free Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Patterns for Pirates

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

September 27, 2017

With the first day of fall come and gone it’s time for us to say goodbye to summer, and the Summer of Wovens here at P4P. It has brought us many blogs, patterns, updates all for you woven lovers.

It brought you a few new woven releases:

Linen Loungers | Little Loungers | Loungers Bundle

Brunch Blouse | Bitty Brunch Blouse | Brunch Blouse Bundle

We took the time to update a few woven patterns that were already in our collection. The Everyday Elegance and Sweet Bow dress had their size ranges updated, the layer features added, and also included the A0 copy shop print size as part of the PDF pattern package.

Everyday Elegance | Sweet Bow Dress

We also geared our blog tips, tricks and posts all about sewing with woven fabrics! If you missed them here are the blogs we did through the summer of wovens (click on picture to go read that blog!):

But we’re ending with MORE!

We have a new freebie to add to your collection. The Walk the Plank unisex PJ Bottoms will be perfect for all that flannel and cotton you have that you have in your stash! These are the QUICKEST, easiest pj pant which will help you to whip out a whole stack for any season and have it checked off the to-do list in no time at all! No side seams + no waistband piece = no extra time. They are a loose fit for growing room and extra comfort. Walk the Plank PJ Bottoms are a wider leg pj pant with three lengths: shorts, knee, and pant. The unisex adult pattern comes with a few inseam lengths and a mens/higher rise and women’s lower rise option. Both adult and the youth come with short shorts, knee length and pant length options to cover you for all seasons of PJ needs. You can check out our album full of pictures and our roundup blog post with more details too!

We are also celebrating wrapping up a great Summer of Wovens and start to Fall by having our last SITE WIDE SALE this year! The sale will end October 4th. (Sale times are based on US Central time zone) Get 30% off your total purchase with code: HELLOFALL

We hope you loved exploring sewing with wovens this summer as much as we did. It was a challenge to step out of the “knit only” comfort zone for some but we loved seeing what everyone was able to create along with us!

Walk the Plank PJ Bottoms :: New Pattern Release!

September 27, 2017

Oh man. Not only is today a release day, but it’s also a day that I get to make a fun announcement. Or rather, TWO fun announcements! Are you ready for this?

First, let’s talk about our newest pattern, and the final pattern in the P4P Summer of Wovens. The Walk the Plank PJ bottoms are super easy to make, even easier to wear, pajama bottoms that are a unisex pattern and available in sizes 3M – adult Plus 3X. Both the adult and youth patterns include three lengths (short shorts, knee length, and pant length). The adult sizes have a differing mens and womens rise, as well as varying inseams (30″ / 32″ / 34″ / 36″ ).

The Walk the Plank pant truly is a quick sew! All sizes were drafted to fit on a 44″ wide fabric, so you can easily use your favorite flannel or quilting cotton. The patterns feature no side seam, and no waistband piece, as well as a quick elastic installation. **Plus 3X were drafted with an extra side seam, so those sizes can use 44″ fabric as well.

Here’s a quick peek at the lengths:

SHORT SHORTS

KNEE LENGTH

PANT LENGTH

We have been running a contest over the last week. You can read up on P4P’s Next Top Tester HERE if you’re interested in the process. We had 650 (give or take) applicants that we invited into our Top Tester group. These ladies went through some work for us! They didn’t know what they were signing up for, but we had them all test the Walk the Plank PJ Bottoms for us! Everyone did amazing, even amidst all of the chaos that testing in a group that size can bring. And guess what? We have a winner!

Well, we have four winners. These testers did an incredible job, on all levels of testing. It’s not just about taking pretty pictures. It’s about providing feedback, supporting fellow testers, being around to ask/answer questions, and help with marketing. We are so happy to have them on board with us!

Congratulations to our first ever Patterns for Pirates’ Next Top Tester: Amber Jones Zelenay 🎉🎉🎉
Our Second Place winner is: Karen Grimshaw
AND congratulations to the Runners Up: Bethany Tolman and Michelle Tobey

Want to know the best part about this pattern? It’s FREE!! We wanted to have a little end-of-summer celebration and thought this would be a fun way to party with you all. Plus, it’s perfect timing with the holidays right around the corner. Family Jammies Photo Op? I think so!

Grab your copy of the Walk the Plank PJ Bottoms in UNISEX ADULT or UNISEX YOUTH today!

**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! And, as with all of our current releases and updates, the pdfs now include our layers feature and can be found in Letter, A4 and A0 sizes.

If you’re still needing more inspiration, be sure to head over to the Patterns for Pirates Facebook Group Albums for the Walk the Plank PJ Bottoms to see what our amazing testers have sewn for themselves. Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram (@patternsforpirates | #patternsforpirates) and to share your finished items over in our Facebook group! We love to see what you make!

Happy sewing, friends!

FREE Printable Measurement Charts

August 14, 2017

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

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

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

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

Happy sewing, friends!

Spring Mini Capsule Sewing & Contest

March 27, 2017

Hey ya’ll- Judy’s sister, Megan here from Made for Mermaids! Judy and I have been talking about how badly we needed to start sewing warm weather clothes. Our kids have simply outgrown all their Spring (aka Summer in Dallas 😉 ) clothes. While we are constantly sewing for new pattern releases, most the time we’re using prints to show in tutorial and testing photos. Many times pieces end up not making any sense in our wardrobe and I find myself wearing the same staple, simple tops I have in my closet over and over. We decided a mini capsule was the perfect solution!

What is a capsule wardrobe?

It’s a wardrobe made up of really versatile pieces that you completely LOVE to wear. Pieces that are simple; they can be mixed, mashed and worn several different ways. It’s about quickly and effortlessly being able to put an outfit together. Now a full capsule wardrobe is made up of jewelry, shoes, accessories, everything you need to wear on a day to day basis. What we’re going to be doing is sewing 9 staple pieces for your closet. I’m trying to sew 3 mini capsules… I know I know, but we really need these so I’m hoping I can get them all done! One for myself, one for my daughter and one for my son.

How do you plan capsule sewing?

This will be different for everyone, depending on where you live, lifestyle and personal preferences. I can tell you how and what I have chose for our mini capsules. I love to have a board to help me plan. The visual really helps me be able to put it together exactly how I want. Don’t worry, I have FREE Photoshop templates if you’d like to make your own with photos or text. You can also use picmonkey or another editing/collage type site to help you. If you need directions on how to use the template, check the bottom of this post. Simply click each link below and they will download.

M4MWomensCapsuleTemplate

M4MGirlsCapsuleTemplate

M4MBoysCapsuleTemplate

First I decided what pieces I wanted to sew. I looked in my closet (and kid’s) and tried to see what was missing. Now I just typed these out, but you can do more of a suduko style where each row and column make an outfit, so you can REALLY make sure all your pieces can be worn together.

How do you choose patterns?

I choose patterns a few different ways.

1- What do I LOVE to wear and feel GOOD in? What do I find myself always pulling out of the dryer to wear again? Same for my kiddos. I find them asking to wear the same shirts and dresses all the time.

2- What is my wardrobe lacking? Do I need shorts, tanks, tees? We moved last Fall and my daughter’s new school dress code is much more strict than her last. She can’t wear any sleeveless tops or dresses, which throws out 90% of her Spring wardrobe from last year. I know I sound like a broken record… but it’s HOT here in Dallas so I plan on making her a LIGHT cardi to be able to throw over tanks.

3- What will work with the warmer weather? Luckily for both M4M and P4P most our patterns have tons of options with different sleeve and hemlines that can be worn year-round 😉

How do you choose fabrics?

What makes capsules great is they are no fuss. So you don’t want to choose fabrics that clash, but rather coordinate and compliment each other. Think solid or solid-like fabric for most of your mini capsule. What am I talking about with “solid-like”?? A print that reads as a solid to blend the other fabrics together and something that coordinates with the focus fabrics. Think subtle: stripes, dots, heathered, burn-outs, etc. Also think about using different textures, so even if the fabric is solid or plain, it looks different against another piece. Choosing different types of fabrics will help your wardrobe not look or feel too bland. Remember to think about the weather and choose fabrics that won’t feel too warm. I know you know, by now that Dallas is HOT 😉 so I like to use ITY, rayon spandex, rayon challis, georgette, model, bamboo jersey, chiffon and light, open weave sweater knits when moving into warmer weather.

Here is Judy’s mini capsule fabric laid out for her Little Guy! He’s old enough that he wanted to help pick! So, lots of superheros going on, which he considers a neutral 😉 She managed to keep in within a color scheme to help the tops and bottoms coordinate with each other.

How does the contest work?

We have several random participant prizes for you! To enter, all you need to do is sew a 9 piece mini capsule using all M4M and/or P4P patterns…now if you already have a favorite, staple piece you’ve sewn from one of our patterns and MUST have it in your capsule, that’s ok. They can be mash ups or a combo of our patterns. Then post your final capsule in our FB groups (P4P and/or M4M). The final post must be in a collage format. You can also share on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or other sewing/fabric FB groups. You MUST use the hashtag #sewminicapsule and we would love if you would tag M4M and P4P, and use #madeformermaids and/or #patternsforpirates . If you don’t use the hashtag we won’t be able to find your entry! You can sew multiple capsules for yourself and little one/s for more than one entry. Contest ends April 10th. We will have 12 random winners, open to international friends. Are you ready for prizes??

5 winners will get 1 pattern of choice from EACH P4P and M4M.

3 winners will get 3 patterns of choice from EACH P4P and M4M.

1 winner will get a $50 store credit to Sincerely Rylee Fabric Shop.

1 winner will get a $50 store credit to Pretty Posh Prints.

1 winner will get a $100 store credit to Knitpop.

Our grand prize winner will get their choice of a Brother Coverstitch 2340cv OR $100 gift card to Joann Fabric!

We can NOT wait to see what you make! If you have questions, need advice, inspiration, make sure to post in our FB groups, (P4P or M4M) we would LOVE to see what you’re sewing for your capsule!!
How to use the Photoshop templates-

Open file in Photoshop. Download all the photos you may want to put on your board. Click on the layer that says ‘Place Photo Here’. Click “File”, “Place” and then choose the photo you’d like. You can resize the photo by holding Shift and dragging the corners. Repeat with each box. Then save as a photo file so you can share with us!

If you want to just add JUST text to the board, click on the layer that says ‘Place Photo Here’ then add your text there for each box.

If you want to add text on top your photo, add a new layer above the layer that says ‘Place Photo Here’. Then add your text there for each box.

Want some inspiration?? Check out these boards from our team and/or blog contributors!

Knit Types

January 13, 2017

We get a lot of questions about knit fabrics since most our patterns are drafted for a stretch knit! We’ve done a few other blog posts trying to answer those questions that get asked most frequently like, What fabric pairs best with this top pattern?” We have our P4P Shirt Fits Explained blog about all the P4P top patterns, their intended fit and what my favorite fabrics are for them. We also have Different Fabric, Different Fit post all about drape, thickness and stretch and how it can affect the fit of your top/dress.

Now I bring you a Knit Fabric Cheat Sheet– this is a printable, quick reference guide to knit fabric types that are popular. I did not encompass every kind of knit fabric available, but I tried to put all the knit fabrics you might see at local stores and what most of us will be ordering online for home apparel sewing.

Sometimes different textile companies like to name/call fabrics by different names as well- so in turn the fabric shop will call it that name. It can get confusing, but often if you ask the shop what it’s most like in terms of a more popular/well known fabric you will be able to find something to compare it to on this list.

For example: Liverpool. Liverpool is something that I personal had never heard of in my years of fabric shopping until about a year ago. It began popping up and becoming popular in LA fabric shops that buy from local textile companies directly and sell in their shops. It is what the textile companies were calling their “textured polyester” (this is what you’re most likely going to see it labeled as at a Joann) and so it’s what the fabric shops were calling it as well. If you walked into a Joann and asked for “Liverpool” they most likely will not be able to point you in the right direction.

So in short, the fabric industry is constantly finding new ways to create fabrics and each textile company is going to name it what they want 🙂 If you learn the most popular knit types, what the fibers feel like and act like (poly, cotton, rayon, ect), terms like stretch percentage, drape and what that means, different ways to tell the weight/thickness of fabric it will be easier for you to order knit fabric online and know exactly what you’re expecting to receive in the mail! I added some notes at the very beginning of the print out about stretch percentages and weights of fabrics to help as well!

I still recommend going to your local stores and feeling as much knit fabric as possible. Here I am walking into a Joann Fabrics and looking through a big chunk of their knits. I tried to grab a variety and talk about them for those who are new to knits:

Same thing at a local Wal-Mart and their knit selection:

I will try to do a few more local stores and maybe some unboxing from online shops one day! 🙂

Here is your printable Knit Fabric Cheat Sheet again. You can save on your phone or computer and pull it up when trying to order online and are feeling unsure or print it out and take it to your local store to make sure you’re getting what you need for a certain project!

I hope this helps everyone out there just beginning to dip their toes into sewing knit garments! I LOVE my knit pieces for myself, kids, even hubs gets some from time to time 😉 They’re more forgiving with fit, quicker to sew, comfortable to wear and usually require no ironing in the morning! 😉 I’ll try to make knit lovers out of all you!!! <3 <3 <3

Blanket Scarf

December 16, 2016

Have you been following our 2016 Holiday Freebies? You can see our Free Adult Mittens HERE and our Free Adult Slouchie Beanie HERE! Today I’m here to show you how to make a Blanket Scarf!

Blanket scarfs are a great, easy item you can whip up for yourself or others during those colder months!

You can pair them with a top or dress for a touch of color and finish off your outfit with the perfect trendy touch.

You’ll need:

Flannel- 1.5-2 yards

Scissors

Optional: Sewing Machine and matching thread

You’ll want your scarf anywhere from 1.5-2 yards long. A few factors that you can consider when deciding on the length are how tall are you? The more petite you are the less you’ll need. How thick is your flannel? The thicker the fabric the less you’ll need.

I cut mine into a square. Since my flannel was about 56″ wide. I squared it up at 55″ x 55″. You don’t have to have a perfect square either, if your fabric is thinner or you’re taller you might want to keep the width and make your length a bit longer (up to about 2 yards).

You can finish the edges anyway you’d like. You can leave them raw (they will fray with wear and washing).

You can stitch around the edge with a finishing stitch of your choice. (zigzag, overlock, ect.) Pictured here with a zigzag, which will still fray up to the stitch if you’re not right on the edge.

You can do a narrow hem, folding 1/4″ and another 1/4″ enclosing the raw edge for a cleaner finish.

You can also stitch around the inside where you’d like the fray to stop. You can fray the edges up to the stitch line by pulling the cross grain threads up to the stitch line.

Now you’re ready to style it!

***I’m sorry, but my camera man (aka my husband) wasn’t very interested in all the different ways you could style a blanket scarf, and he often cuts my head off! You will also hear my kiddos (you can even catch Little Guy being super naughty…) in the background. But, hopefully they are helpful still 🙂

You can wear it bandera style by folding it in half at a 45 degree angle creating a large triangle, then wrapping it around the back of your neck and tucking tails under.

You can wear it shawl style.

You can wear it like a traditional scarf wrapped about your neck.

You can to the tie front, wrapping it back around your neck and tying in the front.

You can wear it like an infinity scarf.

Drape it over your shoulders. You can wear a belt over to hold it in place as well.

You can fold in half lengthwise wrap around back of neck and pull ends through the fold.

You can wear it over your head and wrap one end around to the back.

You can wrap around the back and criss cross through the front.

Still with me? 😉 Don’t miss our other 2016 Holiday Freebies here:

Free Fleece Mittens

and

Free Slouchy Beanie

They all pair perfectly together for some great cozy finishing touches!

2016 Holiday Freebies :: Slouchy Hat Pattern (4 Sizes!)

December 13, 2016

Ready for our second holiday present to you this year? This one is for the entire family!

This slouchy hat pattern comes in four sizes, which should cover the heads of the majority of your family!

XSmall (fits 17″ – 18″ head circumference) – Toddler
Small (fits 19″ – 20″ head circumference) – Child
Medium (fits 21″ – 22″ head circumference) – Teen/Adult
Large (fits 23″ – 24″ head circumference) – Adult

Grab your free pattern pieces here. If you need help putting the pattern together, pop over to the First Time Users Tips page or ask in our facebook group .

Recommended fabrics: Ponte, sweater knits, liverpool, brushed poly, rayon blends, tshirt knits, upcycled sweaters, etc. Anything with a decent amount of drape to it works best, otherwise the “slouch” won’t happen as well. I suggest washing your fabric before you begin to pre-shrink & help prevent color bleeding in the future.
Cuff piece: Any knits with at least a 20% stretch.

Supplies needed:

Main Fabric: 1/3 yard
Cuff: less than 1/4 yard required

Step 1: Assemble your pattern and cut your pieces out. You will need two of the main hat, cut on the fold. And one cuff piece, cut on the fold.

Step 2: Lay two mirror images, right sides together. Using 1/2″ seam allowance, sew around the two outer edges. Make sure to leave the bottom and the top “v” open.

Step 3: Open up the hat and fold it (right sides still remaining together) so the “v” lays flat, and the two side seams are meeting in the middle. Stitch the top opening shut.

The top of your hat should now look like this. You’ll have an X of one long seam (going from bottom edge to bottom edge) and one short seam.

Step 4: Fold your cuff piece, right sides together, meeting the shorter ends together.

Step 5: Stitch (using 1/2″ seam allowance) short ends together.

Step 6: With wrong sides together, fold the raw edges together to meet each other.

Step 7: On both your hat body and cuff pieces, mark raw edges into halves. (The hat body will be the two seams. The cuff will be one seam and the halfway point on the opposite side.)

Step 8: Slide the cuff over the hat body, aligning the raw edges and matching the half-marked points. Note: The cuff is slightly smaller than the hat body. Stretching the cuff only, stitch through all three layers of raw edges.

Step 13: Flip cuff down. You’re finished!

Need some inspiration? Take a look at the fabulous hats that our gorgeous testers made!

As always, we love when you share what you’ve made with us. Head over to the Patterns for Pirates Facebook group and show off the fabulous mittens you’ve managed to make from our freebie pattern!

#SewLikeAPirate :: Freebies and a Contest!

May 23, 2016

Who doesn’t love a good graphic tee? We sure do!
P4P girl Katy has created four FREE designs to help transition you into a full blown pirate sewist. Are you ready?

You can go pick up your copy of these designs right HERE.

Don’t own a die cutting machine like a Silhouette or Cricut? No sweat! We have included two extra file types (PNG and PDF) that will allow you to work with the designs however you’d like.

— Go old school and use an iron on transfer paper and your at-home printer.
— Use Heat Transfer Vinyl and your die cutter.
— Try your hand at Freezer Paper Stenciling. (Dana from Made Everyday has a great tutorial HERE.)

But wait, there’s more! We wanted to create a friendly pirate-y competition with this new release.

Between today and Saturday, June 4, sew up a Patterns for Pirates shirt and apply one of these fab new designs. Share your photo with us on Instagram or in our Facebook group and use the tag #SewLikeAPirate We will pick our favorite and the winner will win a free P4P pattern of choice AND be featured on this blog.

What are you waiting for? Get to sewing!

What is a capsule wardrobe?

How do you plan capsule sewing?

How do you choose patterns?

How do you choose fabrics?

How does the contest work?

connect with me