P4P Henley Sew-Along | Recap + Winners!

January 22, 2018

How much fun did you have last week, sewing all the henleys? The Pirate team just loved seeing all of those plackets and neckbands being tackled for the first time, as well as the fun raglan sleeve hack being utilized!

We didn’t really want to have a contest with this sew-along, as much as we just wanted people to have fun without pressure. However, we couldn’t resist picking some random people that sewed along with us, to gift them some free P4P patterns! Here are the four P4P Henley Sew-Along Champs!

Layni Van Hyning

Cathryn Perrotti Larkin

Kit Kabboord‎

Alaura Sproles‎

Worried that you missed something? Don’t be! We ran this sew-along on the blog so you’d have easy access to it whenever you were ready to sew some henleys for yourself. Here was the weekly lineup, in case you need it again!

January 14: Announcement.
January 15: Choosing Your Fabrics, Printing + Measuring.
January 16: Cutting Fabric.
January 17: Placket.
January 18: Sleeves.
January 19: Attaching Neckband + Hood.
January 20-21: Catch-Up Days.
January 22: Recap + Winners Announced!

P4P Henley Sew-Along | Attaching Neckband + Hood

January 19, 2018

Welcome to the day 5 of the P4P Henley sew along. Today’s steps include adding the neckband or the hood.

Crew Neckband

If you have done the solid front shirt (no placket) you will now be adding the neckband as in the pattern tutorial. For additional tip, check out our P4P University Neckbands 101 blog and videos here.

Henley Neckband

If your sew along choice was a Henley style shirt then you would now be adding the henley neckband. This neckband is not sewn in a loop like the crew neckband was. Take a moment to watch the video below. The most important thing to keep in mind when adding this neckband is to go very slow and baste!

Hood (with or without the placket)

The Henley patterns include a hood for the placket option. For this sew along we wanted to show you how easy it is to add a hood to the solid front option. The only pattern modifications you will need to make is to extend the front of the hood by 1/2″.

Sew the hood as per the pattern tutorial. Overlap the front neckline 1/2″ and baste in place.

Mark the quarter points of the hood and the neckline. Turn your shirt inside out and place the hood right sides together, matching the quarter points.

Sew or serge the hood to the neckline following a 1/2″ seam allowance. See how easy it was to add a hood to the plain front shirt?

**The links won’t be active until the scheduled date.

P4P Henley Sew-Along | Sleeves

January 18, 2018

We’re back and working on the sleeves today! We get quite a few posts in the main Facebook Group about having issues with the sleeve so I made a quick video about easing the sleeve to the bodice. I hope this helps!

If you’re doing a cuffed version, be sure to hop on over to our Knit Cuffs Blog Post for more tips. 🙂

We’re in the home stretch now…only one more day to go!

**The links won’t be active until the scheduled date.

P4P Henley Sew-Along | Placket

January 17, 2018

Dun, dun, dun! Today is placket day! But please don’t let this step scare you away, I promise that once it clicks you’ll be a pro at sewing them. (On the other hand, if you have decided that you want to skip the placket on this version of your henley, the patterns already include a neckband measurement for a basic tee option. Easy as that!)

Lucky for you, Alex has already given us an incredibly in-depth hand holding on making plackets work for you. If you head over to her blog post, you’ll find some info on what they are, if interfacing is necessary or not, and THREE wonderful videos taking you through each step of the way.

P4P University – Plackets

Have more questions or as stuck on a step? Or maybe you just want to share your progress so far? Feel free to post in the Sew-Along event group! There are always helpers in there! And, if you are sewing along with us, be sure to tag @PatternsforPirates and #P4PHENLEYSAL on Instagram.

**The links won’t be active until the scheduled date.

P4P Henley Sew-Along | Cutting Fabric

January 16, 2018

Welcome back! So far, we’ve learned how to pick the perfect fabrics and get the perfect fit. Today, we are diving right in and cutting into your beautiful fabrics. We’re also sharing two new hacks so before you cut into your pretties, check them out first!

Is this your first time using one of our patterns? Check out our Pattern Markings 101 and Grainline blog posts for more tips about cutting out your fabric correctly. Now, on to the hacks…..

Henley Raglan Color Block Hack

Download the Color Block Pieces for the Women’s Henley and Yo Ho Henley HERE.

: French Terry

: Sweater Knit and Suede accents

Here we go!

: Print out the Henley Main and Color Block pieces

: Picture of Back Main and Color Block Pieces

: Picture of Front Main and Color Block Pieces

: The Color Block Pieces should line up at the shoulder seam with the main body.

: Transfer the faded line (shown in pink here) to your main body as this will be your new bottom color block. If you do not want to cut your main pattern piece you can also fold it along that line when you cut your fabric.

: Cut 2 (mirror image) of the top color block. Follow the darker size line along the armscye.

: Cut 1 Front on the fold along the line you transferred in the previous step.

: Cut 1 Back on the fold along the line you transferred in the previous step.

: With right sides together, and using a 1/2″ seam allowance, stitch top color block to front bodice.

: With right sides together, and using a 1/2″ seam allowance, stitch top color block to back bodice.

: Press seam allowance down and top-stitch. Repeat for the back.

: Continue as instructed in your pattern.

Women’s Long Sleeve Tall Cuffs Hack

If you’ve been following in the main Facebook Group, a few weeks ago I hacked the Henley and upsized it for a more looser top! With that, I also did a longer cuff. It received lots of love, so we thought we’d make it easy on y’all and share the new cuff measurements. Cut your sleeve on the “Roll up” Cut line and use the measurements below for your cuffs. Construction is the same as the other cuff/band options. 🙂

We hope you love these hacks as much as we do! Check back tomorrow for more details on the Placket….. It’s really not as tricky as you think 😉

**The links won’t be active until the scheduled date.

P4P Henley Sew-Along | Choosing Fabrics, Printing + Measuring

January 15, 2018

Today is all about prepping your pattern and fabric and making sure you get the best fit before you even cut a single fiber!

LET’S TALK FABRIC

The best part of the henley patterns is that they work with a huge array of fabrics. French Terry, sweater knit, thermal, interlock, rayon spandex, and single/double brushed poly-spandex are just to name a few. Check out our Knit 101 Blog post if you need more help with the fabric types.

Here are a few examples from our testers! And be on the lookout for the raglan shoulder color block hack later this week. 😉

: Sweater Knit

: Rayon Spandex/Jersey

: French Terry

: Crushed Velvet

: Sweater Knit and Suede accents

: Burnout Jersey/Rayon Spandex Placket

: Thermal

: Cotton Lycra

: Cotton Lycra

: French Terry

MEASURE YOURSELF

The Henley Patterns are all focusing on three measurement points: Chest, Waist and Hips. Judy created an entire post dedicated to measurements and how to properly measure yourself. You can see the full post HERE.

Chest/Full Bust — Full bust is around the fullest/biggest part of your bust. You want the tape as even horizontally as possible. For men/children, the fullest part of their chest is where the measurement needs to be taken.

Hip – This is a deceiving name. It is measured around your fullest/biggest part, which is usually your booty. Try to keep your tape as even horizontally as possible (a mirror really helps on this one!)

Waist– This is your natural waistline. Contrary to most belief, it is NOT your belly button or where you wear your pants (even though you might like high waisted pants). It is taken at the smallest part of your mid section. if you don’t have a very defined natural waist there is a very easy way to find it.

Take any kind of stretch trim, fold over elastic, thin elastic, even a strip of knit will work, and tie it snuggly around your mid section. Now MOVE around, bend walk around, sit down, it will naturally settle on your smallest part. This is your natural waist.

What if you’re taller or shorter than the pattern is drafted for?

Wouldn’t you know that we have an entire blog post dedicated to helping you with that as well? The “rule of thumb” is to add/subtract 1/2″ for every inch that you are different than the pattern is drafted for. For example, at 5’10” there is a 5″ difference so I would need to add 2.5″ throughout the pattern. If I were 5’1″ then I would remove 2″ of length since there is a 4″ difference.

Head HERE to read more about it!

What if your measurements don’t fall within one size?

That is why you’re sewing for yourself, isn’t it? To get the perfect fit? Well then let’s get that perfect fit!

Now that you have determined your size and if you’d like to grade, how do you do it? Below are a few examples of grading for a larger waist and hip size. Any adjustments should be made to both the FRONT and BACK pieces. Do not be discouraged if your measurements put you within different or larger sizes than ready-to-wear store-bought clothes as pattern sizing does not translate the same. Our bodies come in all shapes and sizes, and we are all uniquely beautiful.

PRINT YOUR PATTERN(S)

All three henley patterns are “no-trim” pages. That is exactly what it sounds like! The pages are set up to print and be taped/glued together without needing to get scissors out and trim the edges before assembly. It makes this step of the process even quicker. Need help assembling the no-trim pages? No problem! Judy created this fabulous video for us. Go check it out HERE. (You have to be a member of the P4P Facebook group to be able to see the video.)

Before you hit print, BE SURE that your pages are set to print at 100%, no scaling. We still recommend printing only the first page and measuring your 1″ x 1″ (or 4cm x 4cm) square to verify the print size is correct before printing the entire pattern. Even if your square is off by the teeniest amount, the entire pattern will be affected and your dress will not fit. Save yourself some ink and paper (and fabric!) and verify the settings first.

Whew! That was a lot of information to take in, wasn’t it?

Hopefully now, your pattern is printed, taped/glued together, you have properly measured for your size, cut the pattern pieces out and are ready to start cutting into your pretty fabrics tomorrow. If you’re sewing along with us, be sure to tag @PatternsforPirates and #P4PHENLEYSAL on Instagram. Don’t forget to join us on the P4P event page either: Henley SAL on Facebook.

**The links won’t be active until the scheduled date.

P4P Henley Sew-Along | Get Ready!

January 14, 2018

Are you ready for another sew-along with the Pirate Crew? We are so excited to tell you that we are bringing an entire week of P4P Henley love! We thought it was time to shine some light on these “oldie but goodie” patterns of ours, and especially love it because the patterns cover your entire family.

Welcome to Henley Sew-Along Week, friends!

The party doesn’t start officially until tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean you can’t prepare yourself a little bit beforehand. In celebration of the Henley Sew-Along Week, all three patterns can be discounted an additional $3, using the code “henleysal” until January 20, 2018 (11:59pm Central Time).

Yo Ho Henley | Women’s Henley | Men’s Henley | Henley Bundle

Be sure to join us in the Event Page for the Sew-Along on Facebook: HERE.
The SAL itself will be on this very blog, but we will be extending the party over to the group and event on Facebook for even more interactive fun!

If you’d like to get a leg up on the yardage of fabric you’ll be needing, here are the size charts and fabric requirements, for easy access:

And before we go…here is the schedule, so you know what to expect from us. We will even be throwing in some new tricks and pattern hacks, so you can get even more out of these adorable patterns. Can’t wait!!

**The links won’t be active until the scheduled date.

P4P University – plackets

September 13, 2017

Ohhh….plackets! Why are you so scary? Today on the blog I’m hoping to change that perceptions of them and help you face this fear.

What are plackets?

Plackets are basically just a slit or an opening in the fabric that allows for garments to be easily put on or taken off. Sometimes plackets are purely decorative. You can find them on sleeves, on pants, back of skirts and neckline. You can have a placket on the back of the neckline or on the front. The most common neckline front plackets are for Henley or Polo style shirts. On this blog I will be using the new Brunch Blouse placket but you can certainly utilize the same principles for a Yo Ho Henley or a Women or Men Henley shirt too.

Interfacing? Yay or nay?

My first tip/recommendation is to always use light weight interfacing for the placket piece. Simply fuse a piece of interfacing to the wrong side of the pattern piece. You can get away with not using any if you’re making a woven pattern but even so, the result will be so much better if you do add it. Interfacing will help stabilize your piece which in turn will make it a lot easier to sew. ALWAYS use interfacing for knit plackets!

Mark and press!

As you can see in the video above, I use a tailor chalk to mark the pressing and sewing lines on the back of the placket piece. You can use a soluble fabric pen or a fabric marker too.

If you have a tailor clapper now would be a good time to use it. It will defiantly come in handy and help keep those pressing marks firm. Spray starch will help too!

Sew slowly!

Make sure you pin a lot and catch any notches that need to be enclosed! This may be the most tedious part of adding a front neckline placket so it is well worth paying extra attention and sewing slowly.

Enjoy the fruits of your labor! 🙂

Now that you took the time to create the perfect placket, show it off! Be proud of your achievement and don’t let sewing techniques intimidate you! Speaking of showing off…don’t forget to brag about your Henleys and Brunch Blouses in the P4P group.

How to Sew a Faux Layered Look using Just One Pattern

September 9, 2016

The other day I was browsing Pinterest for some fall inspiration outfits but since I am now a resident of the sunshine state many of the fall looks I liked were not weather friendly. So what better way than to add “faux” layering to my shirts to pretend fall is in the air? 🙂

Today I’ll show you how I used the Women’s Henley shirt to make myself a “layered” shirt. I chose the simple crew neckline and the rolled sleeves option but this style would look amazing with the Henley style neckline or the hooded style.

Start by cutting the pattern based on your measurements. Ohh, by the way…did you see that the Henley got an updated? It now has layers so you can just print your desired size. Cut the hemmed shirt option and grab a piece of paper so you can draft the faux layers part. It’s easy-peasy, don’t be scared! Simply trace the curved hem option of the front pattern piece, measure 1.25 inches on the side seam and draw a straight line from that point to the center seam. Repeat the procedure with the back piece of the pattern. Now you will have two extra pattern pieces (front and back) that you need to cut on fold at the center.

Sew your shirt according to the pattern instruction, iron the 1 inch memory hem and set it aside before stitching it. We will now prepare the “faux” layer. With the right sides together sew the side seams with 1/2 inch seam allowance.

Once you have a loop-like piece you can go ahead and stitch the curved hem with your coverstitch or sewing machine. Press it! You are almost done. All you have left to do now is attach the layered part to your main shirt. Lay the main shirt on a flat surface and insert the faux layer piece matching the side seams. You can match the raw edges inside the shirt and pin all around the hem.

If you prefer your faux layer to be just “peeking” from under your shirt you can certainly place the layer a little higher inside the main shirt and pin in place. Stitch the bottom hem of the shirt and the faux layer together at about 1 inch above the fold.

You just made yourself a beautiful shirt that takes you from summer to fall. This style shirt pairs beautifully with the SOS pants and the Pirate Pencil skirt. As always, don’t forget to show off your layered creations in the group. Happy sewing, pirates!

Alex

Crew Neckband

Henley Neckband

Hood (with or without the placket)

Henley Raglan Color Block Hack

Women’s Long Sleeve Tall Cuffs Hack

Featured Patterns