Patterns for Pirates

P4P stylish, modern, wearable patterns

Sporty Piko Sew Along – day 7 (winners announcement)

Ahoy, pirates! Thank you so much for joining me last week in our last Sew Along of 2020. I absolutely loved watching you sew all the Sporty Piko, littles and adults. There were so many beautiful entries, we had a hard time picking the two winners.

Congratulations Nicole Palma! You are our first winner. Nicole won a $20 gift card to Patterns For Pirates and a $25 gift card from Hapa Fabrics. 

We chose a second winner as well. Congratulations Rachel Griffin! You won a $20 gift card to Made for Mermaids. 

 

Huge thank you to Hapa Fabrics who kindly sponsored this sew along. 

I look forward to sewing along with you back here in January! The Mermaids are sewing their Carli pattern this month. In the meantime, don’t forget to share you beautiful Pikos in the Patterns for Pirates Facebook group too. You did fantastic! 

Sporty Piko SAL | day 1

Sporty Piko SAL | day 2

Sporty Piko SAL | day 3

Sporty Piko SAL | day 4

Sporty Piko SAL | day 5

Sporty Piko SAL | day 6

Sporty Piko SAL | day 7

Sporty Piko Sew Along – day 6 (cuffs and waistband)

We made it to the last day of the sew along. Today we add the cuffs to the long sleeves and waistband to the shirt option. If you opted for the crop, tunic and short sleeves you finished yesterday so today you just admire your creation. 

When creating the cuffs and waistband it’s highly important to press the wrong sides together lengthwise. Stitch each cuff and the waistband, right sides together to create a loop. Take a look over our P4P University Knit Cuffs blog to get some tips and tricks for beautiful cuffs. When adding the waistband, remember to mark the quarter points on both the raw edge of the waistband and bottom of the shirt. Dana talks about waistbands in the P4P University blog. I highly recommend giving it a look. 

That’s it!! Great job! All you have to do now is post a picture of the completed Sporty Piko in the comments of DAY 6 sew along album in the SAL group. We will select the winners from the pictures in the comments there. Meet us back here on Monday evening for the winners blog. 

Sporty Piko SAL | day 1

Sporty Piko SAL | day 2

Sporty Piko SAL | day 3

Sporty Piko SAL | day 4

Sporty Piko SAL | day 5

Sporty Piko SAL | day 6

Sporty Piko SAL | day 7

Sporty Piko Sew Along – day 5 (hood and hems)

Good morning! Today we create and add the hood as well as hem the short sleeves and crop/tunic length. The hood can be lined or not. My personal preference is lining the hood as it gives it more structure. If you like a more loose hood, definitely go for the unlined option. You will just hem the front before overlapping. I opted for the lined hood so you will see the process in the video below. 

My little one’s Sporty Piko will be the banded shirt style. I will show you how to add those tomorrow.

If you are sewing the tunic , you can hem it using your sewing machine’s twin needles option or your coverstitch. 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. The crop style hem includes a drawstring and grommets. Be sure to check out our P4P University Grommets blog. Rachel gives you great tips for using them. Katy shows you how to add  elastic in the crop hem and skip the drawstring. Read all about it here. 

Once you complete today’s steps, snap a photo of your progress and add it to the comments of day 5 photo of the sew along album. See you back here tomorrow! 

Sporty Piko SAL | day 1

Sporty Piko SAL | day 2

Sporty Piko SAL | day 3

Sporty Piko SAL | day 4

Sporty Piko SAL | day 5

Sporty Piko SAL | day 6

Sporty Piko SAL | day 7

Sporty Piko Sew Along – day 4 (side seams and neckband)

Another easy day in the Sporty Piko sew along, but let’s face it…they are all pretty easy. All of us will be sewing the side seams first. Pin the seam, right sides together, matching the under arm, sleeve ends and bottom. Sew with a stretch stitch, or your serger, following a 1/2 ” seam allowance. 

If you are making the hooded option, like I am, you are pretty much done for today. Snap your picture and check in by commenting on the day 4 photo of the sew along album. If you are sewing the neckband option, you will add that now. Take a look over our P4P University Neckbands 101 blog post. The key to a beautiful neckband is using fabric with excellent recovery and quartering the neck opening. If you followed previous sew alongs here on the blog, you have seen how I like to add the neckband to various P4P patterns. By the way, did you know all P4P blogs and videos stay up forever? Check out our YouTube Channel!

Great job so far! Don’t forget to check in for today so you qualify for the prizes!

Sporty Piko SAL | day 1

Sporty Piko SAL | day 2

Sporty Piko SAL | day 3

Sporty Piko SAL | day 4

Sporty Piko SAL | day 5

Sporty Piko SAL | day 6

Sporty Piko SAL | day 7

Sporty Piko Sew Along – day 3 (shoulder seams and sleeves)

Welcome to day 3 of our Sporty Piko Sew Along. Today’s steps include sewing the shoulder seams and adding the sleeves. Remember, the pattern follows a 1/2″ seam allowance snd it’s highly important to keep that constant. 

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

When attaching the sleeves start by pinning the center of the raw edge to the shoulder seams, then pin the sides. You will be easing the sleeves in the sleeve opening. Optionally you can top stitch the seam allowance.

I have posted today’s video below. As always, you will be checking in with your progress photo in the day 3 picture comments of the Sporty Piko Sew Along album. 

 

Sporty Piko SAL | day 1

Sporty Piko SAL | day 2

Sporty Piko SAL | day 3

Sporty Piko SAL | day 4

Sporty Piko SAL | day 5

Sporty Piko SAL | day 6

Sporty Piko SAL | day 7

Sporty Piko Sew Along – day 2 (chest pocket, back colorblocking)

Good morning, pirates! Today we start sewing our Sporty Piko shirts. First step is to add the optional chest pocket. It is optional but I wouldn’t skip it, it adds a little extra something to the front….plus, you can hide your little treasures in it 😉

The key to getting a nice pocket is pressing! Yes, I know, I know… I say that all the time but it’s true. If you have a favorite woven you would like to use instead of knit, you can do that for the pocket. 

Next and final step of the day is to create the back piece by sewing the top and bottom together. Simply match the center point and pin in place. The two edges are 1:1 ratio so they will match perfectly, no stretching.

Tip: if you plan on adding any embellishments to the top back piece (like HTV, sublimation, iron ons, etc) do that before you sew the pieces together. 

You can see the day 2 video below. Once you complete these steps, post a picture of your progress in the comments of day 2 photo of the sew along album. You can find this album in our SAL group. 

 

Sporty Piko SAL | day 1

Sporty Piko SAL | day 2

Sporty Piko SAL | day 3

Sporty Piko SAL | day 4

Sporty Piko SAL | day 5

Sporty Piko SAL | day 6

Sporty Piko SAL | day 7

Sporty Piko Sew Along – day 1 (print pattern and cut fabric)

Welcome to the Sporty Piko Sew Along!

I am happy to sew with you a Sporty Piko this week. The pattern comes in Youth and Adult and you can of course get the bundle and save. If you are still undecided which style to make, our Round Up blog will give you a glance at all options included, from sleeve lengths to necklines. 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. The X Factor 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″.

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.

The Sporty Piko patterns include a crop, shirt and tunic length. If you would like to make a dress length simply add 8-10 inches length. The simplest way to do that is to cut both the back and the front pattern pieces at the crop cut line, add the extra length there and tape the remainder of the pattern to it. You can see in the video below how to do that. This is my dress hack made with bamboo lycra.

This pattern is drafted from light to medium weight fabrics with 20-30% stretch. The Sporty Piko has an oversized, relaxed fit so using thicker fabric like cotton lycra, french terry or sweatshirt fleece will give you a bulkier, more rectangle look. It would work great for the youth option, though. For my Sporty Piko I will be using a cute custom cotton lycra from Hapa Fabrics. Hapa is this sew along’s sponsor so be sure to check them out and show them some love in their Facebook group.

You can see the day 1 below, including how I use my projector  with the A0 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.

Sporty Piko SAL | day 1

Sporty Piko SAL | day 2

Sporty Piko SAL | day 3

Sporty Piko SAL | day 4

Sporty Piko SAL | day 5

Sporty Piko SAL | day 6

Sporty Piko SAL | day 7

New Pattern Releases :: XFactor Crop + Dress!

We’re so eXcited!  Why?  Because the newest pattern from P4P just dropped today and it’s eXcellent!  The XFactor Crop + Dress, for us Pirates, is one of those “x marks the spot” kind of deals.  We are just in love with it and think you will be too.  For both of these patterns, the youth sizes range from 3m – 14.  And the adult sizes are for the full, newer size chart, extending from XXS – Plus 5X!  If you haven’t sewn with us in a while, please make sure to check the size charts, as there were slight adjustments made to accommodate the new size range for adults.

The X Factor Crop & Dress is an adorable pattern that gives you drastically different garments depending on the options you choose. You can create a cute, trendy workout crop or rash gaurd. Or you make a fit and flare dress that is comfortable and flattering.

Options include: crop / dress length, vneck / crew neck, short / three-quarter / long (hemmed or cuffed) sleeves, or tank top.

Also enjoy several videos throughout the tutorial, including a complete sew-up of the pattern.

**Want to learn more about how to measure yourself for this pattern?  We’ve got you covered with an in-depth blog HERE.  And in case you’re new to Patterns for Pirates and PDF patterns in general, we have a great blog full of new-user tips HERE to help you get started!  As with all of our current releases and updates, the pdfs now include our layers feature and can be found in Letter, A4, A0 and projector sizes.  And for even more helpful fun, we have a *free* printable that you can use to help record your measurements as you take them.

Let’s take a quick look at the different options and features!

CROP + DRESS LENGTH

CREW + V NECKLINE

SLEEVE LENGTH OPTIONS

What are you waiting for?  Head on over and grab yourself a copy of this eXtra fun new pattern!  The Xfactor patterns are available on sale (no code needed) through 11:59pm CST, August 4, 2020.

XFACTOR CROP + DRESS | XFACTOR CROP + DRESS – YOUTH | XFACTOR CROP + DRESS – BUNDLE

Maybe hoping for a little more inspiration before you make the purchase?  Head over to our Facebook group where you can see tester albums full of amazing images!  Adult Album / Youth Album

If you’re looking for even more options, we show you a few more ways you can use this pattern in our XFactor Easy Hacks post.

Sporty Piko – easy hacks

Ahoy, matey! As with most of our new releases, the P4P blog team has some easy hacks ready for you to help achieve even more looks. First stop by the shop and grab the Sporty Piko and Youth Sporty Piko, then let’s get started.

….

Solid Back

You might have noticed that both the Sporty Piko and the Youth SP feature a color blocked back to allow for multiple prints or color fabric to be showcased. Well, what if you want a solid back without the horizontal seam? Super easy hack!

Start by printing your preferred style. Now grab the two back pieces. At this point you can do one of two things- remove the 1/2″ seam allowance from each piece and tape together (shown in first picture). Shown in the second picture, you could also fold each piece up 1/2″ and butt the two pieces together, matching the FOLD line and the side seam and …boom! There you have your new back pattern piece.

 

Cut your pattern pieces and sew the shirt as per the tutorial. Simply skip the steps that show you how to sew the two back pieces.

Tadah! All done! One more option to add to the Sporty Piko styles.

My little man absolutely loves his new shirt but if you want to treat yourself to an adult Sporty Piko with a solid back, simply follow the same steps and enjoy!

 

…..

Elastic crop top

Maybe you want a cute crop but aren’t interested in fussing with the drawstring option?  I’ve got you covered!

Follow all of the instructions for the crop option, including the 1″ hem.

Top stitch around the entire folded edge, leaving around a 3″ opening to thread the elastic through.  (I like to position my opening on the back portion of my items, but it’s really a personal preference.

Using 3/4″ knit elastic, cut a length that is your waist measurement, minus 2″.

Feed the elastic through the opening.

Overlap the raw edges of the elastic, being careful not to twist it, by 1″.  Sew the overlapped pieces together, using a stretch stitch.

Close up the opening of the bottom hem, and enjoy your new crop!

…..

Banded crop top

Elastic… draw string… and now we’re bringing to you a third option to finish off your crop top versions- a banded option. This is a quick and easy way to finish off your top, especially for those of us who are opposed to the dreaded finishing hem! 🙂

To create this look, you will need to cut out all of your pieces needed for the cropped version, as well as a band (discussed later). Once you’ve cut out your pieces, you will want to trim 1″ off of both the front and back pieces (everything else will remain the same).

Assemble your shirt as per the pattern directions. Once you’ve completed your shirt, it is now time to attach the band. You will want to measure the total bottom hem of your shirt. To calculate the final width of your band, you will take your total measurement x 90%. Then add 1″ for the seam allowance. For the women’s version, I recommend a length of 4″ and for the youth, a length of 3-4″, depending on where you would like the finished length to be.

Using the instructions for the banded version in the tutorial, attach your bad. That’s it! Go off and enjoy that new shirt you’ve just finished up using one of our three finishing options.

~Erinn and Nicole

Now that you got your patterns and looked over our easy hacks, time to sew! Remember to share your creations in the P4P Facebook group so we can all admire them.

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