p4p Archives - Page 25 of 29 - Patterns for Pirates

Butterfly Cardigan :: New Pattern Release!

January 17, 2017

We are celebrating another pattern release day and you’re going to love it! Remember the Cocoon Cardigan that we put out right before the holidays? It’s in mini size now! Meet the Butterfly Cardigan!

The pattern is drafted for girls sizes 3M – 14. It’s a dolman style sleeve, so it’s got a looser fit and is quick to put together, just like other dolman style tops. There are THREE sleeve lengths (short, 3/4 and long — each with multiple band options), TWO hem lengths (cropped or tunic length), TWO neckband options (short or tall), and optional pockets (patch or inseam)! On top of all of that, we have also included a PDF layers feature for printing.

The three different sleeve length options will take your littles from one season to the next. Choose between short sleeve, 3/4 length, and long sleeves and your littles can easily transition between all four seasons.

With two different hem lengths, you’ve got all of your bases covered. Get more coverage with a longer-length tunic…

…or make it in a short and sweet cropped length!

Don’t worry, we made sure to include pockets (!!!) in the Butterfly Cardigan! Who doesn’t love pockets?

Not quite convinced yet? Go check out all of the rest of the adorable tester images in our Facebook group HERE and get inspired!

Can’t take it any longer and need the pattern right now?! Go grab your very own copy of the Butterfly Cardigan and get to sewing! Don’t have the Mama version of the Cocoon Cardigan yet?

Go grab a special bundle pricing for the Butterfly + Cocoon Cardigans HERE. Butterfly and bundle will be on sale (no code needed) through Monday January 23,2017.

And don’t forget to share your gorgeous makes with us over in the Patterns for Pirates Facebook group!

How to lower or raise a neckline

January 6, 2017

We have seen a lot questions about raising or lowering the neckline of various P4P shirts or dresses. On the blog today I show you how easy it is to alter the neckline to achieve the look you want. For this tutorial I will use the Sweet Tee pattern in a beautiful viscose rayon (dress option lengthen 3.5″) but you can apply this technique to either one of the shirt patterns.

Start by printing and cutting your pattern in the size needed. The only piece we will be altering will be the front of the shirt (or bodice).

For lowering the neckline you will need to mark on the center fold where you would like the new neckline to be. I usually lower my Sweet Tee neckline 1.5 inches. Using a French Curve (or going slowly) draw a curve similar to the original one from your mark to the inner shoulder point.

Cut your fabric using the new front pattern piece. The rest of the pattern pieces will remain the same. The only other change you will need to make is the length of the neckband or binding.

To raise the neckline you will need to grab your front bodice piece and a blank piece of paper. Align the center fold of the front pattern piece with the side of your paper and glue them together.

Mark a point 1-2 inches above the original top center depending on how high you’d like the neckline. Using the French Curve draw a curve from the center point to the inner shoulder point. Cut the new front using this modified pattern piece and the rest of the pieces as in the original pattern.

The only additional modification you will need to make is to adjust the neckband or binding length. You will need to make it longer or shorter depending on the new neckline. I like to calculate the new neckband length after I sew the front and back pieces together at the shoulder. To find out the new neckline circumference lay the neck opening along a ruler and multiple it by 2.

Your new neckband length will be 85% of this circumference plus 1 inch to accommodate the seam allowance. (C * 0.85 +1 ). Cut the new neckband/binding using the new length but keeping the width suggests in the pattern. All you have left to do now is sew the shirt or dress according to the tutorial and you have just made yourself a custom outfit. Easy peasy…right? 🙂

I can’t wait to see your creations in the Pattern for Pirates group.

Happy sewing, pirates!

2016 Holiday Freebies: Fleece Mittens Pattern!

December 8, 2016

The Pirate Crew is here to bring a little more “yo ho ho” into your holiday with some freebies! Today is the first of three patterns we are releasing, for FREE! In case you were stumped on Christmas sewing ideas, here is the first of our scrap-busting, super quick, free patterns.

These mittens are a one-size fits most. We’ve also provided a cuff and a non-cuff version, so you can mix other fabrics into these easily if you’d like. The pattern is written for a basic fleece fabric, though some of our testers have had success with sweater knits and other various fabrics.

Grab your free pattern pieces here. If you need help putting the pattern together, pop over to the First Time Users Tips page or ask in our facebook group .

Note: I use my sewing machine for the construction of the mitten body, because the thumb area can be really tricky if you’re using a serger. When using fleece, it helps to use a walking foot in your machine to help reduce pulling. It also makes feeding the fleece through your machine a more even process.

Recommended fabrics: Fleece, cuddle/minky, sweatshirt fleece, upcycled sweaters, etc. I suggest washing your fabric before you begin to pre-shrink & help prevent color bleeding in the future.
(Optional cuff) Any knits with at least a 20% stretch.

Supplies needed:

1/3 yard Fleece fabric
(optional cuff) less than 1/4 yard required

Step 1: Assemble your pattern and cut your pieces out. You will need two sets of mirror images of the main body pieces.

Step 2: Lay two mirror images, right sides together. Using 1/2″ seam allowance, sew around the entire outside of the mitten body. Make sure to leave the bottom open.

Step 3: Clip the corner between the thumb and fingers, making sure not to cut into your stitching, but getting as close as you can to it. This step is super important, otherwise the mitten will fit really strange in the thumb and it’ll be super uncomfortable.

Step 4: [If doing the cuff version, skip to step 6] Turn the opening up 1″ and hem. (Optional: turn 1/2″ and then another 1/2″ to enclose raw edge.)

Step 5: Turn mitten right-side-out. Repeat with second mitten.

Step 6: CUFF VERSION ONLY Complete steps 1-3. Also cut 2 cuff pieces, one for each mitten.

Step 7: Fold your cuff piece, right sides together, meeting the shorter ends together.

Step 8: Stitch (using 1/2″ seam allowance) short ends together.

Step 9: With wrong sides together, fold the raw edges together to meet each other.

Step 10: On both your mitten body and cuff pieces, mark raw edges into halves. (The mitten body will be the two seams. The cuff will be one seam and the halfway point on the opposite side.)

Step 11: Slide the cuff over the mitten body, aligning the raw edges and matching the half-marked points. Note: The cuff is slightly smaller than the mitten body.

Step 12: Stretching the cuff only, stitch through all three layers of raw edges.

Step 13: Flip cuffs down. Repeat with other mitten.

Step 14: Sit back long enough to admire your handiwork, and then go sew a million more pairs of these comfy mittens!

Check out the adorable mittens that our gorgeous testers made! (And check back with us next week, because we’ve got more freebies coming your way!)

As always, we love when you share what you’ve made with us. Head over to the Patterns for Pirates Facebook group and show off the fabulous mittens you’ve managed to make from our freebie pattern!

Cocoon Cardigan :: New Pattern Release!

December 1, 2016

Lately, we seem to tease you a lot with patterns in-the-making. Tease. It’s what we do. The Cocoon Cardigan was a long, drawn out tease, with multiple appearances in our Instagram feed. But guess what? It’s here! The wait is over! No more teasing, we promise.

Oh boy, you are going to LOVE this cardigan. It’s like wearing a hug. A hug that is full of customizable options, that is!

The pattern is drafted for sizes XXS – Plus 3X. It’s a dolman style sleeve, so it’s looser fitted and insanely fast to put together. There are THREE sleeve lengths (short, 3/4 and long — each with multiple band options), TWO hem lengths (cropped or tunic length), TWO neckband options (short or tall), and optional pockets (patch or inseam)! On top of all of that, we have also included a PDF layers feature for printing.

**Want to learn more about how to measure yourself for this pattern? We’ve got you covered with an in-depth blog HERE.

The three different sleeve length options will take you from one season to the next. Choose between short sleeve, 3/4 length, and long sleeves and transition between all four seasons.

With two different hem lengths, you’ve got all of your bases covered. Get more coverage with a booty-covering tunic…

…or take it a little shorter and a whole lot sassier with a cropped length!

And ladies. Have we talked pockets yets? POCKETS! Doesn’t that make literally every outfit better? We have included both in-seam and patch options. So you can go wild! (As wild as one could go with pockets on a cardigan, haha.)

Were you wondering if the Cocoon Cardigan would work for maternity wear? Yes, yes, a million times yes! It’s perfect, no alterations required!

Not quite convinced yet? Go check out all of the rest of the gorgeous tester images in our Facebook group HERE and get inspired!

Can’t take it any longer and need the pattern right now?! Go grab your very own copy of the Cocoon Cardigan and get to sewing!

Sew, what do I wear? Holiday Edition

November 19, 2016

We teamed up with the Made for Mermaids ladies and have been sharing some great inspiration pieces to add to your holiday wardrobe; whether it be for family photos, dinners, or parties. You can usually find me in some SOS Pants and a Sweet Tee or Mama Bear Joggers and a Boyfriend Tee but we have some fun holiday parties and a trip to Las Vegas coming up so decided to go all out and use some sparkly and luxurious fabrics. My three little ones keep me pretty busy and if you’re anything like me, I tend to wait until the very last minute to sew up my items and am left running out the door, trimming my last thread. So, with that, here’s my take on our ever famous Peg Legs and Pumpkin Spice Dolman, two of the quickest and most beginner friendly patterns, to make them party worthy.

First, let’s talk about Peg Legs. If you haven’t heard what Pegs legs are…Check out this blog post: Peg Leg 101. My drawer is full of basic pegs, but I didn’t want just any old pair so I decided to use stretch velvet. While the fabric does meet the minimum stretch requirements, I opted to take a slightly smaller seam allowance just to ensure that they wouldn’t end up a little sheer at the booty and looking more like tights. I also used supplex for my waistband since I wasn’t sure if the velvet would cause the waistband to slip too much. Changing the type and texture of the fabric took my “mom-iform” pants to luxurious!

Now on to my top. I’ve recently made a few Off -the-Shoulder Raglans using our raglan hack from a few weeks ago and am really liking the look so I thought it would be a perfect addition to the Pumpkin Spice Dolman to take it up a notch. I was also limited on my fabric and ended up using two front pattern pieces so I could use it for both the front and back. The back pattern piece of the PSD is wider since naturally our curves (our booty and shoulders) need the extra ease but I was ok with slightly slimmer fit through the hip that I would end up with by using the same pattern piece for the front and back.

To create the off the shoulder look, I widened the neckline at the shoulder seam by removing 2″. I also turned the edge 1/4″ and hemmed it rather than adding a neckband.

I hemmed the bottom and sleeves as well. To be honest, my serger hated the sequins and I ended up having to do most of the construction on my sewing machine. The blade was able to handle them, but with the combination of the speed, my needles kept breaking. So just as a cautionary tale, if you decide to use sequins, go slow! Even with my serger issues though, I was still able to complete my entire outfit in just over an hour…yes, you read that right; an hour! Now, run and grab all the sparkly fabric you can find and shine straight into the New Year!

Don’t forget to check out all the amazing ladies and their makes, if you haven’t already! There is sure to be something that inspires you! Have you joined in on the fun and made a P4P or M4M holiday outfit? Join the Facebook Group and share away. We’d love to your creations.

Nov 14 – Wild & Wanderful/ What Does She Do All Day?/ My Creative Room

Nov 15 – Sew A Piece of Joy / Red Stitch Blue Stitch/ Sewn Of A Stitch

Nov 16 – MaMoose / Rebel & Malice / On Wednesdays We Sew

Nov 17 – It’s Liesel / Stitching and Making / The Kisses Co

Nov 18 – SewSophieLynn/ I’m Just Like Mommy/ Lady and the Gents / The Crunchy Mommy

Sew, what do I wear? Planning and Sewing for Family Pictures

November 19, 2016

I, along with a lot of apparel seamstresses LOVE to sew up something special for family pictures! We get our family pictures done every fall. And each year I like to think I get a little bit better at my part, which is coordinating/sewing the outfits. Or most of them!

I think the most important “rule” is to have solid back ups. I like to pick out a true back-up plan with clothes we already have. I’m a last minute kind of girl, but nothing is worse than really being under pressure to finish something right before you need to look happy in front of a camera! And, you never know when a project decides to be a “doomed project”… you know it happens from time to time that it just isn’t meant to be… everything that could go wrong goes wrong! So… have a REAL back-up… something you will genuinely be happy with and have picked out and ready just in case. It will take off pressure, stress and be there in case you need it 🙂 This year we slipped into someone’s “spot” after they cancelled… so I only had about 24 hours to get ready. I made Little Guy a Deep Sea VNeck and he wore a pair of Cpt Comfort Jeans I had already made him. Hubs and I both wore all store bought. And I still love the pictures 🙂 and I’m glad we could slip in with this photographer that I love! This year we did navy, green and cream/khaki and my undershirt had a little tiny bit of pink.

On to the next… I don’t ever try to sew every single piece of clothing in the picture. That’s a lot to take on, especially if your family is growing and has lots of bodies to clothe! I like to pick the most important to me and make those extra special. That way I have time and energy to make those “show stoppers” and leave the rest to store bought or something that was made a few months ago! My poor husband pretty much never gets anything made for him…maybe next year 😉 Last year when I was at the end of my pregnancy I only made my shirt (a Layer Me Up )! I wore some SOS skinny pants I had and my Little Guy wore a Yo Ho Henley I had also made previously. I paired a sweater that was my Granny’s (so still a special to me piece) and the rest was store bought we had on hand. I had set out to make a cardigan and pants for Little Guy, but those back ups came in handy when I couldn’t muster up the energy!

When picking colors I love to pick colors that I think compliment both our skin tones and my house! I print the pictures and have them in our living room every year… so I don’t want some crazy colors that aren’t going to go well with all my other decor. We happen to all be very fair skined, so it’s easy to compliment all our skin tones with the same cooler tones. If your family has different skin tones, no biggie! You can mix in cooler and warmer tones with different shades and colors. When I’m deciding I love to search Pinterest for family photo in the colors I’m deciding between. I can’t pull off brighter warmer tones like yellow and orange, so we usually do cooler greens and blues. I did do a bold lip color this year, but I don’t think I’ll be repeating that 🙂

I like to pick only a couple colors to use in our pictures and just add neutrals to fill it in. I almost always go for navy as a base. It’s super easy to use because you can find it so easily in male and female clothes, jeans and chambray are great and easy neutrals to work with navy/blue as well. I also always add in white/cream as another neutral. It helps balance the picture having a dark, mid and lighter tone color. Then I pick a midtone color or two to work in. This year we did navy, cream and darker khaki/caramel for the neutrals and teal for the color and I added in a tiny pop of pink since it was our first family pictures with Baby Girl and thought it needed that pop of pink to celebrate! Don’t worry about making everything the same exact shade either, adding different shades of the same color help give some dimension.

Next is finding a good mix of texture, solids, prints in your outfits. This can be tricky and honestly a bit time consuming. But, I really cherish these pictures forever and I don’t mind sitting and staring at a mix of fabric and clothes for a day for them! I like to use jean, knit, plaid, stripes, prints, sweater, ect to make us have some depth. I like a lot of solids or near solids as well though, because in the end I really want our faces to be the highlight of the picture not our clothes (as hard as that is for a seamstress ;)). Adding things like buttons and trim to a solid can be the best of both worlds! A little trim can really make your solid apparel look extra special without being distracting at all like a loud print can become. I usually like to do the kids in the bolder prints or colors but I have mixed it up where I wear a floral, like when I was a million months pregnant last year…. everyone was looking at the belly, so I thought I’d go ahead and highlight it! And I put Little Guy with a pop of a brighter mustard color to bring some attention to him too. Here we did navy, cream and olive with his pop of mustard and my floral brought in a bit of pink.

Layering is a great way to add some more depth and texture. But, if you’re finding it hard to pair that many items together don’t worry. It doesn’t make or break your photos if you’re not layered! We did our first year in the summer months in Texas— no one was going to layer anything! Again we’re in navy, white as neutrals and added that pop of red. I put Little Guy in the boldest and we’re both in a more subtle print.

But, you know… if your personality is loud print, then go for it! It’s all about outfitting your family to show them off… put them in something that reflects who you guys are!

I do think it’s important to be comfortable enough that you and your kiddos can sit, stand, walk, and move around without having to adjust your clothes every time. Otherwise you will spend more time in your session fixing clothing than taking pictures and no one wants that! Or even worse you get them back and you look uncomfortable! You don’t want to wear something you feel like you need to stand a certain way to be flattering…so suck in the whole time! (This is also wear layers can help mamas cover areas they might be more self conscious of!)

Even though I was super pregnant and merely standing was pretty uncomfortable, I just had on stretchy SOS pants, a super soft rayon spandex Layer Me Up and sweater. So I could sit, squat without worrying about my clothes at all! (A little secret though, I pulled my hamstring muscle squatting down for this picture, lol!)

I almost always let my Little Guy wear some kind of t-shirt. It’s what he always wears day to day and I want him to look like him! I want him to look and feel comfortable while we take the pictures as well. This Deep Sea V Neck is in a sweater knit. So the fabric choice dressed it up a bit while he was still very comfy!

For this year I used the Timeless Tunic for myself. I did a solid teal rayon jersey in the dress length. I did size down to a small since I used a very stretchy and drapey knit rather than a woven it’s drafted for. I also drafted out the bust darts since it was knit. I used the sleeve split hack that Angela had shared when it released and used a little crochet trim along the split. I thought it gave the solid a little more umph! I also love to put us in trendy clothes, which is sometimes a “no-no” for family photos. But, since we do them every year I love the idea and I can’t wait to look back through the fashion! I paired it with a long necklace and wedge booties. I was comfortable in the knit and the skirt wasn’t so tight that I felt like I needed spanx or to “suck in” the whole time. The split sleeve was something I had to be aware of while taking pictures though and how they were laying.

For Little Guy I made him a plain grey Jolly Roger Raglan in a heathered cotton jersey. The heathering gave it a tiny bit of texture/interest even though it was a solid. I also made him a Lumberjack out of a flannel (the poor baby was so hot! It was in the higher 90’s when we took these!). I did the hood option and added quick knit bands in place of the cuffs. I also didn’t have time to actually make the button holes if you look closely! But, I bet no one else will ever notice…I hope! He wore some store bought jeans with it.

Baby Girl wore a High Low Tide Top in a french terry. She was the only one is what I’d consider a more bold print. Since she’s so little I thought it was a great way to drawl your eyes to her. She also had the pop of pink within the color scheme in the floral. A nice soft knit for her too so she would be comfortable and I wouldn’t have to worry about it getting all wrinkled everything I held her or she plopped down walking a few steps. I added a little of the crochet trim and the buttons on Little Guys’s Lumberjack to her leggings (I used the Bonny Leggings by M4M). Just a tiny detail that no one else will probably notice coordinates and matches but me.

Husband wore all store bought–sorry honey! Darker khakis, a button up and a sweater (he was also VERY hot— but he looks great right? 😉 Gotta love a man who will wear layers on a hot TX day for you!)

I love seeing the family pictures pop up in the Patterns for Pirates Facebook Group! And I see the questions for help from time to time too! So I hope this helps you get your family pictures planned and sewn up for next time!

Blue and Red- Photos by Crystal Ingle Photography, Green, Navy and Blue, Floral- Photos by Colleen Hauth Photography, and this years teal- Photos by Contemporary Portaits.

Nov 14 – Wild & Wanderful/ What Does She Do All Day?/ My Creative Room

Nov 15 – Sew A Piece of Joy / Red Stitch Blue Stitch/ Sewn Of A Stitch

Nov 16 – MaMoose / Rebel & Malice / On Wednesdays We Sew

Nov 17 – It’s Liesel / Stitching and Making / The Kisses Co

Nov 18 – SewSophieLynn/ I’m Just Like Mommy/ Lady and the Gents / The Crunchy Mommy

P4P Professional Looks

November 18, 2016

“How can I make this look more professional?” “Is this okay to wear for an interview?” These are just a few of the questions that we see asked all the time about P4P patterns. Well, Angela and I are here to help give you some ways of how you can make and wear Patterns for Pirates a part of your professional wardrobe- and trust us, it’s possible. Angela works in the insurance world and I am a teacher and both of us admit to wearing P4P almost everyday! So here are a few tips and tricks from to help make you the envy of your office!

Fabric Content Choice
Every pattern will have a different look depending on which type of fabric you use. Some of our favorite contents for workwear are liverpool, ity, sweater knit, ponte de roma and brushed poly. It is important to be aware of the pattern you are using, as each fabric has a different drape and some are more suitable for different patterns. Liverpool is a more structured, textured fabric with great stretch. It is wonderful for patterns such as the Sweetheart, Sweet Tee, and SOS Knit Pants. Ity fabric is a very soft fabric with amazing drape and a smooth, soft texture. It comes in a variety of patterns and is great for making tops look more “dressy” and its a great choice for dresses like the Boundless Dress. Sweater knit is a very easy way to make patterns such as the Pumpkin Spice Dolman and the Grandpa Cardigan look professional for work. It can be found in a variety of weaves (loose to tight), textures, and weight. Another great option is ponte de roma, it is a nice weight and again is more structured so works well for the Pirate Pencil Skirt and bottoms like the SOS Knit Pants, Palazzo Pants and it really dresses up the Mama Bear Jogger shown below with a sweater knit Slim Fit Raglan with the cowl from the Add on Pack. Another great fabric that seems to be popping up everywhere is brushed poly and it can be used for so much more than peglegs! Brushed poly comes in various weights and can be single or double brushed and it has a great drape to it so it works well for tops and dresses. Rayon spandex and bamboo spandex blends are another great choice for tops and dresses.

Fabric Pattern Choice
In the professional world, it is very easy to play it safe with neutral colors. Neutral colors can be a great base for any outfit- as you can see with most of ours. We both tend to have a solid color somewhere in an outfit and then will pair this with something more bold. For example, I used the Sweetheart skirt hack to create a circle skirt in a solid gray. I then paired this with a polka dot Essential Tank and a cardi. I have also paired the Mama Bear Joggers in a floral french terry with a solid top. And Angela has paired a solid black ponte de roma Pirate Pencil Skirt with a patterned brush poly Sweetheart Peplum.

Adding Details
Adding details such as lace, trims, even a belt can help elevate a pattern to the next level. Lace is one of my favorite things to add to make an outfit look more professional. As you can see below, I used the Sweet Tee in the dress length, however added a lace trim to the hem. Angela added a belt to the Everyday Elegance to dress it up a bit. Or even just adding some jewelry like a necklace on a Pumpkin Spice Dolman. What shoes or boots your wear also can make such a difference on making your outfit look casual or office appropriate.

Every office is going to be a bit different in what they allow and don’t allow. Some office will allow Peg Legs where as other office won’t allow any type of leggings, some won’t allow a skinny pant where as others will. Patterns for Pirates have all your bases covered. Both Erinn and I get away with peg legs at the office but you will notice in pictures you see of us in our work attire we stick to solids for leggings. A lot of these looks would also pair nicely with a blazer for a more corporate look or try adding a Grandpa or Carefree Cardigan if your office is cold. I know both of us have plans to sew a lot of the new Cocoon Cardigans for work as well.

And now that you’ve read some of the basics for becoming a “Professional Pirate”, here are a few more pictures for some inspiration! And you know getting photo’s of your office attire isn’t easy so I’ve included some bathroom selfies cause I know that you all love seeing bathroom selfies 😉 Happy sewing and make sure to share your professional looks in the P4P Facebook group! ~ Erinn and Angela

P4P Halloween Costume Contest: The Winners!

November 3, 2016

Halloween costume sewing is basically my (Katy) favorite type of sewing. It’s allowed to be over-the-top, silly, and super creative. And I feel like it pushes sewists out of their usual comfort zones. We held a costume contest in a thread on the Patterns for Pirates Facebook group! If you were curious about all of the costumes shared, head HERE to find all of the amazing sews.

I have a hard time choosing just one winner. So I decided to let my husband and son pick their favorites too this time around! Here are our picks!

Louis’ Favorite (in the least surprising choice…from my Pokemon obsessed 6-year old): Jennifer Rowe with her Pikachu, made from the P4P Jolly Roger Raglan + Add-Ons, and the Pirate Playground Pants!

Bennett’s Favorite (another non-surprise from my Star Wars nerdy husband): Jennifer Richardson with her Darth Vader / Rebel Pilot dresses using the Me Hearties Peplum/Dress pattern.

Katy’s Favorite (I couldn’t help but die a little bit over this unicorn. I think the hooves sold me.): Jamie Grey with her Unicorn made from the Sweet Tee and Peg Legs.

Congratulations to the winners! I’ll be contacting you about your winnings!

And thank you so much to everyone who shared their amazing creations. I’ve now got a lot of new ideas for next year’s costume sewing extravaganza!

Fabric Storage Ideas – “Sew it, Win it, Build it” from P4P

October 21, 2016

We’re talking all about Sewing Rooms this week with our awesome “Sew it, Win it, Build it” giveaway! Today we’re going to continue talking about sewing rooms and how you can store all those supplies you need/stock/hoard? 😉

We hear a lot of questions in the P4P Facebook Group asking how to store things in sewing spaces. So, here is a little list to help you see the options you have out there. Today we’ll just be doing fabric storage, but we will also cover pattern storage as well as other sewing supplies later this week! *(This post contains affiliate links)*

The big one right? How in the world do you store all your fabric so that you can see and get to it easily when you’re trying to find that perfect coordinate, where it takes up minimal space, and where you can fit a lot? Or is that just something I worry about?

I store my fabric in open shelving. I like to be able to see my fabrics really easily so that I don’t end up pulling them ALL out to color match or see my options. (Although sometimes I still do this a bit!) I use cube shelving. I like that each cube isn’t too wide that the fabric gets lost under others. I’ve folded mine and rolled mine. I like the idea of rolling better, I can see it more clearly when that shelf is getting really packed full, but I’ll be honest and say I didn’t have much success getting myself to keep up the rolling! When I would get it out to color match or decide between a few choices I would find myself not wanting to roll it back up! So, back to folding I went 😉 I also will use the little bins for scraps as well, I have one for knit and one for woven scraps. (Yes, one… I’m not a scrap hoarder! When I get too full I go through it very quickly and give my nieces any that I take out for them to practice with.)

Maybe you happen to be a scrap lover…hoarder…like my dear sister Nicole 😉 She keeps everything! She sorts her scraps by color into bins:

There is the “ruler folding method” for storing on bookshelves. Which just helps you keep each cut folded at the same width so it fits nice and tidy on the shelves. I’m just always in too much of a rush to be this neat and tidy! Maybe one day 🙂 The jist is to use your quilters ruler as a guide to fold your fabric cuts. Here is a helpful blog post from my sister’s blog explaining how in detail.

Another way I’ve seen is to use comic book boards to fold your fabric around. It’s like having tiny bolt of fabric on your shelves! Roberta uses this method and it gives you such a nice and tidy look as well. She has done it for a while and can count the number of layers around the board to get a good estimate on yardage without unwrapping and measuring! Great little trick!

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You can also buy these fabric organizers made exactly for this use too. They have little grips to slide/tuck your fabric into.

Another way I’ve seen around is to use filing cabinets. You can hang your fabrics on the file folders and sift through them. Again, I think this really only works for smaller cuts of fabric. You could fill up a cabinet way too quick with adult size cuts of french terry! I’ve never stored my fabric this way, but here is a blog post I found explaining how she does it.

Another one I see often is in tubs. I currently have all my fabric in tubs because we had to pack up my sewing room to show and sell our house. But, I hate it! Personally I sew way too often to have to dig out fabric from tubs every time. I end up making a huge mess pulling it all out trying to find something! But, it would keep it out of eyesight if you don’t want your fabric on display.

When we helped organize my mothers quilting fabric, which is so different than apparel fabrics since it’s a lot of smaller pieces rather than larger cuts. We folded them and stored them into drawers and small bins vertically. That way she could open the drawer or bin, and see all her fabric in that one at once. she could easily pull pieces in and out without disrupting the others. This is a view with drawers open and looking down into the drawers:

The last way I’ve seen is to hang. On curtain rods, a wardrobe system, or if you happen to have a closet in your craft room. You can use a hanger and fold the fabric over the bottom like Patty does here:

Or you can use curtain rings and clip them. Here is an example of this from Crafterholics blog:

Now that you’ve decided what you’ll be storing your fabric with you can move on to thinking about how you organize it within that unit. I like to keep my fabric organized by type. Meaning I have all my french terry together, rayon spandex, sweater knits, ect. Some of my very favorite types I split into more– solids, prints… I also keep most of my “t-shirt weight knits” together and sort my solids, stripes, prints. So– it might looked haphazard to someone just looking at it. But, when I go to look for a certain project it’s perfect for me! I can look for the weight/blend that I’m needing for that project and then move into what print/color/ect. from there.

My mom also organizes her quilting stash in types. But, obviously not fabric type since it’s all quilting cottons. She uses the type of quilt it’s for… meaning- low volume goes together, a quilt set from a certain designer, brights, holiday prints, I spy quilt fabrics, ect. So that when she’s ready to sew up a low volume quilt she can go to that drawer, pull it open and pick from there. We also did her blenders all together in a rainbow sort. So if she needs a blender in a certain color she can quickly get to it as well.

My oldest sister Nicole organizes her fabrics in 2 big categories- she does both apparel and quilting sewing a lot. So, she has… a lot of fabric… a lot… lol… She has all her knits together and then sorted by rainbow colors. Then her cotton wovens together sorted again by rainbow colors. It does look pretty in there all rainbowed out!

My sister Megan organizes by type like me- she also has a separate place for fabric for her son and then for her daughter. It helps when they’re ready to pick something out!

Whew… Well, I hope that helps show you a few ways you can store your fabric!

Stay tuned for some more ways to organize your sewing/craft room this week including pattern storage and other supplies!

Top 10 Sewing Room Tools – “Sew it, Win it, Build it” from P4P

October 16, 2016

As part of our 30k member celebration and giveaway, which you can read all about here, we’re sharing our top 10 favorite sewing tools to have in your craft room! *This post contains affiliate links* So if you’re just planning your sewing room or are a seasoned seamstress, I recommend having all these in your toolbox!

My number one tool I like to have is a LARGE cut mat. I love to be able to lay out my entire pattern piece on my mat! I currently have one that’s about 36×60. I plan on upgrading to a nicer Alvin one when we move! A self healing mat is perfect for using a rotary blade (which is my preferred method when cutting most things) and the grid makes cutting rectangles a breeze! We included this in the Amazon bundle the Grand Prize winner will receive!
A good iron is almost as important as your sewing machine. The more you press as you construct the more professional your garment/anything will turn out. Even on knits! I know a lot of ladies skip pressing for knits, but the rule still applies—the more you press, the more professional it will look. I can’t wait to upgrade my iron when we move! I’ve been eyeing a Rowenta and hope it’s love when I get it! The winner will also get to try it out in the Amazon bundle included in the Grand Prize!
My next is pins and pin alternatives (10 is a really small number guys! I had to combine a few 😉 )! I love to use nice pattern weights to hold my pattern pieces in place while I cut. I inherited a set from my mother that are hot pink and I love them. But, we have a set in our Grand Prize from an adorable little shop that is just starting out. She has all different styles to match your sewing space! I prefer pattern weights for many reasons— they’re quicker– they’re easier to not move/stretch your finicky fabrics while cutting– they never poke you or your kiddos 🙂 (My son also thinks they’re a great stacking toy!) Next up is wonder clips . These are nice to use when sewing. They’re quick to put on, won’t leave holes in any fabric, and they’re pretty impossible to forget to move and sew over. They’re also nicer to step on when you drop them onto the floor! But, I still love using traditional ole’ pins as well. I like these longer quilters pins best!
Great scissors is next on the list. Cutting is such a big part of sewing that a great pair of sewing scissors will be loved. I like these kai scissors . They aren’t insanely expensive and they work wonderfully. I use snippers as well right next to my sewing machine. I like to use little, sharp embroidery scissors for precise trimming of seams, cutting notches into seam allowances, etc. I get pulled in by the gold peacock Gingher ones just for that classic look! I also love a pair of pinking shears for trimming seam allowances down. I have cheapy ones, but next time I need to buy I plan on trying out Kai’s pinking shears since I’ve been so happy with their other products.
Bundling again 😉 Since they’re all rulers I think I can get away with it! I use rulers while sewing constantly! The clear quilters ruler is perfect for cutting those rectangle pieces with your rotary blade. The french curve is what you need if you’re having to alter any patterns. It will help you change a neckline or grade sizes with a smooth curve! I like this designer’s one here because it also has a straight section. So, you can just flip it easily for an all in one ruler as your marking/cutting. But, you can also grab a much less expensive one that is just the curves as well. You simple place your curve at your starting and stopping points (so if you’re grading sizes the smaller and larger size) and move your french curve until it meets your marks with the curve you’d like (concave, convex) and trace. Now you have a smooth curve without worry! Last is the hem gauge. This is an inexpensive little tool that is handy to have at your ironing table. You can move the little notch up and down to your hem allowance and move it along your hem line as you press giving you a nice even hem with ease. They also make ones that are more like a flat ruler you can fold your hem over and press onto, but I prefer this little dinky one personally! And lastly you need a soft measuring tape for measuring body measurements and if you need to measure a curve. I’m a sucker for the cute colors!
A rotary cutter is another cutting tool I can’t live without these days. Although I learned with scissor cutting almost everything, I now use a rotary the majority of the time. I like the Kai one because the blades are nice and it doesn’t have a button to press open and close. Instead you just push the blade and the safety cover automatically moves out of the way. Just a teeny tiny time saver that I ended up really loving! I used to always forget to shut my blade in the other style and would worry about dropping it off my cutting table.
I love using a wash away hem tape to help hold or stabilize a seam while sewing. It’s so quick and easy to use and really holds your garment exactly how you place it while stitching. I recommend it for hemming knits in almost all my patterns as well as an alternative to pinning carefully on certain steps where you need to sew from the right side but catch the underside. I prefer the wash away, especially on knits so that after a wash or two the knit will have it’s normal stretch.
One of my most used tools in my room is a point and tube turner. I had a really difficult time tracking one down for sale though!! Apparently they aren’t very common and maybe aren’t made anymore? But, I love mine! So if you can get your hands on one you should snatch it up. It is the easiest tool for turning small tubes like straps, drawstrings, thin belts, ect. I love that one end is rounded and one is pointed. You slide your tube that needs turned onto the rounded side all the way down. Then clamp the ends shut on the very end of your tube and pull/push your tube onto itself turning it right sides out. You will end up with the tube right sides out on the pointed side which you use to press out the corners of your tube if the short end is sewn.
Next up is my favorite marking tool– a Frixon pen. This pen is so neat. You can buy it in a few colors and mark right onto your fabric. The heat from the iron will make it disappear. With all marking tools, I recommend trying on a scrap piece first before marking your actual pieces. Every once in a while I meet a fabric that doesn’t like this ink and if you mark it and iron it there is a lighter mark left permanently. But, I still use it ALL the time! It’s easy to use, store and I like having the color variety for marking on different color fabrics.
We all make mistakes… so every sewing room needs one, or maybe a few seam rippers. I prefer this bigger style. It’s a bit harder for me to misplace ;). I have yet to try out one of the pretty nicer ones, maybe one day!

We had a few more that were on some of our top 10 that didn’t make the final list, but here a few with honorable mention:

Bobkin to guide through casings.
Thread Snippers for quick thread cutting at the machine.
Best Press spray for a starch alternative.
Bamboo Point Turner to help turn out the perfect corners with the pointed end and rounded seams with the rounded side.
Expandable Marking Guide use it anytime you need evenly spaced markings like button holes, pleats, trims, etc.

Don’t forget to enter our “Sew it, Win it, Build it” giveaway this week or the other posts coming soon!

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