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Sister, Sister!

July 11, 2018

I don’t write much about myself personally here on the blog- but I get asked a lot about my sisters 🙂

I have two sisters- Megan and Nicole.  Both of who have or still draft their own PDF Sewing Patterns just like me.  We all grew up sewing with my Mom, who was self taught through books, tv shows, online classes, etc… she is a life long learner who always wants more information! She definitely taught us you can always learn more if you’re willing.  She also taught us a lot about sewing! She made every kind of apparel including our prom dresses and wedding dresses.  Here is mine, which I adore.

She taught us everything from sewing jargon, fabric types, ease, modifying and about drafting as well. Eventually we all ended up in the same business.  Nicole had Coles Creations, in which Mom actually helped her on the drafting side for some time.  Since, she has retired a bit from the game, but still enjoys sewing of course.  Here we are this past Christmas all in me-made shirts 😉

Megan is the owner of Made for Mermaids.  We’ve done a few promos and things together over the years from pattern bundles, sew a longs, giveaways, blog tours, etc.  We often get sited as “sister sites/companies”, but in actuality we keep our companies completely separate.  We are in fact SISTERS though 🙂

You’ll notice we have some similarities in our companies and some differences too.  We both have wide size ranges and our womens are drafted to the “curvy” women’s body type… because, well… we’re both curvy 😉  I draft for P4P exclusively- although I have some help with small adjustments during testing and help with some of the freebies being drafted by Nicole Lanzarotto and Katy McKinley.

Megan drafts for her company and has two other designers that also draft their own patterns with M4M- Catherine Muzzati and Megan Thoman.  So, when questions are asked about M4M patterns vs P4P patterns the answer is often, “I don’t know!”  I do not have anything to do with M4M patterns from drafting, testing, releasing, etc other than seeing the sneak peeks like you usually! Sometimes Megan and I will talk more in detail about certain patterns: discussing and giving opinions on amount of ease we like best, length, etc.  Sometimes we will ask each other to test a pattern or to model a pattern for each other as well.  For example, Megan is the cover of my Boundless Knit Dress and Summer Kimono, both drafted and released while I was pregnant with my daughter 🙂 We used to do this much more when we lived closer, because it is much easier to take someone else’s picture than you’re own!! I’ve also used her daughter for covers several times, because I once didn’t have a daughter to model or had a little baby who was very hard to take a picture of 😉 I still will grab her for pictures when I can… she’s so much easier to take a photo of than my toddler, lol!!  Her husband is even the cover of our Men’s Henley because she happen to get a great shot for me.


But, most the time we have never seen the majority of the others patterns until we would like to sew one up one day.  So, most the time I honestly just don’t know if one of her shirts is more or less fitted than one of mine is.  We do try to not overlap our designs much since we don’t want to compete with each other on purpose, but as our catalogs grow we will most likely have some overlap and that’s okay too.

I hope this helps clarify how we are and are not connected 🙂 If you’re curious, we also have two brothers, but neither are into sewing…although John has modeled for me before (he appears on the cover of the men’s bball shorts).  We’re one big happy family who love and support each other through everything.

Filed Under: Announcement, Frequently Asked Questions, Uncategorized 3 Comments

Sew what do I wear…Professional Edition

October 27, 2017

It’s that time of the year again…time for the Sew What do I wear blog tour hosted by Made for Mermaids and P4P. This season a group of very talented women are bringing you inspiration for business wear outfits so make sure to check them all out.

As busy professionals on the go one of the most important thing to keep in mind when sewing your office outfits is time! How much spare time to you have? How many outfits can you treat yourself to in the allotted sewing time? Easy and fast patterns will help you get many looks in a short amount of time.

Keeping that in mind, for today’s blog I chose two of the fastest to sew P4P patterns, the Brunch Blouse and the Pirate Pencil skirt. Both patterns have a minimal number of pattern pieces and are super fast to put together.

For a more edgy look I use some vegan stretch leather when I made the Pirate Pencil Skirt . I loved the look of the skirt un-hemmed so I just skipped this step all together…boom! Even a faster sew now!

As I was sewing the top length Brunch Blouse I realized I wanted to add some extra details to it but without much work 😉 Store bought single fold bias tape to the rescue! Instead of finishing the neckline with the bias tape on the inside (as per the pattern tutorial), I did a switcharoo and put the bias tape on the outside of the neckline. I finished the bottom of the shirt using the same technique. The bias tape hem add a little extra to the shirt, doesn’t it?

There you have it! Two easy to sew patterns and a pair of of stilettos and you made yourself a edgy office attire. If you live in a colder weather are, throw a Cocoon Cardigan over and you’re ready for a stylish day at work.

Make sure you check out all the amazing blogs that joined us for this tour!

Filed Under: Blog Tours, Frequently Asked Questions, Uncategorized 2 Comments

Fall Capsule

August 1, 2017

Once again Patterns for Pirates teamed up with Made for Mermaids and Cole’s Corner and Creations to bring you some Fall Capsule inspiration. As before we will be giving you some ideas how to create Women, Boys and Girls mini capsules.

Today I will show you how to create a perfect mini fall/back to school capsule for your little men. As some of you know, I live in Florida so my kids’ capsules will reflect the warm climate. For the rare days when it’s chilly (and by chilly I mean 70s 🙂 ) I love to have some layering pieces ready. I find Cpt Mack’s Cardigan to be the perfect layering piece for short or long sleeves tshirts. Those elbow patches are so fun!

When you built your boy’s fall capsule be sure to add a button up shirt like the Lumberjack Shirt. They can be worn as stand alone tops but also make great layering tops. You can make the collar option or go for a fun, cool look and add a hood.

Every boy needs a cool jacket! Am I right? Well…look no further than the Spirit jacket from Cole’s Corner and Creations. The raglan style sleeves make it such an easy sew that you’ll be whipping those in no time.

Between the 3 sisters pattern companies you have so many tops options. For Noah’s fall capsule I went with my 3 favorite choices…the P4P Jolly Roger Raglan, the M4M Dylan Tee and the P4P Yo Ho Henley. All patterns feature a long sleeve and short sleeve option so you can pick whatever style works best for your area.

 

When choosing the bottoms for the mini fall capsule I kept in mind one thing: COMFORT! My little man lives in shorts all year long so I went with the Pirate Playground shorts and a modified knee length Baby Bear Joggers. I like the loose fit of the Playground Pants for PE days and the slimmer fit of the Baby Bear Joggers for everyday wear.

For the occasional colder day I had to add a pair of the new Little Loungers pants. This pair is made with a striped linen blend and it’s such a classic look. It pairs beautifully with the Yo Ho Henley, the JRR and the Dylan Tee.

 

We can’t wait to see your little one’s capsules this fall! You can read the contest details on the M4M blog here. Regardless of which top, layering piece or bottoms you choose remember to: Keep it fun! Keep it simple! Keep it comfortable!

Filed Under: Blog Tours, Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Spring Mini Capsule Winners

April 11, 2017

Wow, we have LOVED seeing everyone’s mini capsules they made during the contest! It was amazing to see so many wonderful outfits. Plus doesn’t it feel great being ready for Spring?? If you haven’t finished your mini capsule yet, please continue to work on it and post when you can. We would still love to see what you create 🙂 We enjoyed it so much, we will be hosting another capsule contest in the Fall. Now on to the winners! Winners will be tagged on Instagram and/or Facebook and simply need to email patternsforpirates@gmail.com AND madeformermaids@live.com for their pattern prizes. Fabric and grand prizes just email M4M. Drumroll please…

5 Winners each get to choose 1 pattern of choice from EACH M4M & P4P:

Alicia Zylstra from our FB groups.

@faerieflings from Instagram.

Debbie Brennan‎‎ from our FB groups.

@sillybugzboutique from Instagram.

 

Sara Marie from our FB groups.

 

3 Winners each get to choose 3 patterns from EACH P4P & M4M:

@sewing4sanity on Instagram.

Alyssa Arthur from our FB groups.

Amanda Massicotte Jones from our FB groups.

1 Winner for a $50 store credit to Sincerely Rylee ‎‎Fabric Shop:

@songofgrace on Instagram.

1 Winner for a $50 store credit to Pretty Posh Prints:

Cherie Williamson from our FB groups.‎

1 Winner for a $100 store credit to Knitpop:

Abby Mercer Eason from our FB groups.

GRAND PRIZE WINNER with their choice of a Brother Coverstitch Machine or $100 Joann Fabric Gift Card:

Nicole Joyce from our FB groups. 

CONGRATS to all the winners!! Thank you so much again to our sponsors and everyone who participated! If you blogged about your capsule sewing, please leave a link in the comment section below so we can check it out.

Filed Under: Contest/Giveaway 1 Comment

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!

 

 

Filed Under: Contest/Giveaway 17 Comments

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