Patterns for Pirates

P4P stylish, modern, wearable patterns

Go To Jacket – SAL day 2 (choose and cut fabric)

On day 2 we pick our favorite fabrics for the jacket. The pattern is drafted for medium stretch knit with at least 20% stretch like thicker performance knit, French Terry, fleece with stretch, sweatshirt knit, squish (aka cloud, cush, double brushed stretch minky), even thicker cotton spandex. For the pockets, chin guard, neckband and hood lining we recommend lighter fabric like cotton spandex. You will also need a separating zipper. The zipper length will depend on the size and style jacket you are making.

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. Judy 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.

For this SAL I am going to be sewing a youth Go To Jacket made with Vintage Lace French Terry and a Women’s GTJ with RockerbyeDestash Fabrics.

The Day 2 video is posted below. Check it out and once you are done cutting your fabric post a picture of it in the comments of the Day 2 photo of the Go To Jacket SAL album in the M4M & P4P Sew Along group.

Go To Jacket Sew Along

Day 1: Print + Cut Pattern

Day 2: Choose + Cut Fabric

Day 3: Sew Pockets

Day 4: Sew Shoulder Seams + Attach Sleeves

Day 5: Attach Neckband / Hood

Day 6: Add waistband + Finish Sleeves

Day 7: Add Zipper

Day 8: Recap + Catch Up

Day 9: Winners Announcement

FREE Mom/Girl Power Cut Files + 100k Sale-A-Bration Day 3!

Who is ready for the third day of celebrating?!  Welcome back to another round of our 100K Sale-A-Bration, pirates!

In case you missed the first day (which has an INSANE giveaway attached to it) or our second day (which includes a FREE sewing pattern), here are the links:
100K Sale-A-Bration + Grand Prize Giveaway | Free Convertible Cover Pattern

Today is another round of freebies, this time in the form of some digital cut files!

We really wanted to focus on one of our favorite topics: Strong Women.  But since we are lightly theming this week of celebrations around moms, we thought it might be fun to make the designs all about strong mommas and their little girls.  (Don’t worry, we have plans for designs geared toward boys / men at a later date!)

The designs are all packaged together with four different file types: SVG, PNG, DXF, and PDF.  They should work with most digital die cutting machines.

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

— Go old school and use an iron on transfer paper and your at-home printer.
— Use Heat Transfer Vinyl and your die cutter.
— Try your hand at Freezer Paper Stenciling.

Or, head right over to our First Mate Katy’s store (she’s the designer of these and most of our cut files), and have her cut the design for you and send it your way!  You can find all of our pirate designs available in here store HERE.

Wait no longer!

Go grab your copy of the FREE Mom/Girl Power Cut Files now!

Also be sure to head over the Patterns for Pirates Facebook Group and enter yourself into today’s daily drawing for the 100K Sale-A-Bration

Happy Sewing, Pirates!

FREE Convertible Cover Pattern + 100k Sale-A-Bration Day 2!

EEP!  Are you guys ready for the second day of our 100K Sale-A-Bration?!?!

If you missed what the party is all about, go read all about the giveaway, sale, and the pure appreciation/joy/excitement surrounding this big milestone HERE.

As we all know, the owner, designer and fearless leader behind Patterns for Pirates is Judy Hale.  P4P is such a big part of her life, and you can tell that she brings a lot of personal experiences and interests into her designs.  When we celebrated our 75K Milestone (which feels just like yesterday), our freebies were themed around the wee baby that was still growing inside of her belly.  Judy’s nesting for her third child ended with her designing and sharing the Wee Lap Tee, Petite Pegs, Teeny Beanie and Burp Cloth.

This time around, the baby boy is here and our freebies are a little more focused on the daily needs of the Momma!  It’s time to introduce you to the Convertible Cover Pattern!

The Convertible Cover is multifunctional, 4-in-1 cover that is so easy to make, and even easier to fit into your daily routine!  You can use it as a cover for infant car seats, nursing, high chairs, and shopping carts.

You must use a breathable, lightweight fabric with a high stretch.  The fabric content is vital.  Natural fabrics that breathe are needed to keep baby safe and at a safe temperature while in use (ie: rayon spandex, modal, bamboo spandex and lightweight cotton spandex.)

**We care about the safety of your child!  Always remove cover from your child’s infant car seat before placing it into a vehicle and never leave your child covered while unattended. It is important to monitor your baby to ensure they do not overheat in warm climates or during the hot summer months. Keep the cover away from any heat source.   Please use recommended breathable fabrics, and always remove cover before placing baby into vehicle. If gifting the cover please give safety guidelines to the recipient.

Let’s take a peek at all of the ways it can be used, shall we?

INFANT CAR SEAT COVER

NURSING COVER

HIGH CHAIR COVER

SHOPPING CART COVER

What are you waiting for?

Go grab your copy of the Convertible Cover now!

Also be sure to head over the Patterns for Pirates Facebook Group and enter yourself into today’s daily drawing for the 100K Sale-A-Bration

Happy Sewing, Pirates!

100k Sale-A-Bration

Wow! I can’t believe I’m writing this post! I’m so honored and humbled to believe that we have so many ladies and gentlemen who want to be in our Facebook Group! <3 100,000 milestone has come and I’m blown away!

 

Myself and a lovely group of admins work hard keeping the group an on topic, friendly space to share your P4P sews, answer both P4P and general sewing questions everyday!  I absolutely LOVE seeing posts about conquering “firsts”- first P4P pattern, first time sewing a knit fabric, first time doing a neckband, first blouse with a dart, etc.  It makes heart so happy to share sewing with others who enjoy it like me and to help make it more enjoyable by sharing any sewing knowledge and experiences I have with others.  Below is a collage of all the lovely ladies that help me admin in the top row and the P4P worker bees with me on the bottom row!  I absolutely couldn’t do the things we do without this team of magnificent ladies supporting me!<3

We have such an amazing group of sewers who aren’t part of our admin team, but take it upon themselves to help out by sharing knowledge and experiences with others daily! I’m so grateful for everyone willing to answer a questions, give a suggestion, or even just compliment someone’s share that they like!

Facebook groups now have insight/statistic information for the administrators to track.  Part of that information includes a “Top Contributors” section, which tells us who in the group is commenting and posting the most each month.  To say THANK YOU to a few of you that go above and beyond helping out other P4P members, we are giving the top 5 “contributors” a $100 gift card to their favorite fabric shop! <3 It’s ladies like you that really keep the P4P Facebook group a friendly, helpful place for new sewers to go with their questions! (Ladies- email me at patternsforpirates@gmail.com with your favorite fabric shop- that carries gift card option!)

Our group has grown so much, we want to thank more than just the top five contributors… we want to thank EVERYONE! I am always overcome with emotion when we hit these big milestones. After all, I’m just someone who loves to sew and wanted to share that love with others just like me.

 

For those that are new and don’t know P4P’s story… I have a degree in elementary education and minor in art. I taught kindergarten and loved it, but when my son was born I couldn’t bear to leave him in a daycare and risked everything to start at home business with my other skill and passion- sewing.  I actually started off with an Etsy shop called “Sewn for Sailors”, specializing in clothing for little boys.  My sisters eventually convinced me to make the jump to PDF Sewing Patterns and I started over again as “Patterns for Pirates”- still focusing on little boys clothing.  As I continued, I went into women’s clothing more and more because I’m tall and can’t buy hardly anything from the store that actually fits my tall, curvy frame! During my journey, I found that there were so many women just like me, struggling to find clothing in stores that fit their bodies.  I have always really loved sewing for myself and I really love to see other women enjoying sewing clothing that fit and make them feel beautiful!!! <3  I’m truly thankful EVERY DAY for every single pattern bought that allows me to continue to do what I love and stay home with my now three babies.

 

SO… whew… wipes tears… We’re going to do a little thank you each day this week! Today we are announcing our BIG GRAND PRIZE and how everyone can enter to win! But, come back each day to find more thank you’s!  (Because each day is just as amazing as the last!)

For our 100k Sale-a-bration giveaway…

 

A full team of machines! Basically what I have in my office 🙂 Although, I do not have this ADORABLE new pink sewing machine…I WANT it! I do have the serger, cover-stitch, silhouette and heat press exactly and I love my set up! I’m so lucky to be able to have all of these and I am so excited to share it with someone else who loves to sew! Lets talk about each one just a little (and so you know, if you click on these links and purchase we will get a little $- they are affiliate links :)) :


–EverSewn Sewing Machine: model.  So, I do not own this guy… but boy do I want him!! I love pink… my office is full of pink! My mom actually bought herself one for her birthday this summer and I’ve been jealous ever since 😉 He’ll be mine one day lol! I love that it has an automatic thread snip! It is something that my machine has that I love and would dearly miss if I didn’t have it on my next machine.

 

–Brother Serger Machine: 1034 model.  I have a bit older model, but I’ve had two of these entry level sergers and have always been happy with it.  It is so great for a beginner, because you can find A LOT of helpful videos and blog posts about using it!  The price makes it one of the most popular sergers, so it’s very easy to find help with it.

 


–Brother Coverstitch Machine: model.  I have this model as well! It is also popular and easy to find tutorials and videos for help if you need.  Since I have all Brothers, I didn’t have a learning curve with this machine at all other than the quick trick of finishing the end stitch.  I love having a coverstitch machine! It’s so nice to be able to hem something without having to change your sewing machine needs, worry about tension as much, and my stitches can naturally stretch so much more with it.  I waited a long time before saving up and buying one though since it’s more of a want than a need 😉

 

–Silhouette Cameo: 3 model. I have this machine and use it quite a lot! It’s a pretty quick way to add some embellishment to your garments.  I did save and save for an embroidery machine years ago… finally purchased it and thought I would use it ALL THE TIME… but never did… I just couldn’t find the time it took to embroider even with the machine! So, I was nervous investing in a cutting machine as well thinking I might not ever touch it either.  BUT… I find it so much quicker and easier than the embroidery machine to design, cut and press something onto a garment for a little personal touch.  I love my Silhouette and the design program it comes with.  I’m not a tech savvy person and usually struggle learning new computer programs! But, I find the silhouette (I do believe I have the designer addition of the program) to be very user friendly.  You can find lots of helpful videos on their site for learning how to use it as well.

 

–PowerPress Heat Press: model. I have this model and I’ve never looked back!!! I had a hard time using my heat transfer vinyls or even pre-bought transfers because I couldn’t get enough pressure with an iron (I used to beg my husband to press them for me!).  I purchased the heat press and haven’t had trouble since! It heats up quickly, presses nice and evenly with whatever temperature and timing you set for each fabric/type of vinyl, and makes adding a little embellishment that much easier and quicker! Now, this sucker is big and heavy! I had to shop around for a piece of furniture that was deep enough to hold him up (I love vintage furniture, so usually not something you pick to hold up something big and heavy 😉 ), but I love having it! I can even grab a plain tee at the store for a super last minute need and add something in half an hour designing, cutting and pressing! Can’t beat that for a special one of a kind shirt…and not having to stay up half the night before to do it 😉

****Note**** With a prize this large, P4P will need a W9 filled out by winner prior to prizes being sent. Winner must claim prize on taxes per US law.  International winner will have to remit up to a 30% tax withholding of prize winnings and subject to US tax/treaty agreements.

Okay… so now we know what the Grand Prize is… HOW CAN YOU ENTER??

Easy right?

A few rules to highlight:

The item sewn up and shared must be a P4P pattern.

You need to sew it up as is, with only fit changes (so no hacks or mods ladies).  Nursing and maternity hacks on the P4P blog are okay as well. Adding embellishments is great, just no major changes.

Your garment and picture must be done during the contest time frame- between today 9-10-18 and the end of 9-19-18.

Share your pictures on one or all of the social media networks for more chances to win with hashtag #P4P100k — hashtag must be EXACT to come up in our search for the winner!

Let us know what P4P pattern you sewed up and what you’re most looking forward to winning!

You can share as many sews as you can for more chances to win–but ALL items/images shared must be sewn AFTER the giveaway starts 9-10-2018! Any older sews will be disqualified from winning the grand prize. Last entries accepted will be Wednesday 9-19-2018 at 11:59PM US Central Time.

Since you might need to grab a new pattern to get motivated we have a SITE WIDE SALE through the end of the giveaway! This will be the last site wide sale this year, so grab them up while you can ;)!! Sale ends Thursday 20-2018 at 11:59PM US Central Time.  The coupon code will pop up automatically at checkout, so no need to worry about jotting the code down.

The winner will be randomly chosen lottery winner! So everyone has a chance from a beginner who might be sewing their first P4P pattern to a seasoned apparel seamstress! I can’t wait to see everyone’s entries!

Don’t forget to come back and see us each day this week!

Favorite/Fav Tee SAL – day 7 (winners announcement)

What an amazing last week we had! I am so proud to see all the beautiful Favorite Tees and Fav Tees you have sew during the sew along. So many mommy and me sets too! <3

. . . . .

And the moment you all have been waiting for is here!! Our first M4M/P4P Group Sew Along winners are:

  • Alaura Sproles … Your big prize includes a $20 store credit to Made for Mermaids who will be hosting the next group SAL so perfect timing 😉 , a beautiful sewing machine necklace courtesy of Katy from Thread and Grain and a $50 gift card to Fabric Anthropology which offers gorgeous prints on lots of bases (including Bamboo Lycra)

A huge thank you to our amazing sponsors!

Favorite Tee & Fav Tee SAL

Day 1: print + cut pattern

Day 2: chose + cut fabric

Day 3: shoulder seam + attach sleeves

Day 4: side seam + hem sleeves

Day 5: hem bottom or add band

Day 6: neckband

Day 7: winner announcement 

Favorite/Fav Tee SAL – day 6 (add neckband)

We made it to the last sewing day! Hooray! Today we’re adding the neckband, pressing and showing off our creations. My favorite part! 🙂

If you chose the scoop neckline, take a look over our P4P University Neckbands 101 before you start sewing. The blog includes a video of the Favorite Tee as well. If you picked the V neckline like I did, check out our P4P University V-neckbands 101 and the video below.

How easy was that? All done! You all did great! Now show off your work in the groups and don’t forget to post your final picture in the comments of the day 6 photo of the Favorite /Fav Tee SAL album. The P4P/M4M team will pick the two lucky winners on Monday and we will announce them here on the blog.

Favorite Tee & Fav Tee SAL

Day 1: print + cut pattern

Day 2: chose + cut fabric

Day 3: shoulder seam + attach sleeves

Day 4: side seam + hem sleeves

Day 5: hem bottom or add band

Day 6: neckband

Day 7: winner announcement 

Favorite/Fav Tee SAL – day 3 (sew shoulder seams and sleeves)

Day 3 – lets start sewing! Today we sew the shoulder seams (easy peasy!) and add the set in sleeves. When attaching the sleeves it is very important to match the notch to the shoulder seam, pin in place and then match the side seams and pin in place.

The Favorite Tee and the Fav Tee follow a 1/2″ seam allowance so be sure to not deviate from it when you sew the shoulder seams RST or when you attach the sleeves.

Watch the day 3 video below and be sure to post a picture of today’s progress in the day 3 photo comments of the Favorite/Fav Tee album in the M4M & P4P Sew Along Group.

 

Favorite Tee & Fav Tee SAL

Day 1: print + cut pattern

Day 2: chose + cut fabric

Day 3: shoulder seam + attach sleeves

Day 4: side seam + hem sleeves

Day 5: hem bottom or add band

Day 6: neckband

Day 7: winner announcement 

So Classic Sundress Round Up

It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve been able to say this….but IT’S RELEASE DAY!  And we’ve got some ah-dorable dresses for you today, my pirate friends.  Get ready to meet the So Classic Sundress patterns!

The Sew Classic Sundresses are just that: so classic!  Drafted for use with woven fabrics, these dresses have such a retro flair and can be paired with so many different fabric types to create the perfect look.  Both patterns feature as many options as we could pack into them.  Two bodice lengths (empire and natural waist), three bodice styles (plain, center seam, and button placket), three skirt lengths (mini, knee and maxi), two strap styles (halter and straight), bucket patch pockets, princess seams, and an elastic casing back bodice.  It is drafted for women (sizes XXS – Plus 3X), and youth (3M – 14).

**Want to learn more about how to measure yourself for this pattern?  We’ve got you covered with an in-depth blog HERE.  And in case you’re new to Patterns for Pirates and PDF patterns in general, we have a great blog full of new user tips HERE to help you get started!  And, as with all of our current releases and updates, the pdfs now include our layers feature and can be found in Letter, A4 and A0 sizes.

Are you ready to see all of the options in action?  Me too!

Empire + Natural Waist Bodices

Plain, Center Seam + Button Placket (Princess Seam) Bodices

Regular + Halter Straps (with Elastic Casing Back Bodices)

Mini, Knee + Maxi Lengths

Optional Patch Pockets

It’s time to get So Classic with us!

SO CLASSIC DRESS – YOUTH | SO CLASSIC DRESS – WOMEN’S | SO CLASSIC DRESS – BUNDLE

Need more inspiration before you commit?  Head over to our Facebook group and take a look at the amazing dresses that our gorgeous testers created.  Youth Album / Women’s Album

But wait.  There’s more!  Take a look at our So Classic Dress Easy Hacks post to take your patterns even further!

The release sale (no code needed) will be through Friday August 10, 2018 (11:59PM US Central Time Zone).

Happy sewing, my pirate friends!

P4P University – Shirring 101

In this month’s P4P University blog we decided to focus on shirring. Shirring is the process that will give elasticity non stretchy fabric by shrinking it.

Start by winding the bobbin with elastic thread. I recommend winding the bobbin by hand instead if the electric winder. This will ensure that the thread is not too tight on the bobbin.

TIP: Wind several bobbins before you start sewing.

Replace your regular thread bobbin with the elastic thread one and manually pull the elastic thread up by hand turning the machine wheel.

I have made this video with my tips for easy shirring so take a look before you start.

 

Choose light weight fabric!

As with all sewing, fabric type/weight makes a huge difference. The lighter the fabric, the tighter will your shirring be. Voile or chiffon will shirr better than quilting cotton, denim or corduroy won’t shirr at all.

Adjust the tension and length according to your machine and fabric!

Not all sewing machines will shirr the same way. Some might “fuss” more than other, so it’s very important to test on a piece of fabric (the same as the one you’re using in your project) what tension will work best. I personally prefer the longest stitch length and the highest tension.

Do not use the automatic thread cutter!

I know for some, like me, using the automatic features of our machine is like second nature but try to remember to disengage the automatic thread cutter so you avoid having to manually pull the elastic thread up with every row. See video above.

Space your shirring rows equally spaced, no more than 1/4″ apart!

For best shirring results your rows should be about 1/4″ apart, or less. The closer the shirring rows, the tighter the elasticity.

Steam, steam and STEAM again!!

Once you finished your shirring rows take your project to the ironing board and give the shirred rows several bursts of steam, on both sides. You will see the shrinking magic happening right before your eyes. This step is NOT OPTIONAL, it’s a must do when shirring.

There you have it! You are now ready to shirr all the woven tops!

Sister, Sister!

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.

connect with me