

June 23, 2020

Welcome to the second day of our sew along! Today we start working on the bodice. First we will tackle the chest pocket. This is a great opportunity to add an accent fabric or a pop of color to your Runabout romper or dress. The pattern features a simple rectangle pocket that you simply hem prior to attaching. You can see in today’s video I opted to line it instead.

Once this step is completed you will sew the shoulder seams right sides together, following a 1/2″ seam allowance.

Tip: Add clear elastic to the shoulder seams to strengthen them and make sure the shoulders don’t stretch throughout the day.

The last part for today’s progress is to add the neckband. You are basically following the same technique regardless of the style neckline you decided to do. If you are new to sewing with knits or simply would like a refresher, take a look over our P4P University Neckbands 101 blog post.

Once you finish today’s steps snap a picture of your progress and add it to the day 2 photo comments on the Runabout SAL album in the P4P & M4M group.

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 1 | Print pattern and cut fabric

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 2 | Add chest pocket, sew shoulder seams and add neckband

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 3 | Sew side seams and add tank armband/dolman sleeves

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 4 | Add pockets, side seam skirt or shorts/joggers and inseam

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 5 | Hem skirt/shorts or add cuffs to joggers

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 6 | Add waistband and show off your creations

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 7 | Winners announcements

Runabout SAL – day 1 (print pattern and cut fabric)

June 22, 2020

Welcome to our Runabout Sew Along!

Day One is reserved to purchasing the pattern, printing and cutting the size(s) you need. If you plan on sewing for yourself you can get the Runabout Romper and Dress here, if you’re sewing for your little one, the RRD can be purchased here and if you’re sewing for both of you (just think of the mommy and me matching outfits!) you can get the bundle. If you can’t decide which one to make, our Round Up blog will give you a glance at all options included, from sleeve length to bottom styles.

This sew along will be held in the the M4M & P4P Sew Along group so be sure to join the group not only for the exclusive discount code available for the Runabout patterns but also to post your daily progress this week. Don’t be shy about asking questions or suggestions, that’s what sew alongs are or, after all.

Now that you purchased the pattern(s), print 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 chest measurements in order to choose the correct Runabout Romper or Dress size. P4P has an amazing blog that gives you tip 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.

The P4P team has started adding Projector Files to the new patterns so I couldn’t miss the opportunity to use it for my own dress. You can see in today’s video how easy it is to utilize one instead of printing your pattern.

The pattern is drafted for knit fabric with at least 30% stretch and soft drape. My personal recommendations are rayon spandex, bamboo lycra, ITY, Cupro and double brushed poly. All of these would make great rompers and dresses.

For my dress I am using a gorgeous floral CoordiKnit Nonsense Fabrics bamboo lycra which has beautiful drape and a soft feel. Bamboo is my favorite fabric base ever so it was only natural that I picked this base for my RRD dress…plus, it’s so, so pretty!! CoordiKnit is this sew along’s sponsor as well so our two lucky winners will be receiving prizes to treat themselves to their custom prints.

If you are unsure about 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.

You can see the first video below, including how I use my projector file. Once you cut the fabric, post a picture of your pretty pile in the comments of DAY 1 photo of the Runabout album in the M4M & P4P Sew Along Group.

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 1 | Print pattern and cut fabric

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 2 | Add chest pocket, sew shoulder seams and add neckband

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 3 | Sew side seams and add tank armband/dolman sleeves

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 4 | Add pockets, side seam skirt or shorts/joggers and inseam

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 5 | Hem skirt/shorts or add cuffs to joggers

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 6 | Add waistband and show off your creations

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 7 | Winners announcements

Runabout Romper – easy hacks

May 22, 2020

It’s here! It’s here! The Runabout Romper and Dress patterns (adult and youth) and jam packed with option but we couldn’t let this release pass without adding a few more. The P4P bloggers will show you how to make separate pieces, paperbag shorts, looser pants, slimmer shorts, button front and tunic length. Let’s take a look!

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Separates

I absolutely fell in love with the off the shoulder neckline of the Runabout Romper but wanted it in shirt form for non-romper days. So, of course, an easy hack was needed and I now have the coziest sweatshirt ever. It’s so easy to do! First, start by printing just your top pieces, putting together, and cutting them out.

Now you are going to want to turn them into full-length top pieces. To do this, first- add a few blank pieces to the bottom of your pattern piece lined up along your fold line.

Then go ahead and grab your favorite p4p top that has the length you want, I chose the banded sporty piko. Alternatively, you can measure from your natural waist to where you’d like it to hit (don’t forget to take in account the seam allowance built in the waist).

Lay the top of your chosen pattern piece on top of your romper top piece lining up your shoulder and the side seam (your actual widths may be different).

Make sure your pieces are straight and trace the bottom of your piece to get the length you want for your top and up the side of your piece. Repeat with the other piece and cut out along where you traced and you’ll have two new full-length shirt pieces.

Sew together as directed by the pattern and either hem your top or if you are banding your shirt you’ll simply measure the bottom of your new top all the way around and multiply that by .85 plus seam allowance to get the width of your new band. I can’t wait to see your cozy shirts!!

Happy Sewing,

Michelle

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Paperbag Shorts

I absolutely love the paperbag waist trend that is so popular right now! The cinching is universally flattering for all figures.

Once you’ve mastered the Runabout Romper waistband, you can easily turn the pattern bottoms into pants or shorts with this cute ruffle feature. And I’m here to show you how to do it!

Start by cutting the bottom pieces to your preferred length. I’ve decided to make shorts for this tutorial.

Sew the pants or shorts pieces together per the pattern instructions.

Now for your waistband…

Add an inch in height when you cut your waistband pieces… instead of 2” tall waistband pieces, yours will be 3” tall.

If installing grommets, you will mark your fabric and add those to your outer waistband where indicated by the pattern piece.

Next, take your inner waistband piece and stitch with right sides together, stopping 1” above the bottom of the band. Press the seams to one side.

This opening will become your entry point when you install your elastic waistband.

Stitch your inner and outer waistband pieces, right sides together, along the top edge per the pattern instructions.

Open with right sides out, wrong sides together, and press your top seam to the inside. You may wish to topstitch this edge for a crisper finish.

Sew a second seam 1” down from the top edge.

Sew your waistband to your shorts or pants per the pattern instructions and complete your bottoms accordingly. Enjoy!!!

I’ve paired my shorts here with a Hepburn top. Cute, cute, cute!!

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Tunic/top

Hi, I’m going to show you how easy it is to make the new Runabout Romper as a tunic/top instead of a dress.

First of all you will want to decide how long you want to have the skirt portion, as this is going to determine how long your top is. You could make the bodice first and attach the waistband onto it (just safety pin your elastic together to try on) and measure how far you would like the front of your top to come down, or you could just be brave and guestimate.

In this picture you can see I’m wearing my Runabout Romper dress, which was perfect because I could use the waistband on it to help gauge how long I wanted the top to be. There are two ways to make your top, either with a straight hem or keeping the curve of the dress hem. I chose to keep the curve. Hold the front skirt pattern piece up to your body and make a mark when it’s at the right height, don’t forget you’ll need to add a combined 1 1/2″ for the seam allowance at the waist and the hem allowance.

Using the mark I just made on the paper at the fold line, I then measure and make the same mark at the other side of the pattern piece at the outside seam line and rule a line across. For me, this mark was 10 inches down from the top edge of the pattern piece. Then repeat for the back piece. Fold the top of both pieces down (you might need to flip a corner out of the way by the curved hem edge) and you have your new top length pattern pieces.

If you want a straight hem to your top, you just have to fold the bottom of the pattern piece up to get rid of the curve, rather than the top of the pattern piece down to keep the curve.

Cut your fabric out using your new pattern pieces and construct as per the Tutorial.

Enjoy!

Dana xx

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Slimmer fit shorts

The jogger shorts are some of my favorite shorts. They’re fitted but not too fitted–they have the perfect amount of ease in my humble opinion and as we enter the hot summer, they were screaming to be added to this romper! It’s such a super easy hack that you’ll be cranking out Runabout Jogger Short Rompers super fast.

Let’s get into it!

Print out your bodice option and the jogger patterns.
Decide what you’d like your inseam to be and add .5 in for the seam allowance. I did a 4″ inseam here so I measured out 4.5″ from the crotch curve. Draw a line from the inseam to the outseam. Do this on both the front and back pieces.
Cut the new pattern piece.
Assemble per the instructions.
Enjoy your super cute and cool new romper!

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Straight pants

I absolutely love the look of a wide-leg jumpsuit, and this hack gives me exactly the look I’ve been looking for!

First off, we need to make our new pant leg pattern pieces using the existing front and back shorts pieces. I laid mine on top of the jogger legs as a guide for length. Using a straight edge and marker, I drew a straight line down from either side of the shorts pieces, ending 3 1/2” below where the jogger piece ended (this is to account for the added length of the jogger cuff). After doing this for both front and back pieces, you now are ready to cut out your new wide-legged pants!

Sew up the romper as directed, hemming pant legs 1”. Now take a step back and admire your new trendy jumpsuit!

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Faux buttons placket

Inspired once again by Pintrest and a photo Katy showed me, I made myself a faux button up Runabout romper. Want to see how I did it? Keep reading!

I cut the pieces exactly as in the pattern, except for the front bodice. The front bodice will not be cut on fold but will be two mirrored images. Using a ruler, add 1.5″ extra width to the center of the front bodice. Cut two mirror images!

If you are using a projector, like I am, simply place a ruler along the fold line to measure the 1.5″. Cut along the ruler for the center bodice.

Turn the two bodice pieces wrong side up and fold 1/2″ along the center, press. Fold again another half an inch and press again. If you are adding faux buttons like I am, you don’t really need interfacing. If you plan on adding real buttons and make buttonholes, or add snaps then you should add a 1/2″ wide strip of interfacing along both sides of the front bodice.

Sew the folded hems down with a scant 1/2″ seam allowance.

Time to make the neckband. Fold it in half width wise and then again length wise. Curve the raw edge as shown below. You will now have a long necknand, Henley style. Fold it again along the length and press.

Overlap the center fold of the bodice 1/2″ and pin it in place. You will now treat that piece as the front bodice from the pattern. Sew the dress or romper as in the tutorial. Pin the neckband starting with back center and working your way to the two fronts. Sew in place with 1/2″ seam allowance using a stretch stitch or your serger.

Now it’s the time to decide if you want a real button up or just the look of one. The buttons do not need to be functional, they can be there just for looks. I have sewn the buttons through all layers about 1.5″ away from each other. The top button is only attached to one side, just a personal style preference. Super easy! If you would like functional closures you will sew buttons on one side and button holes on the other.

All done!! Time to enjoy your new romper!

Hope you enjoyed these easy mods to the Runabout pattern as much as we enjoyed making them for you. Don’t forget to show off your creations in the Patterns for Pirates Facebook group or #p4p on Instagram so we can admire them too.

Flutter Wrap SAL day 7

April 28, 2020

What a fantastic week! Thank you so much for joining me in the Flutter Wrap sew along. The time has come to announce our winners and let me tell you… The mermaids/pirates team had a hard time picking!

Congratulations Gaelle Davila! As our first winner, Gaelle will receive a $20 Patterns for Pirates gift card and a $50 Oh So Pretty Custom Fabrics one.

We were also mesmerized by Tiffany Ottoson‘s dress! Tiffany is our second prize winner, a $20 gift card to Made for Mermaids and a $25 Oh So Pretty Custom Fabrics one.

A big THANK YOU to Oh So Pretty Custom Fabrics, our Sew Along sponsor, who also provided the bamboo lycra fabric for the videos.

Team Mermaids will be taking over the SAL group in May. Stay tuned for their pattern choice announcement!

Flutter Wrap SAL day 1 | Print and cut pattern

Flutter Wrap SAL day 2 | Cut fabric

Flutter Wrap SAL day 3 | Sew back, shoulder and side seams

Flutter Wrap SAL day 4 | Sew sleeves or tank binding

Flutter Wrap SAL day 5 | Add neckline binding and waist ties

Flutter Wrap SAL day 6 | Finish skirt

Flutter Wrap SAL day 7 | Winners announcement

Flutter Wrap SAL day 6

April 25, 2020

Welcome to the last sewing day of the sew along! What a fun week! Today we add the bottom flounce flounce or hem the dress/shirt.

If you opted for the no flounce style, start by hemming the vertical raw edge first. Fold it 1/2″ and stitch it down with a zig zag stitch, a coverstitch or twin needles. Before you start, take a look over our Hemming blog because we have a few tips for easy and successful hemming. If you are finishing the bottom hem using twin needles, a good refresher blog is the P4P University Twin Needles Tips.

For my dress, I went with the flounce hem. Start by creating the very long flounce by sewing the pieces together as instructed in the pattern. If you added the neckline flounce yesterday, you will be doing a very similar process today. Once the flounce is created you will add it to the raw hem, right sided together. The ratio is 1:1 so you will not be stretching the dress or the flounce.

All done! All you have left to do is enjoy your gorgeous creation and show it off…you know… “I made it!” 😉

You can see today’s video below! Once you finish your dress or shirt snap a photo of it (modeled or not) and post it in the comments of day 6 photo of the Flutter Wrap Sew Along album in the SAL FB group. We will be choosing the two winners from the photos in the comments! Once you do your check in, please do share your work in the main Patterns for Pirates FB group too.

Flutter Wrap SAL day 1 | Print and cut pattern

Flutter Wrap SAL day 2 | Cut fabric

Flutter Wrap SAL day 3 | Sew back, shoulder and side seams

Flutter Wrap SAL day 4 | Sew sleeves or tank binding

Flutter Wrap SAL day 5 | Add neckline binding and waist ties

Flutter Wrap SAL day 6 | Finish skirt

Flutter Wrap SAL day 7 | Winners announcement

Flutter Wrap SAL day 5

April 24, 2020

Ahoy, pirates! Today’s steps will be adding the neckline binding and creating & attaching the ties. Pretty easy! Start by pressing the binding 1/4″ inch along one of the long edges. Set that aside if you are adding the neck flounce.

Create the long neckline flounce by sewing the pieces right sides together as instructed in the pattern. Make sure you attach the flounce 1/2″ away from the ends. Once this step is completed, add the neckline binding right sides together with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Remember, the binding is not visible on the outside of the dress.

Last thing we need to do today is to create the two ties. Take the long tie and fold it in half, lengthwise, right sides together. Sew along one of the short ends and the long one, turn inside out. It is very important that you attach the long tie to the side where you have the side opening.

Day 5 video is posted below, take a look. When you finished today’s steps post a picture of your progress in the comments of day 5 photo of the Flutter Wrap sal album in the M4M/P4P Sew Along group on Facebook.