Patterns for Pirates

P4P stylish, modern, wearable patterns

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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

Filed Under: Frequently Asked Questions, Sew-A-Long, Uncategorized Leave a Comment

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

Filed Under: Frequently Asked Questions, Sew-A-Long, Uncategorized 2 Comments

New Pattern Release :: Runabout Romper + Dress!

May 22, 2020

I’m excited to share the newest P4P pattern with everyone!  Right now, so many of us are trying to find a little more peace of mind.  Trust us, we are too.  So we thought it would be the perfect time to add some stylish “secret pajamas” to everyone’s closets. Who doesn’t love being comfortable and also love feeling cute too?! The Runabout Romper & Dress will give you both with a quick easy sew.

With this loose, slouchy fit, you’ll be comfortable all day.  But we made sure to mix in some extra style with off-the shoulder looks, high/low skirts, slitted maxi lengths, and elastic cinched waistlines that will leave you feeling pretty darn good! There are so many options that you can make a huge stack and no one will ever know you’re sewing the same pattern, on repeat!

Consider yourself to be more of a visual person?  Listen, friend.  We’ve got you covered there as well.  Our tutorial is packed full of videos, covering topics like fabric choice, sizing, mashing sizes, sewing the waistband and even a complete sew up video from start to end with with our Pirate Captain Judy!


RUNABOUT ROMPER | RUNABOUT ROMPER YOUTH | RUNABOUT ROMPER – BUNDLE

There are multiple sleeve options.  You can pick tank, dolman short sleeve, or dolman long sleeve…depending on weather.  There are also a ton of bottoms to pair with your bodice.  Enjoy choosing between a curved knee length skirt, maxi length skirt with side seam slits, a looser-fitted shorts romper, or trendy jogger romper bottoms.  With all of these options, you can add a cute faux drawstring, chest pocket, and/or slat pockets.  Trust us on the pockets — we make sure they’re “real” pockets and you can actually fit things inside of them.

The dolman bodice includes a scoop neckline with a bit lower back (which still safely covers bras) and a super fun off-the-shoulder style neckline.  The elastic waistband on every pattern option hits right at the natural waistline, allowing for a flattering silhouette.

We suggest using knits that are light-to-medium weight and have a softer drape.  Think: double brushed polyester, rayon blends, sweater knits, modal spandex blends, bamboo blends, tri-blends, french terry/rayon blends, ribbed knits, and lightweight cotton blend jerseys.



**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 and A0 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!

BODICE OPTIONS: TANK, SHORT SLEEVE DOLMAN, LONG SLEEVE DOLMAN

DOLMAN NECKLINE OPTIONS: SCOOP AND OFF THE SHOULDER

DRESS OPTIONS: KNEE LENGTH AND MAXI LENGTH

ROMPER OPTIONS: SHORTS AND JOGGERS

EXTRAS: CHEST POCKET, FAUX DRAWSTRING, AND SLAT POCKETS

Whatever you do… DON’T FORGET THE POCKETS!

Whether you’re looking to lounge about in complete comfort:

Or dress it up to go out:

Ready to runabout the town house in your new digs?  Grab the patterns now!

RUNABOUT ROMPER | RUNABOUT ROMPER YOUTH | RUNABOUT ROMPER – BUNDLE

Maybe hoping for a little more inspiration before you make the purchase?  Head over to our Facebook group where you can see a Runabout Romper + Runabout Romper – Youth album full of images of our amazing testers!

The Runabout Romper & Dress has you covered!  If you’re hoping for even more options, we show you a few more ways you can use this pattern in our Runabout Romper Easy Hacks Blog Post! I hope everyone out there is staying healthy and happy.  The Runabout Romper & Dress will be on sale (no code needed) through Friday May 29th.

And if our pattern alone doesn’t provide enough options for you, we’ve also included a blog post that will help take the Runabout Rompers to the next level!  Go check out our Easy Hacks Post to see how to make some slight alterations to the original pattern, to customize it even further!

Filed Under: Pattern Release 3 Comments

New Pattern Release :: Flutter Wrap!

March 5, 2020

I can hear spring time calling! The Flutter Wrap with it’s flutter sleeves and flounce options makes me so excited for spring time dresses… but we made sure to give it some warmer options to in case you’re not ready for warmer weather just yet 😉 No matter what weather you’re sewing for the Flutter Wrap will have you covered and feeling fabulous!

The Flutter Wrap can be an everyday top and dress or a show stopper formal depending on options you pick!  It can be tailored for any occasion!  The flounce and flutter sleeve options give it such a fun detail that add some glamour and fun.  It has a wide variety of fabrics you can use for the different options.  It is drafted for knit stretch fabrics with at least 30% horizontal stretch.  Flounce options work great with fabrics with a soft drape to create those beautiful cascading ruffle look with no gathering! Whoever you’re sewing the Flutter Wrap for they will surely feel gorgeous! The wrap style allows for easy fitting with tying it a bit tighter to looser and you can play with the neckline for more or less coverage on the bust!  Enjoy several videos in the tutorial including: fabric choices, adding/taking away length, grading/mashing between sizes-youth, easing in flounces, binding on neckline, flounce neckline, and even how to tie it up at the end!


You can pick from 3 different necklines: a plain neckline, a narrow flounce or a wider “sleeved” flounce- all are finished with a narrow binding to the inside of the garment.  A length for every occasion with a shirt length, knee length, knee length with flounce, maxi or maxi with flounce for the hemline.  Sleeves included are a tank, short flutter sleeve, traditional fitted short, 3/4 or long sleeve.



**Want to learn more about how to measure yourself for these 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 and A0 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!

HEM OPTIONS: SHIRT, KNEE LENGTH, MAXI LENGTH

MORE HEMLINE OPTIONS: KNEE WITH FLOUNCE, MAXI WITH FLOUNCE

 

TRADITIONAL FITTED SLEEVE OPTIONS: SHORT, 3/4, LONG

 

MORE SLEEVE OPTIONS: TANK, SHORT FLUTTER SLEEVE

NECKLINE OPTIONS: PLAIN, NARROW FLOUNCE, WIDER “SLEEVED” FLOUNCE

How about some fabric inspiration? Depending on  your options  you can choose from a very wide array of knits! Here are some of the favorite tester choices:

SWEATER KNITS:

DOUBLE BRUSHED POLY:

RAYON SPANDEX:

RIBBED KNIT:

VELVET:

OTHER SOFT DRAPE KNITS: POLY SPANDEX, SLUB KNIT, TRI-BLEND JERSERY, POLY FDY, ITY

In case you were looking for some more inspiration, you can find all of our tester images in our Facebook group!  Go check them out: Flutter Wrap Facebook Album | Flutter Wrap – Youth Facebook Album

Are you ready to sew your new favorite sweater?  Go grab the patterns now!

FLUTTER WRAP | FLUTTER WRAP – YOUTH | FLUTTER WRAP – ADULT/YOUTH BUNDLE

And if our pattern doesn’t hit just the right spot, we’ve also included a blog post that will help take your Flutter Wrap to the next level!  Go check out our Easy Hacks Post to see how to make some slight alterations to the original pattern, to customize it even further!

The release sale (no code needed) will be through Saturday March 14 (11:59PM US Central Time Zone).

Happy Sewing, Pirates!

Filed Under: Pattern Release 3 Comments

Summer PJs easy hack

July 18, 2019

As with all new P4P patterns our blog team has some easy hacks ready for you to take your Summer Pjs up a notch. It is a sizzling summer after all…

Knit and FOE

Let’s start with a simple fabric switch. If you are anything like me you have piles and piles of knit fabric in your stash. Let’s make the Summer Pjs with jersey knit. The other replacement we are making is switching the bias tape for FOE (fold over elastic).

I used 5/8″ FOE for mine but any width bigger would work too. One of my favorite parts of making the Summer PJs with knit is that I can coverstitch the hem.

Sew the PJs as instructed in the tutorial. When adding FOE simply fold it in half and sew it on with a lightning bolt stitch or triple stretch stitch. You can get away with using a straight stitch since the pattern has plenty of positive ease so you won’t really be stretching the binding.


I left the FOE as is for the back strap but you can certainly fold that one over as well.

Use lots of pins when adding the long back strap. It will help if you steam press the FOE fold prior to pinning or clipping it in place.

That’s it! No changes made to the actual pattern pieces just fabric choice…easy peasy!


Lace Insert

If you are looking to make your Summer Pjs just a little more sexy…why not add a lace insert to the front of the top or nightie? Grab your favorite lace or very wide lace trim and let’s get started. Cut the fabric as instructed in the pattern. Using a disappearing pen, like a Frixion , mark on the front piece the “V” you would like to be lace. This is where you choose how “risque” you would like to make your pajamas. Mark another line 1/4″ inside of the first one. This will be your cutting line for the main fabric. Cute along the green line and remove the inside triangle.

Cut down your lace a 1/4″ bigger than the size of the bigger triangle. If you use gallon lace or trim make sure the pretty details (like Judy’s black accent) is at the top. Mark 1/4″ inside the V lace triangle with the disappearing pen or tailor chalk. This will be the stitching line.

Place your lace triangle over the front piece right sides together matching the stitching lines (red). Sew over the marked lines with a straight stitch, pivoting at the center V. Flip the lace piece inside the main fabric and finish the raw edges with a zig zag stitch. Top stitch 1/8″ away from the edge.

If your lace has a raw edge at the top, follow the pattern to add bias binding. If your using lace with a finished edge like Judy’s then simply skip the front bias tape.

All you have left to do now is enjoy your new sexy summer pajamas.


 

Ruffles

Ruffles can add such a soft, feminine detail and to me, the new Summer PJ’s has so many great places to add a ruffle. One of the first places is the legs. You can add ruffles to either the cheekie or shorts length. For this tutorial, I added ruffles to the shorts length.

To begin, you will want to assemble your shorts as directed by the tutorial, with the exception of hemming.

Once you’ve constructed your shorts, you will need cut your bands that will be used for the ruffles. The band needs to be 3″ x width of fabric. If you would like your ruffle more full, you can always sew two strips together to create a fuller look.

Once the strips are cut, you will want to press them in half, with wrong sides together.  Unfold your strips. With right sides together, stitch the ends together, using a 1/2″ seam allowance to create a loop.

Re-fold your band. Using the longest straight stitch on your machine, create your gathering stitches. You will want to use two rows of stitches, one at a 1/4″ from the raw edge and a second 5/8″. Repeat on other band.

Mark the middle of your band with a pin or clip. Pulling the bobbin thread, begin to gather your band. You will then want to match up the seam of the band with the crotch seam and the middle with the outside leg seam.

Evenly distribute your gathers and attach using a 1/2″ seam allowance. To finish, press the seam up and top stitch around the legs if wished!

Another quick and easy way to add ruffles to the Summer PJ’s is to add one to the neckline. I chose to add this to my daughter’s nightgown and we are both in love with the results. Many of the steps will be the same as above. After cutting out your top, stitch your side seams together. For the ruffle, you will want to cut a strip of fabric that is 3″ x double the width of the neckline. Press this strip of fabric in half, wrong sides together.

Using the longest straight stitch, create your gathering stitches by stitching a straight line at both 1/4″ and 5/8″ from the raw edge.

To gather, pull the bobbin thread until the strip is the same width as the neckline (** Leave 1/2″ ungathered on both ends to help reduce bulk when attaching the binding).  Baste around the armscyes and neckline to hold ruffle in place.

Continue to finish the top according to the tutorial, attaching the binding to the neckline as instructed, treating the ruffle and neckline as one.

Now that you have your youth and adult Summer PJs, and learned some easy hacks, time to get creative with your own pajamas. Don’t forget to share your pretties in the P4P Facebook group so we can all marvel at their beauty.

Alex and Erinn

Filed Under: Pattern Hacks, Pattern Release, Uncategorized 1 Comment

Sporty Piko :: New Pattern Release!

March 29, 2019

I’m so excited to share our new releases with you today! The Sporty Piko has quickly been filling up my closet! You can get such a great variety of looks with this pattern <3

You wont believe all these looks can come from just one pattern! The Sporty Piko and Sporty Piko- Youth will have you asking, “How many Sporty Pikos is TOO MANY?” 😉

 

These patterns are drafted for a stretch knit fabric, but you are open to so many different types depending on what look you’re going for.  Want an everyday tee?  A hemmed option paired with  drapey jersey will give you that look.  Or are you going for a sweatshirt feel?  Try a french terry paired with the hood, drawstring or banded option for that more sporty style.

Sporty Piko in a jersey with soft drape
Sporty Piko in a french terry

Both the adult and youth versions have a very loose, relaxed, even oversized fit.  They are drafted with two sleeve lengths (short and long sleeve with cuffs), a large size range (XXS – Plus 3X in women’s and 3M – 14 in youth), have multiple length options (crop hemmed, crop with drawstring, shirt banded and curved tunic), two choices to finish off the neckline (traditional neckband and a hood) as well as a fun, optional front chest pocket.  The back has a yoke at the top you can play up or down depending on fabric choices.


The Sporty Piko can make a great athletic top or a basic everyday tee too.  They’re so quick and simple to sew up you will have a stack in no time!

Sporty Look Sporty Piko
Sporty Look Sporty Piko
Everyday Tee Look Sporty Piko
Everyday Tee Look Sporty Piko

 

**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 and A0 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!

SHORT SLEEVE

Short Sleeve Sporty Piko
Short Sleeve Option Sporty Piko
Short Sleeve Sporty Piko

LONG SLEEVE WITH CUFF

Long Sleeve Sporty Piko
Long Sleeve Sporty Piko
Long Sleeve Sporty Piko

CROP HEMMED OR DRAWSTRING

Cropped Hemmed Sporty Piko
Cropped Hemmed Sporty Piko
Cropped Drawstring Sporty Piko
Cropped Drawstring Sporty Piko

Cropped Hemmed Sporty Piko
Cropped Hemmed Sporty Piko
Crop Drawstring Sporty Piko
Crop Drawstring Sporty Piko

SHIRT BANDED OR CURVED TUNIC

Curved Tunic Sporty Piko
Curved Tunic Sporty Piko
Shirt Banded Sporty Piko
Shirt Banded Sporty Piko

NECKBAND OR HOOD

Neckband Sporty Piko
Neckband Sporty Piko
Hood Sporty Piko
Hood Sporty Piko

FRONT CHEST POCKET

Front Chest Pocket Sporty Piko
Front Chest Pocket Sporty Piko
Front Chest Pocket Sporty Piko

BACK VIEW

Back View Sporty Piko
Back View Sporty Piko
Back View Sporty Piko
Back View Sporty Piko

The most difficult thing will be to decide what option to sew up first!  Go grab your pattern(s) now and go ahead and plan one of each!

SPORTY PIKO | SPORTY PIKO YOUTH | SPORTY PIKO BUNDLE

Need more convincing?  Just take a look at this pattern on all of the amazing shapes and sizes of our testers, and get a look at more examples of all the options in our albums in the P4P Facebook group! Sporty Piko Album | Sporty Piko-Youth Album

And if that didn’t give you enough options, make sure to check out the hacks post to help take your patterns even further.

The release sale (no code needed) will be through Saturday, April 6, 2019 (11:59PM US Central Time Zone).

Happy Sewing, pirates!

Filed Under: Pattern Release, Uncategorized Leave a Comment

The Basic Tees :: New Pattern Release!

February 8, 2019

Is there anything more fun than a pattern release day?  Maybe when it’s not one pattern, but it’s THREE!  We’ve got tees for the whole family, y’all!


The patterns are drafted for knit fabrics and are each packed full of options.


**Want to learn more about how to measure yourself for these 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.

Let’s give a quick rundown of the options!

 

Short Sleeve
3/4 Sleeve
Long Sleeve

Short Sleeve
3/4 Sleeve
Long Sleeve Cuffed

 

NECKLINE OPTIONS

Crew
V Neck

Crew
Scoop
V Neck

Crew
V Neck

 

HEM LENGTHS

Shirt
Tunic
Dress

Crop
Shirt
Tunic

Dress

Are you ready to make your new favorite shirts for yourself and/or the family?  What are you waiting for?

THE BASIC TEE – Women’s | THE BASIC TEE – Men’s | THE BASIC TEE – Youth | THE BASIC TEE – Bundle

Need more convincing?  Just take a look at this pattern on all of the amazing shapes and sizes of our testers, and get a look at more examples of all the options in our albums in the P4P Facebook group!  The Basic Tee: Men’s / Women’s / Youth

The release sale (no code needed) will be through Monday, February 11, 2019 (11:59PM US Central Time Zone).

Happy sewing, Pirates!

Filed Under: Pattern Release, Uncategorized 3 Comments

Naughty Nice + Sugar Spice PJs :: Easy Hacks

December 7, 2018

Our newest pajama patterns are just so perfect for the holiday season, aren’t they? So if it’s a party, let’s make it a pajama party with some easy hacks that will add even more options to the Naughty Nice and Sugar Spice PJs you’ll be making.

….

Zipper

 

Let’s start by switching the front of the Naughty Nice pajamas from a button/snap placket to a fun zipper. Fear not, it’s super easy! I personally find the zipper to take less time than adding all the snaps or buttons. Grab a 9″ zipper and let’s get started.

Sew the pajama as instructed in the tutorial, except for the neckband. You won’t be using the one in the tutorial, you’ll make a new neckband.

Lay your zipper right side down on the front opening. The to of the sipper will be at the curve. Sew it as close to the zipper teeth as possible. Using a zipper foot will make this easy.

Repeat the process on the other side of the zipper.

On the wrong side of the fabric, sew a straight stitch where the fabric and zipper meet and remove excess zipper.

Now that we added the zipper we need to create a new neckband. With the zipper closed measure the neck opening. I like to lay mine flat but you can measure anyway you feel comfortable.

Cut your neckband 85% of the neckline opening plus 1″ for seam allowance by 2.5 inches. Fold your neckband widthwise and round your open edge to resemble a henley neckband. Open then neckband and fold it lengthwise, wrong sides together. Give it a good press and mark the back and the quarter points.

Mark the quarter points on the neckline opening. With the zipper open, pin (or clip) the neckband in place.

Attach the neckband using a stretch stitch. Optionally, top stitch. I actually like to topstitch around the neckline and zipper right now, using a continuous stitch.

All done! You can use the same technique to add a front zipper to the Sugar and Spice PJs too. You will just have to adjust the zipper length.


…..

Lace Up Front

Want to spice up the naughty version or just want some extra fun detail? Instead of snaps or buttons, use grommets/eyelets on the front neckline.  Use as many or as little as you prefer.  I chose to do 4 spaced about 1.5″ apart.  Use drawstring, ribbon, lace or our knit fabric to create the string and lace it up!

 


 

 

…..

Hood

When I was searching for inspiration for my Naughty Nice PJs, I kept coming across hooded versions of this same style pajama.  I’m not sure how comfortable a hood would be to sleep in, but to have a little extra coziness around you while you’re lounging around?  Sign me up!  Plus, I think this pattern will translate so amazingly well for costumes next Halloween, and a hood is always a good thing to be able to attach for those as well.

You can use your favorite hood piece from any pattern.  I chose to use the Women’s Henley hood piece.

Assemble your hood piece like you normally would.  I chose not to line mine and hem it instead.

You’ll need to take two measurements:
— The width of the bottom edge of your hood, where it will attach to your PJs.
— The full length of the neckline + placket opening.

You won’t be using the neckband piece that comes with the pattern.  Instead, you’ll need to do a little more math.

(Neckline Opening Measurement – Hood Width Measurement) / 2 + 1″ Seam Allowance

This will give you your new placket piece length.  You’ll want two of them, for either side of the openings.

With your placket pieces folded in half (wrong sides together), pin it along the front placket opening and stitch.  Repeat with the second placket piece on the opposite side.  Follow the instructions just like the Naughty Nice / Sugar Spice patterns call for, to finish the bottom of your placket pieces.

With right sides together, align your hood piece along the raw edges of the neck opening.  Pin and stitch.  You’re done!


…..

Leg Placket

 

The last easy hack we wanted to show you is geared towards the Sugar and Spice. We all know how changing a bitty’s diaper can be difficult when they get all wiggly, especially in the middle of the night. So I wanted to show you how to add leg plackets to make changing a little easier.

Make the pajamas as instructed in the tutorial but do not stitch the inseam. Instead, add the cuffs flats, right sides together.

Once you add the cuffs, your pajama legs will look like this.

Open the PJ legs and measure the front and back inseams.

Cut two strips of fabric and interfacing that will be the measured length plus 1″ by 2″ width. Add the interfacing to the placket, fold and press lengthwise.

Fold the placket pieces right sides together and sew a stitch along each short end. Use a 1/2″ seam allowance. Cut the seam allowance to about 1/8″ and turn outside out. Press.

Pin each placket strip to the leg opening, making sure you match the front placket to the front opening and the back placket to the back.

Stitch in place and top stitch. If you used a serger to add your plackets, take a look over this blog to see how to finish the serger tails.

All you have to do now is add your snaps. Space them about 1 – 1.5″ apart from each other.

All done! Now you have easy diaper change Sugar Spice Pajamas!

There you have it, 4 easy hacks to give your pajamas even more options! We can’t wait to see what your Naughty Nice and Sugar Spice Pajamas will be. Post your creations in the P4P group!

Alex, Nicole and Katy

Filed Under: Pattern Hacks, Pattern Release, Uncategorized 1 Comment

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!

Filed Under: Sew-A-Long 1 Comment

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.

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!

 

Filed Under: Sew-A-Long, Uncategorized Leave a Comment

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