P4P nursing hacks

June 12, 2018

Ahoy, pirates! Throughout the years the P4P team has showed you lots of ways to hack our patterns and make them nursing friendly. So today I wanted to put them all together in a round up blog. this way you have easy access to them at all times.

RELAXED’S RAGLAN Nursing Hack

Nicole is showing us how to modify the Relaxed Raglan (or the Ragdoll, or the Slim Fit Raglan) to make it nursing friendly. You can find the blog here.

HENLEY nursing hack

Next up we have a Henley modification that can certainly be applied to the Brunch Blouse as well. The blog can be found here.

FST/LMU MASH nursing hack

A lot of us are big fans of the FST/LMU mash so we couldn’t skip this mash in our nursing line up hack. You can find the details here.

LAYER ME UP nursing hack

Our Layer Me Up Shirt has a nursing hack on the blog as well. Judy is showing us here how to modify the shirt to achieve a nurse friendly look.

BOUNDLESS nursing hack

The Boundless Knit Dress nursing modification can be found here. The same technique can be applied to other dresses like the Sunshine or the Sweetheart dress.

BOHO BABYDOLL nursing hack

Our Boho Babydoll hacks includes a split side seam modification is that is great for nursing as well. You can read Erinn’s blog here.

CAREFREE CARDIGAN nursing hacks

Our cardigans are already nursing friendly but Judy took it up a notch with the Carefree Cardigan Button Hack. The blog can be found here.

ESSENTIAL TANK nursing hacks

Last but not least we have an Essential Tank hack that is nursing friendly too. Judy shows us here how to achieve an open back look for the ET.

All you have to do now bookmark this blog post so you have easy access to all our nursing hack and get sewing. 🙂

Set Sail Hat :: New FREEBIE Pattern Release + Extras!

May 22, 2018

I am super-duper excited to be sharing the newest addition to the P4P pattern lineup: the Set Sail Hat.

Get ready for the quickest, cutest sew ever, my friends! Because this hat takes minimal amounts of fabric and gives you maximum results. And it’s reversible! So you are practically getting two hats for the sewing efforts of one. Perfect, am I right?

Did I forget to mention the best part??!! It’s FREE!

The Set Sail Hat is drafted for head circumferences ranging from 18″ to 25″. It has a three-piece cap that curves beautifully to your head, and comes ready with three brim sizes: 2″, 4″, and the ever-fabulous 7″. To keep those brims extra sturdy, we do recommend stabilizing them with a medium-to-firm weight interfacing (we love Pellon 809!) so make sure to pick some up next time you go shopping at your local fabric store.

Here’s a quick peek at the AH-MAZING hats that our testers created!

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But wait! There’s more! We’ve been seeing “wordy” sun hats all over the place the last couple of seasons and we wanted to help you make your own.

Packaged as SVG and PNG files, you can download these phrases (which are already curved specifically for the brim of both the 4″ and 7″ hats):

Vacay Vibes
Sup, Beaches?
Seas the Day
Resting Beach Face
Pirate Maiden
Hello Sunshine
Do Not Disturb
Champagne Please
Boss Babe
Beer Me
Beach Please

You can find those freebies as a quick download here: Set Sail Hat Phrases

Easy Hack: Adding Piping

It’s not part of the original pattern instructions, but we wanted to help you with a quick tutorial on the blog. We’ve got an easy little detail addition that makes a big impact. We are talking about PIPING…good old fashion store bought piping. Don’t get us wrong, if you feel adventurous and want to make your own, go for it! However, our personal preference is the ease of ready made piping 🙂

We’ll be adding piping to the brim of the hat. The 4″ brim takes a little less than a package of piping. If you chose to add this detail to the 7″ brim you will need two packs of piping. You will not have to make any changes to the pattern, simply cut your pieces as you normally would.

Pin or use clips to attach the piping to the outer circumference of one of the brims, lining or main. Chose what would be the back of the hat and overlap the piping there.

The key to successfully sewing piping is using your zipper foot. So, switch your regular foot to the zipper foot and sew the piping to the brim.

All you have left to to now is sew the hat as per the tutorial and enjoy your awesome new make!

Remember to use the zipper foot when topstitching the outer edge of the brim.

What are you waiting for? Go grab your copy of the Set Sail Hat! It’s always free and always fabulous!

Need some style inspiration? Check out our Facebook Album full of amazing images from our testers.

Happy Sewing, Pirates!

Boundless Dress :: New Pattern + Update!

May 3, 2018

We told you that we’d be going through and updating older patterns, didn’t we? But did we tell you that we would be taking one of our favorite patterns, updating it, AND adding a girl’s version of it as well? Because that’s exactly what we did. And we are so excited to share them with you!

Allow me to re-introduce you to the Boundless Knit Dress and at the same time, introduce you to it’s mini: the Boundless Youth!

Before we get started: If you already own a copy of the original Boundless pattern, you will NOT need to re-purchase to get the updates. If you bought here (PatternsforPirates.com) or on the Craftsy store, you will simply need to sign into your account and re-download the file. If your purchase was via Etsy, email help@patternsforpirates.com (WITH PROOF OF PURCHASE) and you will get an updated file. It’s as easy as that!

Both patterns feature as many options as we could fit into them. We’ve got four sleeve types (sleeveless, short, 3/4 and long), multiple lengths (Mini, Knee, Tea and Maxi), two waistline options (empire and natural waist), and optional pockets. Both the women’s and youth bodices can be made lined or unlined, and the women’s even comes with two neckline options (high and low). 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.

Let’s take a look at the different options!!

Empire + Natural Waist Bodices

Sleeved + Sleeveless Options

Multiple Hem Lengths

Women’s Neckline Options

Are you ready for Boundless amounts of sewing fabulousness? Grab your pattern now!

BOUNDLESS DRESS – YOUTH | BOUNDLESS DRESS – WOMEN’S | BOUNDLESS KNIT DRESS 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! Women’s Album / 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 Monday May 7th 2018 (11:59PM US Central Time Zone).

Happy Sewing, pirates!

Boho Babydoll – Easy Hacks

April 4, 2018

As with all other P4P releases we couldn’t let the Boho Babydoll party start without some easy hacks that you can do for both the women and the girls tops/dresses.

…..

Waist Ties

The Boho Babydoll Dress and Shirt is a relaxed it at the waist so I wanted to start these hacks by showing you how easy it is to add some fun waist ties top it. Print and cut your pattern and fabric as you normally would and cut two tie pieces 2″ by 28-34″ depending on how long you want the ties to be. For reference my ties are 34″ because I like to be able to tie them around my waist too.

Mark a point on both the front and back bodice pieces that is 3/4″ up from the waist edge.

Fold the ties wrong side together, lengthwise and sew them with a 1/2″ seam allowance. You will be sewing one of the short ends too.

Using your favorite turning tool, turn the ties inside out and give them a good press.

Pin the ties on the front bodice at the marking point you did earlier. The bottom of the tie length will be at the 3/4″ mark. Repeat on the other side of the front of the bodice.

Optionally, you can baste the ties to the bodice before you sew the side seam.

Sew the bodice as instructed. That was easy!

You can wear your ties tied in the front…

….or tied in the back…

…or if you made them long enough you can wrap them around your waist.

…..

Split Sides

During the summers, I like to attend a lot of concert festivals. One trend that I have noticed are tank tops with flowy layers- sometimes it’s the back, other times the front, but one of my favorites is on the sides. The Boho Babydoll makes the perfect starting point to create a comfortable tank with a cute little peek-a-boo side. I can’t wait to try this out as a swim cover as well with some fun lace or mesh. You can use these simple steps below to help recreate this look.

Step 1: Cutting Pieces

Cut out your pieces as instructed, with the exception of the skirt. (You can use any of the bodice options.) The only change that I made to the skirt was to add an additional 1″ to the fold of the FRONT piece. I did not make any adjustments to the back skirt.

Step 2: Bodice/Hemming

You will want to assemble your bodice as per the pattern instructions, up to the skirt. Once your bodice is finished, you will want to hem your two skirt pieces. I did remove a small piece from the corner of my skirts to help create a smoother hem.

Step 3: Attaching Skirt

Once you’ve hemmed the skirts, you will want to create your gathering stitches. Taking your front piece, place right sides together with the front bodice and front skirt. Begin to pull your gathering stitches and even them out. Using your side seam as a guide, overlap the edge of the skirt piece 1″ past the seam and pin. Repeat the overlap on the opposite side seam.

Repeat the same process with the back skirt, however align the edge of the skirt with the side seam.

Attach skirt using a stretch stitch or serger and you’re all finished!

This hack is quick to complete and gives a fun detail to your shirt! Not only can this look be fun for everyday, but it can also be used for a swim cover and even a nursing friendly shirt! Enjoy and make sure to share your creations in our Facebook Group!
~Erinn

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Trim Accents

A little detail can go a long way. The baby doll is perfect for adding lace trim details as it is not fitted through the waist so using a crochet trim or non-stretch trim is an option. You can also add trim around the neckline and armholes but would recommend using a stretch lace as you still need to be able to pull the top over your head. For my option, I used a pretty narrow trim so constructed my dress as usual and then topstitched it along the seam allowance. If using a wider trim, you can baste it to the bodice prior to attaching the skirt.

: Construct the top/dress first, then topsttich trim along the seam allowance.

: Topstitch lace trim to the armhole and/or neckline

: Baste trim to bodice edge then attach your skirt.

Here is another example on a youth version. Judy used a crochet, non-stretch trim and top-stitched it on after construction to the bodice seam and the hem of the ruffle (both places that wont miss the stretch since they’re looser parts of the garment.

…..

Waist Seam Ruffle

Last but certainly not least we wanted to show you a different way to sew the skirt to the bodice. This method will give your waist a ruffled look without adding any ruffles or changing the pattern pieces.

For this easy hack you will not be modifying the pattern pieces or adding any additional ones. Print the pattern and cut the fabric for your size.

Using a fabric pen or tailor chalk mark the 1/2″ seam allowance on the bottom of the bodice.

Tip: for an extra pop of color finish the top of the skirt with a rolled hem.

Gather the skirt using two rows of basting stitches as in the pattern tutorial. You will now be pinning the skirt to the bodice. The wrong side of the skirt will be pinned to the right side of the bodice, making sure you match the side seams and the center point.

Sew the skirt to the bodice with a zig zag stitch, a triple stretch stitch or your coverstitch. Go really slow so you can ensure a constant 1/2″ seam allowance.

Pull the basting stitches out. One should be above your zig zag stitch, one should be below.

That was all. Your new Boho shirt or dress has an extra cute waist seam now 🙂

Go To Jacket :: New Pattern Releases!

March 2, 2018

Stop the presses! P4P is releasing THREE new patterns today and we couldn’t be more excited! The Go To Jacket is available in enough sizes that you can make one for every member of your family. Because we made it for Men, Women and Kids!

Just like the rest of our patterns, we’ve packed the Go To Jackets full of as many options as we could! It is drafted for women (sizes XXS – Plus 3X), men (sizes XXS – XXXL) and youth (3M – 14) and can be made into a bomber style, or finished with a 3-piece hood. There are two pocket options, two length options and three different sleeve hem types.

The Go To Jacket patterns were drafted for knit fabrics, which can range for lightweight fabrics to something on the heavier side, like fleece.

Don’t be scared of those zippers!! We have a couple very helpful links to walk you through them in the tutorial- you’ll be zipping ALL THE THINGS soon 😉

Let’s see some options in action, shall we?

Bomber Style

Hooded

Tunic + Shirt Lengths

Cuffed / Hemmed / Thumbhole Sleeves

Kangaroo + Inseam Pockets

The jacket also boats a zipper/chin guard so your little one can zip up themselves and not worry about getting their little chins rubbed by the zipper all day! We also include instructions how to finish the neckline and zipper with a clean nice finish on the inside for extra gorgeous-ness!

Ready to grab your patterns? You won’t regret it!

Go To Men’s | Go To Women’s | Go To Youth | Go To Bundle

The sale price will last through March 8 (11:59 PM US Central time zone) so grab it while you can at the introductory price!

And if that wasn’t enough options, make sure to check out the hacks post to help take your patterns even further. Also head over to the P4P University post to learn all about shortening zippers for your Go To Jackets!

Happy Sewing, friends!

How to shorten zippers

February 23, 2018

Ahoy pirates! Today on the blog I wanted to show you how to shorten different style zippers. With the new Go-To Jacket patterns releasing, you will be playing around with various size zippers so I find that it’s easier to just stock up on longer zippers (30-36″) and then shorten them based on your needs.

*Plastic separating zippers

Let’s talk about plastic separating zippers first. They are my favorite zipper style for kids and women casual wear. And shortening them is a peace of cake. There’s no need for any fancy tool or muscles 😉

Simply grab a pair of scissors that you do NOT use to cut fabric, a measuring tape and a lighter. Measure the length of the zipper you need for your jacket, mark it on both sides of the separating zipper. Move the zipper pull down and cut the desired length. Follow the instructions I give you in the video below to create a “zipper stop”.

Note: since you’re working with an open flame (if you don’t have a hot knife) please be extra cautious and avoid having your little ones “help out” 🙂

TIP: Always measure 3 times before cutting the zipper, just to be sure.

*Metal Separating Zippers

The other separating zipper you may use for hoodies or jackets is a metal zipper. Walmart always carries them so, on a pinch, it’s a good alternative for plastic zippers.

Shortening a metal zipper is more time consuming and it requires a little bit of elbow grease and more tools but it’s totally doable. Just grab those non fabric scissors, a measuring tape and some long nose pliers and watch the video below.

TIP: Mark on both sides of the zipper where the waistband meets the bodice, the pockets and the hood. This will make it a lot easier to make sure that everything matches when you zip up the jacket.

*All purpose zippers

If you are making a Wiggle dress and you need to shorten the all purpose zipper you are using you will only need your scissors, a measuring tape and some thread. Simply mark on the BOTTOM of the zipper (not the top as you did for separating zippers) where you would like for the zipper pull to stop.

Sew by hand a zipper stop at the mark you just made. Simply sew back on forth over the zipper teeth a few times. You can certainly use your sewing machine for this step but I find it easier to just hand sew the thread zipper stop. Cut the zipper 1″ below the thread zipper stop you just created and seal your zipper ribbon with a lighter. Optionally, remove the plastic teeth below the thread zipper stop. Tadah! You have shortened your AP zipper in minutes.

Now that you have shortening zippers all figured out, go and sew all the Go To Jackets and make sure to post them in the Patterns for Pirates group!

All P4P today winners

January 31, 2018

Welcome to the 2018 #allP4Ptoday winner circle! I will be adding each monthly winner here so be sure to check out the blog often. You can get the contest details here.

DECEMBER

And just like that, yesterday we said good bye to 2018. Let me take a second to thank all of you who showed off your #allP4Ptoday outfits last year, you are an inspiration!

The December winner : @athomewithkaara !

We spotted Kaara on Instagram looking just gorgeous in her P4P birthday outfit. Who doesn’t need a faux leather Pencil Skirt? I know I do!

We see you on Instagram and in the P4P Facebook group, so remember to #allp4ptoday for a chance to win a P4P pattern of choice!

NOVEMBER

Time for another #allP4Ptoday winner! We’ve seen quite a few fall P4P outfits this month and loved them all.

November’s free pattern winner is: Shauna Anderson! Looks like Shauna really loves her SOS pants and Ragdoll shirt. Such a comfortable combination.

We cannot wait to see what P4P patterns you’ll be sewing for the holiday season! Don’t forget to # the posts so we can find them easily and maybe get you a free pattern.

OCTOBER

And just like that the spookiest month of the year is gone. So much awesomeness was displayed in the P4P group during October. Thank you for incorporating Patterns for Pirates in your Halloween costumes too!

Our October #allP4Ptoday winner is ….Tamsyn Grant! How could we not? Just look at these 3 cuties. All 3 are sporting their mama made outfits and look adorable in them!

With two months left in the year, there’s still chances to win a P4P pattern of choice for 2018. Be sure to hashtag your post #allP4Ptoday so we can find it easily.

SEPTEMBER

Can you believe it’s the end of September already? The kiddos are back in school, some of you have cooler weather and the P4P group celebrated an amazing milestone…100k! We’ve seen so many cute #allp4ptoday outfits this month too!

So without further ado…our September winner is…

Jennifer Patterson!

Jennifer is rocking a beautiful Boundless layered with a Cocoon Cardigan that I have a feeling we all need in our lives! Simply gorgeous!

We’ve also spotted her rocking the Favorite Tee with SOS pants!

Keep the hashtags coming in October! I can’t wait to see how you incorporate P4P in your Halloween costumes!

AUGUST

Ready for back to school? We’ve seen some really cute BTS #allp4ptoday outfits in the group this month. Can’t wait to see more!

Our August winner posted so many beautiful all P4P outfits we couldn’t even get them all in the blog. A big congratulations to….Aislinn Koenig

Isn’t she amazing? Keep those #allp4ptoday posts coming, a new winner will be picked next month too.

JULY

Ahoy, Pirates! These hot summer days have me thinking of fall, am I the only one? Whether you’re sewing yourself a new swim suit, a dress or getting ready for the new school year…don’t forget to show it off in the P4P group and hash tag it #allp4ptoday so we can see you and who knows, maybe even give you a FREE pattern.

Without further ado… our July winner is:

Kristin Richardson Morrison

She looks so beautiful and comfortable in her P4P outfit. Thank you for sharing, Kristin!

JUNE

Ohh wow! That is how I started my search for the June #allP4Ptoday winner. I am absolutely mesmerized by all the beautiful pictures that I’ve seen this summer month.

One of you stood out all month long so …. congratulations Sarah Anne!

You are our #allP4Ptoday winner for the month of June.

Sarah Anne has worn P4P almost daily! Doesn’t she look stunning in her me-made outfits? You have made us proud!

Keep on posting those #allP4P outfits!

MAY

Wow! You were all amazing during the big Me Made May month. I am so glad you did not forget to hashtag your all P4P creations. Our May winner is:

Jessica Rabbitt

Jessica is a veteran all P4P today poster, we see her every month and, between you and me, we get a tad jealous of her amazing shoe collection 😉 We love seeing all the bright patterns and colors that make her shine!

I can’t wait to see what you will be sewing in the month of June.

APRIL

April showers bring May flowers they say..well in the P4P group April brought a lot of cute, fun all P4P outfits.

So without further ado, join me in congratulating Jessica Lauren Byrne not only for winning the April #allP4Ptoday contest but for that new bundle of joy she just welcomed!

What a stunning P4P family! Great job!

I can’t wait to see your May Me Made creations!

MARCH

Spring is in the air! Time for dresses and cardis, am I right? And speaking of dresses and cardigans…look how gorgeous is our March #allP4Ptoday winner!

Congratulations Rebekah Homer! That Sunshine Dress and Cocoon Cardigan look amazing on you!

We can’t wait to see what #allP4Ptoday outfits you will be showing off in April!

FEBRUARY

And just like that, the shortest month of the year is behind us. We couldn’t end the month of love without announcing our #allP4Pwinner.

Congratulations Toochie Pharmd!!

Doesn’t she look absolutely stunning in her Boundless dresses? We just loved seeing Toochie rocking all P4P this month.

We can’t wait see your spring #allP4Ptoday in March!

JANUARY

You all rocked January in P4P outfits. As always, we loved seeing all your creations!

Without further ado…the first winner of 2018 is:

Valerie Savage

Does’s Valerie look ohh so adorable in her Peg Legs and Favorite Tee?

Thank you all for showing off the creations in the group. Keep those #allP4Ptoday pictures coming…next month’s winner may be YOU!

P4P Henley Sew-Along | Recap + Winners!

January 22, 2018

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

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

Layni Van Hyning

Cathryn Perrotti Larkin

Kit Kabboord‎

Alaura Sproles‎

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

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

P4P Henley Sew-Along | Sleeves

January 18, 2018

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

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

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

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

P4P Henley Sew-Along | Placket

January 17, 2018

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

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

P4P University – Plackets

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