Patterns for Pirates

P4P stylish, modern, wearable patterns

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 7

Hello, friends! Thank you everyone who joined us last week for the Kelli and Charli sew along. I thoroughly enjoyed making the stretch velvet Kelli dress…plus , I am Christmas ready with month and months to spare.  I know you are here to find out the winners so without further ado, here they are!

Congratulations, Stevie Puckett-Perez ! She is our first winner. Mel won a $20 gift card from Patterns for Pirates and a $25 gift card from Mily Mae Fabrics. 

Congratulations go to Cathryn Larkin as well! Cathryn won a gift card from Made for Mermaids valued at $20. 

A huge THANK YOU to our sew along sponsor. Make sure you check out Mily Mae Fabrics on Facebook to keep up to date with their sales and fabrics.

I am passing the baton to the mermaids! I’m excited to see what’s next in the sew along group.

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 1 | cut fabric

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 2 | shoulder seams and facing

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 3 | gather front and sew side seams

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 4 | add sleeves

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 5 | create skirt

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 6 | attach skirt and hem

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 7 | winners announcement

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 6

Welcome to the final day of the Charli and Kelli sew along!

All we have left to do today is attach the skirt to the bodice and hem. If you have not basted the two front skirt pieces yesterday, I recommend you do so today. Find the center point of the skirt’s front and back ad well as bodice front. With the right sides together, match the side seams and center marks on the skirt and bodice. Pin in place.

Tip: If you are using a fabric with vertical stretch or on the heavier side, add clear elastic to the waist seam. This will prevent the bodice from stretching too much when worn. 

Sew the skirt to the bodice using a stretch stitch. I love a triple stretch stitch for this step. Press the waistband to reduce any waviness from sewing. Remember that a lot of the fancier fabric require a pressing cloth to be used.

Final steps of this sew along are hemming the skirt and the sleeves. If you opted for the split skirt and cap or sleeveless you are done with your Kelli and Charli projects. Our P4P University hemming knits blog post gives you a few tips for an easy and successful process. I have “discovered” the overcasting stitch on my sewing machine and I found it to just perfect for hemming stretch velvet. Give it a try! 

All done! I love the classic look of my glitter velvet Kelli, it will be just perfect for the holidays. 

Here is the final construction and hemming video. Post your finished Charli and Kelli dresses in the comments of day 6 photo of the sew along album. I look forward to admiring your beautiful dresses!

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 1 | cut fabric

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 2 | shoulder seams and facing

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 3 | gather front and sew side seams

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 4 | add sleeves

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 5 | create skirt

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 6 | attach skirt and hem

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 7 | winners announcement

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 5

Welcome to day 4 of the Kelli and Charli sew along! Today we create the gorgeous skirt. I opted for the knee length with slit for my glitter velvet one. Both the adult and the youth patterns include various options and length so everyone can find a favorite. 

The Charli skirts and the long overlay Kelli one are similar in construction. Start by hemming the oberlao piece. This step can be done on a sewing machine or a coverstitch. Once hemmed, gather the side seam to match the notched on the skirt side seam. Baste the overlay to the front skirt at the side seams and top. You will now treat this piece as one. All you have left to do is sew the back of the skirt, right sides together, at the side seams. We will hem tomorrow. 

Press the side seams to reduce any waviness. 

The construction of the split skirt, whether mini, knee or long is slightly different. The first step is to sew a few inches of the side seams at the bottom. We need tom hem this skirt prior to add continuing creating the skirt. I like to sew this step on a sewing machine so I can press the seams open. Hem the bottom of the skirt using a twin needle, coverstitch or zig zag stitch. You are now ready to gather the one side. Remember on day 2 when we gathered the top? We will do the exact same but on the skirt. Once you have matched the notches, pin the side seams of the skirt, right sides together. 

TIP: double check to make sure the skirt in not twisted before you sew the side seams!

I like to baste the top of the two front pieces together so they stay in place when we add the skirt to the top. It’s optional, you can just pin them together.

In day 5 video below I show you how to create the slit skirt. Once you finish the steps, post a picture of your progress in the photo comments of day 5. That will be your check in for today. See you back here tomorrow for the final assembly! 

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 1 | cut fabric

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 2 | shoulder seams and facing

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 3 | gather front and sew side seams

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 4 | add sleeves

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 5 | create skirt

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 6 | attach skirt and hem

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 7 | winners announcement

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 4

Good morning, friends! Today we add the sleeves. I love the options included in the Kelli and Charli dress patterns. The lined cap sleeve is adorable for warmer weather. I opted for the 3/4 sleeve for a more ” winter friendly” dress. 

3/4 and long sleeve: This pattern features sleeves that are sewn in the round so you will start by sewing the seam right sides together. Don’t forget to press a memory hem. This will make hemming a lot easier after you add the sleeves. 

cap sleeve: Start by sewing the hem part of the cap sleeves, main and lining, right sides together. Press and under stitch! Sew the side seam along the main and lining.

Find the notches that correspond to the front and back of each sleeves. Pin the sleeves to the arm opening matching the shoulder notch and side seams. Using a 1/2″ seam allowance and a stretch stitch, sew the sleeves to the bodice.

TIP: when sewing smaller sizes, especially little kids’ ones, I like to place the presser foot inside the opening. It make stitching a lot easier. 

In today’s video, you can see how I add the set in sleeves to the Kelli dress. Once you complete the steps post a photo of your progress in the comments of day 4 photo of this sew along album. See you back here tomorrow to start working on the skirt!

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 1 | cut fabric

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 2 | shoulder seams and facing

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 3 | gather front and sew side seams

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 4 | add sleeves

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 5 | create skirt

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 6 | attach skirt and hem

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 7 | winners announcement

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 3

 

Welcome to the third day of the Kelli and Charli sew along. Today we work on the front gathers and the side seams.

FRONT GATHER

Let’s start by setting the sewing machine to a gathering stitch. I like mine set to the longest length stitch (five) and lowest tension (zero). Find what works best for you and your machine. Run two gathering stitches (without backstitching) at approximately 3/8″ and 5/8″ from the raw edge on the front piece that has a longer side seam. In doing so, one of the gathering stitches will be in the seam allowance, one will be out of it. Pull the two threads (bobbin thread is easier to pull) so that the notches on the side seams match the on the front and back. 

If you are doing the facing style, you will not add gathering stitches to the facing, only the main fabric. Once you gather the side to match the notch on the back side seam, tie knots at the start and the end of the basting stitches to keep them in place. I also encourage you to baste the facing to the gathered front side seam, wrong sides together to keep it in place. 

SIDE SEAMS 

I like to baste the two front pieces at the side seam first. Make sure that the gathered one goes on top. Now you will treat the two front pieces as one. Pin the front and back bodices at the side seam and stitch with a stretch stitch or serger. The sleeves will be added in the round later on. 

You can see in today’s video how I work on the bodice. Once you finish the steps, check in with a photo of your progress in the comments of day 3 photo of the Kelli/Charli sew along. 

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 1 | cut fabric

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 2 | shoulder seams and facing

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 3 | gather front and sew side seams

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 4 | add sleeves

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 5 | create skirt

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 6 | attach skirt and hem

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 7 | winners announcement

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 2

Ahoy, pirates! It’s time to start sewing our beautiful Kelli and Charli dresses. Today we work on the bodice. Start by sewing the back pieces, right sides together. Kelli has a seam down the back so the it fits those beautiful hourglass shapes perfectly. 

TIP: sew this project on the sewing machine if you are going for a very elegant, luxurious look. Press all your seams open as you go. 

Sew the shoulder seams right sides together. You can add clear elastic in the seam allowance for a very good hold. I encourage you to do that if the fabric you are using is on the heavier side or you are making the floor length dress. If you opted for the facing style, repeat the steps with the facing pieces. 

As you saw in yesterday’s video, I am sewing the elastic neckline finish for my Kelli dress but I know some of you prefer the facing style. In the bonus video below I show you how to create the facing sleeveless tank using the “burrito roll” method.

If you opted for the elastic neckline, start by “exercising” your 1/4″elastic. You will now stitch the elastic to the wrong side of the neckline, at the raw edge. I like to do this step using a ride zig zag stitch. Fold the elastic over towards the wrong side and sew down with either a zig zag stitch, an overcasting stitch or a coverstitch.

In day 2 video I show you these steps using exclusively my sewing machine. Once you complete the steps, post a picture of your progress in the comments of day 2 photo of the Kelli and Charli sew along album. See you back here tomorrow for day 3! 

 

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 1 | cut fabric

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 2 | shoulder seams and facing

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 3 | gather front and sew side seams

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 4 | add sleeves

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 5 | create skirt

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 6 | attach skirt and hem

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 7 | winners announcement

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 1

 

Welcome to the Kelli and Charli sew along!

Remember the sew along poll we did in the Patterns for Pirates facebook group back in early January? You all made your voices heard. The Lumberjack vs Kelli/Charli sew along preference was such a close poll that I knew we had to have a dress sew long after the button up shirt. If you missed the Lumberjack Sew along definitely check it out. 

If you have not purchased the Kelli and/or Charli patterns, join the M4M & P4P sew along group! Not only for the daily sew along check in and prizes but also to grab the exclusive coupon code we have for the patterns. 

Kelli and Charli Bundle

Kelli dress

Charli dress

As always, day 1 is reserved to cutting the fabric and gathering any additional supplies. So let’s talk FABRIC! Both the Kelli and the Charli dresses are drafted for light to medium knit fabric that has 40% – 50% horizontal stretch. Some vertical stretch is recommended too, not lot but some, to make the dress more comfortable when worn. Examples of fabric bases that would work nicely with this patterns are:

* stretch velvet

* stretch lace 

* the ohh so popular DBP (double brushed poly)

*cotton spandex

*some athletic knits

*sweater knits

*ribbed knits

*waffle knits

* some poly blend knits

For the Kelli dress that you will see me sew throughout the week, I will be using a gorgeous burgundy glitter velvet from Mily Mae Fabrics. MMF is also this sew along’s sponsor so our lucky winner will receive a $25 gift card to shop their website. Mily Mae Fabric stocks some of to most beautiful non inspired fabrics in a huge variety of bases. You can definitely find  some for the whole family.

Now that you have your fabric picked, it’s time to select the size(s). Make sure that you get an accurate measurement for the bust, waist and hips. Here is a very help blog post about measuring yourself. The Kelli dress is fitted so you do not want to skip blending sizes if you need too. Take a look over our Grading blog post to get an idea of how best tom blend the pattern sizes. 

Both the Kelli and the Charli dresses are packed with options. From sleeve length to skirt styles, there is something for every occasion. If you are not yet convinced of the style you’re making for the sew along, a great place to start is the Round Up release blog where you can get a breakdown of all options as well as some tester inspiration. 

In day 1 video, I show you how to cut the Kelli dress using a projector. If you are new to Projector for sewing, check out our informative blog. Once you complete today’s steps, post a picture of your cut fabric in the comments of Day 1 photo of the Kelli/Charli SAL album. You can find the album in the M4M & P4P sew along group on Facebook. See you back here tomorrow!

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 1 | cut fabric

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 2 | shoulder seams and facing

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 3 | gather front and sew side seams

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 4 | add sleeves

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 5 | create skirt

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 6 | attach skirt and hem

Kelli and Charli sew along – day 7 | winners announcement

Fierce Bra and Undies – Easy Hacks

Ahoy, pirates! In true P4P fashion we could not let the DOUBLE release happen without showing you some simple hacks for your new Fierce Undies and Bra. All these simple mods can be applied to both our adult and youth pattern.

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Undies with bands

   

I love the new Fierce Undies. They feel so amazing! But I know sometimes I prefer a knit waistband instead of elastic. So today I will be showing you how to hack a knit waistband on the Fierce Undies.

 

The first thing I did was cut and assemble the pattern according to the pattern. Then I measured the top of the undies to see how wide it is.

Now here is the formula I used to the band width: (undies width X 2)+1 X 80%. I like to use 80% because I like my band a little smaller but not too tight. Here is a picture of my measurements. 

So my finished number is 24.8. So I cut my band at 4” tall and 24.8 wide. I cut my band 4” high because I like the 2” thickness. I fold my band short ends together and sew.

Then I fold it again raw edges together.

 

Now I quarter the band and undies, then I put the band over the undies with right sides together matching the quarter marks.

Sew the band on, top stitch if desired.

Now you have a knit and Fierce undies! 

 

 

 

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Undies with picot lace

Nicole will show us how to add picot trim to the leg opening soon!

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Bra with knit biding

For this hack, we will be using knit to create a binding instead of fold over elastic (FOE). This is a a great hack to use if you don’t have any FOE on hand or if you want your binding to be a cute print or exact match of one of your fabrics.
To get started, cut out the three 2” strap pieces using the width measurements as indicated in the elastic cut chart according to your size. Optional: serge along the long edges for additional stability. Then, press all three binding pieces into 1/2” strips: Fold pieces in half, press, open back up, then bring raw edges to meet at the center crease, press, fold in half, press.
Open up your binding neckline piece, match the center point of binding (right side) to the center point of the neckline (lining side). Stretching slightly, stitch along the neckline using a stretch stitch and a 1/2” seam allowance (along the first crease).
Finger press binding and seam allowance up, then re-fold the binding in the same manner as done previously to get a 1/2″ strip. Re-fold the entire strip to form your straps and pin/clip in place. Stitch using a stretch stitch along the entire binding to close and finish the binding/straps.
Continue with pattern instructions for construction. Repeat binding steps with outside straps: be sure your binding pieces are open before stitching the ends together when getting started on the outside straps.
 
and now you have your own custom knit binding! <3
(bra pictured has elastic band attached differently than pattern)
Lacy

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Youth bra with cups

My daughter is getting to be that age that she wants just a bit more coverage and loves all her ready to wear sports bras that come with padded cups. The first thing that she asked me about the new fierce bra is if it had cups and I said no but not to worry I could add them for her.  This hack is super easy and the construction does not change at all!  Let’s get started!

First we are going to trace off our front piece, next we need to create an opening for our cups to slide into.  I used my french curve but you can certainly free hand a curve similar to what I have shown here.  I just estimated how big to make it, it does not need to be to big, you want to be able to easily slide a cup in and out of it.  Next cut away the line you drew on your piece, this will now be your lining piece. You will cut one main front and one lining from your newly created piece.

Your construction will stay exactly the same, you will just have the curves in your lining piece.  I choose not to finish the edges of my curves as I was using a really nice quality athletic fabric but you can always finish that edge with your serger or with a narrow hem on your sewing machine.  Once finished you will be able to slide in cups, I just grabbed a set from my daughters ready to wear bras but you can also buy bra cups and cut them down to fit.  My daughter is only 10 and really doesn’t need them to add any type of support she just likes the extra coverage so really any cheap cups from Amazon will do the trick and are easy to cut to size.

All done and my girl is happy to have a bra made to fit her perfectly

Angela

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Undies with lace band

Up next I wanted to show you another way to add a waistband to the Fierce Undies. Instead of the 3/4″-1.5″ waistband elastic you can use stretch lace. I used 1″ for my example but 1.5″ would work beautifully as well. Start by cutting your pattern as instructed but cut stretch lace instead of elastic.

Sew the short ends of the lace to form a loop. You may find it easier to use a piece of water soluble stabilizer between the machine’s feed dogs and the lace so as to deter your machine from trying to “eat” your fabric.

Sew the undies as instructed in the tutorial. Pin the lace at the top, overlapping 3/8″. The wrong side of the lace will be against the right side of the undies. Sew in place using a zig zag stitch of a coverstitch.

Tadah!  Done! You just added one more option to the Fierce Undies.

Judy is rocking a pair of Fierce Undies with a 2″ lace band.

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Swim suit

Last but certainly not least we want it to show you how easy it is to make  Fierce Swimsuit. You will need:

  • swim suit fabric
  • swim lining (or solid swim like I used)
  • 1″ swim elastic for the waistband and under bust band
  • 3/8″ swim elastic for the leg openings and bra straps
  • optionally power mesh and cups (I have not used them on mine)

Start by cutting you undies front and back pieces from swim, the liner from solid swim or lining. Cut the waistband 3″ by the length of the waistband elastic (from the cutting chart) plus 1″ for the seam allowance. Cut the 1″ swim elastic the length of the waistband elastic from the chart. Now cut the bra pieces, making sure that the under bust band is 3″ wide by the length of the elastic plus 1″ seam allowance. You will also need to enclose swim elastic in the bra straps so you will but binding strips that are 1.5″ wide by the length of the pattern straps pieces.

Sew the undies and side of the bra (and lining) as instructed in the tutorial. Now let’s make the waistband and the bra under bust band. Same technique…butt the ends of the elastic together and sew with a wide zig zag stitch. Overlap the band with the right sides together and sew it in a loop using 1/2″ seam allowance. Insert the elastic inside and put pins or clips at the quarter mark. Put the bands aside for now.

Hem the legs of the undies as in the pattern. The only difference will be that you will be using swim elastic for the briefs and thong, no elastic for the cheekies. Take your swim elastic and baste it to one edge of each of the bra straps.

Attach the bra straps binding as Lacy is showing you in the hack above.

All you have left to do is add the waistband and under bust band that you prepared earlier. Mark the 4 quarters of the undies waist and under bust opening. Add the respective band matching the quarter points. Sew them with your serger or a triple stretch stitch. Optionally, top stitch.

All done! You just added one more swim suit to your collection. You can use the same tips for both the youth and the adult pattern.

We hope you enjoyed these spins on the new Fierce Undies and Fierce Bra pattern. Don’t forget to share your creations in the Patterns for Pirates Facebook group or tag us on Instagram @patternsforpirates.

 

Summer PJs easy hack

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

Wiggle Dress – easy hacks

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Separates

The full-length mermaid-esque dress is gorgeous, but maybe you want to pair it with a different top or choose different fabrics?  With this simple hack, you can create a gorgeous set and wear them as separates.  For the skirt, cut along the crop cutline.  Stitch the center back seam and each side seam.  Using the cropped band measurement and instructions, attach to the top edge of the skirt.  Easy peasy!

How cute is Katy in this Ariel inspired Haloween outfit!

And seriously, how amazing is this sequin skirt!!

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Color-Block Bodice

Keeping with the concept of separates, but perhaps you still wanted a dress. Doing a color-block bodice gives you a chance to mix up your fabrics. Since there is already a crop cutline on the pattern pieces that hits at the natural waist, we will be using that as a guideline. Re-trace the crop cutline 1/2″ above and below it to create your seam allowance on both the front and back pattern pieces.  Cut your new top bodice and bottom skirt from both front and back.  For the back, you will have 2 back top bodices (mirror image) and 2 back bottom skirt (mirror image) pieces.  For assembly, with right sides together, stitch with a 1/2″ seam allowance the front bodice to the front skirt. Repeat for both back bodice and skirt pieces.  Continue construction as provided int he pattern. 🙂

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Decorative Button Back

Adding embellishments to your dress can give it some extra special details that will set it apart from the next.  Since the pattern is drafted for stable knits, you do not need a zipper or functional buttons to put it on, so these buttons are purely for decorative reasons.  I love the finishing touch it gives the back. Using the center back seam as a guideline, I hand stitched pearl buttons every 1/2″.  I used the zipper lengths as mentioned in the tutorial as a guide where to end my button placement.  For this version, I used a total of 13 buttons. ”

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Straps for off the shoulder

Love the off the shoulder but hate wearing strapless bras? No problem! Let’s add some cute straps to the Wiggle off the shoulder dress that will cover your bra straps. Print the off the shoulder option of the pattern and sew it up as per the pattern tutorial. Stop at the neckline finishing steps. Cut two pieces of fabric 4″x 9.5″. These will be your straps. The length of your straps may vary slightly based on the size you make.

Fold the straps lengthwise and sew them side with a 1/2″ seam allowance.

Turn the straps inside out and press them with the seam in the center.

For perfect straps placement, try the dress on with your favorite bra. Mark with a pin or a clip where the bra straps will be.

Sew the straps to the dress with the right sides together. Finish the neckline as per the pattern tutorial.

That’s all! You now have yet a new style of the new Wiggle dress!

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Sleeveless

The Wiggle Dress is already packed with soo many options and great for every season but I don’t know about anyone else but summer here is HOT!! I can not handle any type of sleeves at all so a sleeveless version of the Wiggle dress would be what I would want for summer and lucky for me it is a really quick and easy hack.  Let’s get started.

First, you are going to cut all your pieces except for your sleeves.  You do not need to modify the armscye at all for this hack so just cut your front and back as usual.  Sew the shoulder seams and side seams as directed in the pattern, but skip the section for adding a sleeve.   Next, you will iron and pin your armscye to the wrong side 1/2″ inch as shown below. Topstitch using your favorite stretch stitch.

 

Now just finish up the dress or top as instructed in the pattern and you’re done. Quick, right!?

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Full Zipper Back

As soon as I saw the Wiggle dress I knew I had to make a full zipper back! So I took it up a notch and bought a dual zipper. This style zipper opens at the top and bottom. You can add this zipper to the high back, low back or even the off the shoulder option as well as the above, bellow or midi length. Just make sure the zipper you use is long enough! As a point of reference, I used a 48″ zipper for the high back, midi length style.

Start by marking the hem on the center back seam.

Add a strip of 1/4″ Wonder Tape to the center back seam, 1.4″ away from the edge. Start at the point you marked above and stop 1/2″ away from the top.

Repeat with the other back piece.

Remove the paper backing of the Wonder tape and adhere the zipper right sides together. Sew in place with a 1/2″ seam allowance.

Zip up the zipper and place the other side of the back piece, right sides together, making sure that the bottom and top match.

Sew in place and top stitch.

Now that you have your back piece ready, sew the dress as per the tutorial. You will be enclosing the zipper in the bottom hem as shown below.

All done! Now all you have to decide is where the next date night will be! 🙂

 

I loved the idea of a full-length zipper like Alex showed us above, but when it came to finding one locally, I wasn’t able to get one the length I needed.  I did find a chunky zipper that would be perfect to use as an exposed zipper and just so happened to work out that it’s finished length was about knee length.  I opted to go with the midi length and do a split hem at the center back.  You will install your zipper the same as you would in the tutorial, except place it on the RIGHT side of the fabric with the wrong side of the zipper centered along the back seam.

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Lace Applique

I’ll be honest, Judy created this dress while we were pre-testing and I had to replicate it.  Adding a lace applique is super easy but adds a super sexy and classic flair.  For this particular version, the lace extends along the entire side seam, so I constructed my bodice first, added the lace to the top, then sewed my sleeves on so that the lace was enclosed in the armscye.  You can, of course, add lace wherever you’d prefer, such as the neckline or bottom hem but I love the silhouette the wide stripe gave from the front and back.   I used a fairly narrow zig-zag stitch down the center seam and along each edge of the stretch lace trim.  Be sure to keep your lace taut as you sew along the waist and hip curves.

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Front Leg Slit

What sexy dress doesn’t include a slit!  Show off those legs and add a front slit to your wiggle.

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Sweetheart/Wiggle Mash

We couldn’t end this epic hacks series without a Wiggle dress/Sweetheart mash up. I just had to make myself a black velvet and lace long dress. We all need one in our closets, right?

This mash is super easy. Simply take the front patterns of the wiggle dress and mark the sweetheart color-block lines using the Sweetheart dress top pattern piece. Don’t forget to add the seam allowance!

Sew the two front pieces (lace and velvet) as suggested in the Sweetheart pattern.

Once you do that simply follow the directions in the Wiggle Dress pattern to finish your dress. I used lace for my sleeves too. Since I didn’t have any black elastic and I certainly couldn’t use white elastic for the neckline, I used clear elastic instead. It worked like a charm!

Tadah! Just by adding a sexy sweetheart color block front, you took your Wiggle dress up a notch!

Holy Moly…. I think we covered just about every hack we could come up with to take The Wiggle Dress to the next level (if it wasn’t already on its own)!  Make a Wiggle? Hop on over to the Facebook Group, and share your makes, we’d love to see it!

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