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P4P Raglan Week: Keyhole/Scoopback Raglan Hack

September 23, 2016

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The classic basic silhouette of a raglan makes for a great base to play with fabric pairings and adding extra details to  change them up a bit.  I often look at boutique style for inspiration and the keyhole, scoop back has been a popular request among members in the P4P Facebook Group so we thought we’d share the how-to.  I used the Slim Fit Raglan for my example, but this could easily be applied to any of the raglan patterns.

  • Print and assemble your pattern as usual.
  • Decide how low you would like your key hole and measure from the nape of your neck to desired length.  I wanted the keyhole to sit just above my bra-line so went with 8″.
  • Draw your keyhole curve, starting 1″ inside the edge where you would attach your sleeve down to the length you desire.  I didn’t have a french curve handy, so actually used the curve from the armscye of the sleeve pattern piece as a guide.  Cut out keyhole.

P4P Raglan Week Keyhole

 

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  • Construct your raglan as usual.
  • We are going to bind the keyhole with the traditional knit binding method but you could also do a t-shirt band (like the neckband in the pattern) as another option.  Measure the keyhole length then multiply by 90% (this is your width measurement)  You will stretch the binding just ever so slightly to fit the opening.  This will help keep the keyhole from gaping and lie flat.  Binding = 2″ x  width. 

P4P Raglan Week Keyhole

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • With right sides together, pin binding to keyhole, matching raw edges. Stitch with 3/8″ seam allowances.

P4P Raglan Week Keyhole

  • Press seam allowance up and fold binding down towards raw edge. Fold again, enclosing seam allowance.

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Alternatively, if using a thicker fabric for your binding, you can skip the first fold and just fold the binding over enclosing the raw edge.

P4P Raglan Week Keyhole

  • Top-stitch with your favorite stretch stitch.

 

For the neckline, we will use the same binding method as shown above for the keyhole but need to take a few measurements to determine the length of binding you will use for the neckline only.

  • Measure your neckline.  Pictured: shirt on the fold so my neckline is 2 times the length.

P4P Raglan Week Keyhole

Neckbands are typically smaller than the neckline to bring it in and prevent gaping.  To determine the amount of the binding for the neckline, multiply the length by 85%.  Neckline = 24″ (it looks like 23″ but actually measures 12″ on the fold) so my binding length for the neckline is about 20.5″.   Total Binding = 2″ x 58″.

  • Fold your binding in 1/2 to find the center point.  My neck binding length is 20.5″ so we will measure out 1/2 to each side of center point.  (or 10.25″ for my example). Mark end points.

P4P Raglan Week Keyhole

  • With right sides together and aligning raw edges, match center point and end points of neckline and binding. Stitch with 3/8″ seam allowance from endpoint to endpoint to endpoint (neckline only).

P4P Raglan Week Keyhole

  • Press seam allowance up and press binding down towards raw edge. Fold again, enclosing seam allowance.

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  • Continue folding towards the end of the tails.

P4P Raglan Week Keyhole

  • Top-stitch with your favorite stretch stitch.
  • Tie a bow and your done!

P4P Raglan Week Keyhole

 

P4P Raglan Week Keyhole P4P Raglan Week Keyhole

If you’ve created your very own version of a Keyhole, Scoopback Raglan during P4P Raglan week, we would love for you to share it with us!  Head over to the Facebook Group or share on Instagram.  And be sure to use the tag #P4PRaglanWeek so we can find you!

 

Curious about what else has been happening during our raglan-loving week of fun?

Just take a look at our schedule!

Monday, September 19: Jolly Roger Raglan Pattern Update + Jolly Roger Add-On Pack Pattern Release

Tuesday, September 20: JRR Woven Fabric Hack

Wednesday, September 21: JRR Animal Faces Add-On

Thursday, September 22: Contrast Band Hack for Kangaroo Pockets

Friday, September 23: Women’s Keyhole / Scoopback Raglan Hack

Saturday, September 24: Off-The-Shoulder Raglan Hack

Sunday, September 25: Adding Stripes to Your Raglan Sleeves

Filed Under: Blog Tours, Contest/Giveaway, Pattern Hacks, Uncategorized 1 Comment

P4P Raglan Week: Contrast Bands Hack

September 22, 2016

Say you bought this really pretty cotton interlock with zero stretch recovery and you just had to use it for a raglan with a kangaroo pocket.  The things is, you know your darling little rock collector isn’t going to understand that she can’t actually use her pocket or the openings will get stretched out.  The solution?  Stretchy bands on the pocket openings.

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If you haven’t bought your Jolly Roger Raglan and Add-ons, go do it now.

I’ll wait while you buy, print and glue.

Perfect.  Now, cut out your kangaroo pocket, mark and cut off a half inch from each pocket curve.  I marked on the back with the ruler and a fine tip washable kids’ marker.

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Next, you want to measure your curve by carefully, without stretching, pulling the curve straight along the ruler.  Make sure you measure the curve after you’ve trimmed off the extra half inch.

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Subtract half an inch and cut out bands that length by 2 inches wide.  If you don’t have a rotary cutter and mat, you need one.  Trust me, it makes a whole world of difference cutting out bands.

I’ll wait while you go buy one.

There, wasn’t that easier??

Press bands in half lengthwise.

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Pin band to the right side of the curve by pinning each end first and then stretching to fit.

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Serge or sew on, stretching to fit the pocket curve.  Do not stretch the pocket fabric.

Press the bands back.

Now continue with the pattern tutorial to complete your shirt.

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Now put it on your adorable child and snap pictures to share with us on Facebook!

– Patty Hamm

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If you’ve hacked a kangaroo pocket of a raglan during P4P Raglan week, we would love for you to share it with us!  Head over to the Facebook Group or share on Instagram.  And be sure to use the tag #P4PRaglanWeek so we can find you!

Curious about what else has been happening during our raglan-loving week of fun?

Just take a look at our schedule!

Monday, September 19: Jolly Roger Raglan Pattern Update + Jolly Roger Add-On Pack Pattern Release

Tuesday, September 20: JRR Woven Fabric Hack

Wednesday, September 21: JRR Animal Faces Add-On

Thursday, September 22: Contrast Band Hack for Kangaroo Pockets

Friday, September 23: Women’s Keyhole / Scoopback Raglan Hack

Saturday, September 24: Off-The-Shoulder Raglan Hack

Sunday, September 25: Adding Stripes to Your Raglan Sleeves

Filed Under: Blog Tours, Frequently Asked Questions, Pattern Hacks, Sew-A-Long 1 Comment

P4P Raglan Week: Animal Faces

September 21, 2016

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I don’t know about anyone else, but my daughter is completely obsessed with animals. Lucky for me, she also loves the Jolly Roger Raglan- so it was a natural choice to put an animal face on a raglan for her. Raglans are an essential piece of her fall wardrobe and such a great style on girls or boys and now with the Add-on pack you have so many more options but it’s still fun to add some character to the front. The shape of the raglan sleeve are perfect for fun details like animal ears so we have created 2 different ear options and 5 animal faces for you- a kitty, panda, fox or deer, and pirate puppy! You can find the face file and ear pieces here.

Here is a quick tutorial on what to do!

First we are going to cut 4 of whatever ear option you are choosing (2 pieces for each ear). You can mix and match as you choose, we had quite the discussion on what ear belongs to which animal and we are still undecided on if a raccoon has rounded or pointed ears so we are going to leave it to you to decide!  I used a fairly heavy weight cotton lycra on my ears but if you are using a thinner knit you may want also want to use interfacing on your ears (if so, cut your interfacing and iron it on now).  Next we are going to take our ears and place right sides together, then sew with a 1/4 inch seam allowance around our ear leaving the bottom straight edge open.  I like to trim my seam allowance down with my pinking shears but you can also make tiny clips around your curve.  Turn your ears right side out and press them well.  You can top stitch your ears if you would like, I chose not to top stitch mine.

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Next we are going to take our front piece and line up our ears.  I placed the edge of the kitty ear 1.5 inches down from the top of the shoulder on a size 5.  With the rounded ear I would move it farther down just a tad, I placed my panda ear at 1.75.  You may want to move your ear up a bit on the smaller sizes or down a bit on the larger sizes, do whatever you like but be mindful of the 0.5 inch seam allowance on the neckband as you don’t want to place your ear too close to the top and sew it into your neckband.  Once you have your ear placed on your front add your sleeve pin or clip in place and repeat on the other side.  Sew your sleeves into your front piece and continue construction as normal.  TIP: before your attach your neck band iron all your seams, you want your seams where your ears are placed to point towards the shirt and not the sleeve, it makes a huge difference on keeping your ears standing up!  Once you’ve finished your shirt, if your ears are wanting to fall forward just tack them in place on the top of each ear.  I just pinned them in place and did a couple stitches on my machine. Or you could stitch them all the way around onto your sleeve, completely up to you.

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Now you just need to iron on your vinyl!  This again, is a personal choice. I like my face fairly high on the shirt but others like it lower. Don’t have a way to cut vinyl, that’s OK! You can cut the pieces out of fabric and applique them on, add buttons for eyes, rick rack for whiskers… just have fun with it!

Go sew a bunch of animal faced raglans and let your inner animal out! Happy sewing and as always post your creations in the Patterns for Pirates Group- we are excited to see what your create! Don’t forget to tag your posts #p4praglanweek

P.S. Another quick tip, the kitty face raglan below is more of a tunic length, but you will see that is not an included option in the pattern.  A quick way to achieve a tunic length for girls is by adding the band to the hemmed length! Quick, easy and gives you one more cute option.

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If you’ve created your very own adorable animal version of the  Jolly Roger during P4P Raglan week, we would love for you to share it with us!  Head over to the Facebook Group or share on Instagram.  And be sure to use the tag #P4PRaglanWeek so we can find you!

Curious about what else has been happening during our raglan-loving week of fun?

Just take a look at our schedule!

Monday, September 19: Jolly Roger Raglan Pattern Update + Jolly Roger Add-On Pack Pattern Release

Tuesday, September 20: JRR Woven Fabric Hack

Wednesday, September 21: JRR Animal Faces Add-On

Thursday, September 22: Contrast Band Hack for Kangaroo Pockets

Friday, September 23: Women’s Keyhole / Scoopback Raglan Hack

Saturday, September 24: Off-The-Shoulder Raglan Hack

Sunday, September 25: Adding Stripes to Your Raglan Sleeves

Filed Under: Free Pattern, Pattern Hacks, Uncategorized 2 Comments

P4P Raglan Week: Woven Front Hack

September 20, 2016

Welcome back for Day 2 of P4P Raglan Week!  Now that you’ve all grabbed your copies of the Jolly Roger Raglan and the Add-On pack for it, I’m here to share an easy “hack”!

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I love being able to make fun shirts for my son.  However, I don’t always love having to spend the money for fancy knit prints, or having to search high and low for something that is geared toward the interest of my 6-year old.  How to do I get around it?  With fun, WOVEN cotton prints, from my local fabric stores!  They are money savers and tend to have a million fun prints that are loved by my little guy.  Want to know how I manage to mix a woven fabric into a knit pattern?  It’s so simple!

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No adjustments are needed for the pattern pieces itself.  Out of your knit fabrics cut your neckband, sleeves and back panel as the pattern calls for.  And for the front, simply opt in your woven print instead of a knit!  It’s as easy as that!  Because of the way raglan sleeves are attached, they still provide enough ease, stretch, and room for the shirt to fit over your little’s heads.  And the Jolly Roger Raglan has enough of a relaxed fit that there isn’t any need to add extra space in the body.  Easiest hack ever, am I right?

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Create your raglan as the pattern calls for.  I always use a serger to finish the bottom hem of my woven-front raglans, but you don’t have to.  I just like having that serged piece for a sturdier grip when I’m turning the edge under 1/4″ and then another 1/4″ before I edge stitch the hem.  You are welcome to finish the bottom edge however it suits you the best.

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Be sure to press your fabric and then have your child wear it (to distract them while you make a million more).

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If you’ve created your very own woven-front Jolly Roger during P4P Raglan week, we would love for you to share it with us!  Head over to the Facebook Group or share on Instagram.  And be sure to use the tag #P4PRaglanWeek so we can find you!

Curious about what else has been happening during our raglan-loving week of fun?

Just take a look at our schedule!

Monday, September 19: Jolly Roger Raglan Pattern Update + Jolly Roger Add-On Pack Pattern Release

Tuesday, September 20: JRR Woven Fabric Hack

Wednesday, September 21: JRR Animal Faces Add-On

Thursday, September 22: Contrast Band Hack for Kangaroo Pockets

Friday, September 23: Women’s Keyhole / Scoopback Raglan Hack

Saturday, September 24: Off-The-Shoulder Raglan Hack

Sunday, September 25: Adding Stripes to Your Raglan Sleeves

Filed Under: Pattern Hacks, Uncategorized 4 Comments

P4P Raglan Week: Jolly Roger Raglan Update + Add-Ons Release!

September 19, 2016

Welcome to the first day of the P4P Raglan Week!  It’s looking like you are just as excited as we are!  Let’s get the party started with Day 1: the Jolly Roger Raglan update + Jolly Roger Raglan Add-On pattern release!

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Let’s talk the Jolly Roger Raglan update first!  It’s one of the most tried and true patterns for kids in the Pattern for Pirates family, and we did a little tweaking to make it even better.  First, we added the layers feature!  We also gave the entire tutorial and pattern an overall facelift to make sure everything was perfect from neckband to hem and everything in between.

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We have also adjusted the angle of the raglan-sleeve to better match the style of our two women’s raglans (the Relaxed Raglan and the Slim Fit Raglan).  Our testers went through several rounds of the sleeve being adjusted before we all agreed on the fit.  I think you will all love it too!

**If you already own the Jolly Roger Raglan, 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.


Now let’s talk the highly requested Add-On Pack for the Jolly Roger Raglan!  You are going to love it so much!  **You must own the Patterns for Pirates Jolly Roger Raglan as well, since this is an add-on and not a stand-alone pattern.

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The Add-On Pack is full of super fun options:

  • Two hood types (traditional and cross-over funnel hoods)

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  • Kangaroo Pocket

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  • Cowl Neck

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  • Inseam Pockets

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  • Funnel Collar

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  • Thumbhole Cuffs

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  • Ruffle Hem

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You can mix-match these options a million times over and still want to make more!  (Just ask our fabulous testers!)

The Jolly Roger Raglan is available for purchase HERE.
Find the Jolly Roger Add-On Pack for purchase HERE.
Or, you can bundle the Jolly Roger + Add-On Packs together HERE.

Be sure to head over to our Facebook Group and check out all of the amazing tester creations for the Jolly Roger Raglan and the Jolly Roger Add-On Pack!  They will provide for endless amounts of inspiration if you’re ever needing it!

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Are you joining us for P4P Raglan Week?  Be sure to share your creations on Instagram or in our Facebook group and use the tag: #P4PRaglanWeek !!  One lucky person will be featured on the blog and win a P4P pattern of their choice!

Here’s the rest of the schedule for the week:

Monday, September 19: Jolly Roger Raglan Pattern Update + Jolly Roger Add-On Pack Pattern Release

Tuesday, September 20: JRR Woven Fabric Hack

Wednesday, September 21: JRR Animal Faces Add-On

Thursday, September 22: Contrast Band Hack for Kangaroo Pockets

Friday, September 23: Women’s Keyhole / Scoopback Raglan Hack

Saturday, September 24: Off-The-Shoulder Raglan Hack

Sunday, September 25: Adding Stripes to Your Raglan Sleeves

Filed Under: Announcement, Blog Tours, Pattern Release, Sew-A-Long 3 Comments

P4P Raglan Week! It’s Coming!

September 18, 2016

Arrrrrrrre you ready for some raglan-sewing tips, tricks and add-ons?  We sure are!

In case you missed Nicole’s sneaky announcement yesterday, here’s another teaser to get you excited about the week ahead.  Patterns for Pirates is dedicating an ENTIRE week to all things Raglan!  And boy do we have the best week planned out for you!

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We are constantly being asked what the best patterns are for beginners.  Raglan-style shirts are excellent because of the sleeve type.  They’re super fast to sew, fun to mix/match fabrics and prints with, and leave an unlimited amount of style possibilities.  In fact, the Relaxed Raglan was the first ever P4P pattern that I (Katy) made for myself and I haven’t stopped making them since.  I do hope you join us for all of the fun we are about to have!

Just take a look at our schedule!

Monday, September 19: Jolly Roger Raglan Pattern Update + Jolly Roger Add-On Pack Pattern Release

Tuesday, September 20: JRR Woven Fabric Hack

Wednesday, September 21: JRR Animal Faces Add-On

Thursday, September 22: Contrast Band Hack for Kangaroo Pockets

Friday, September 23: Women’s Keyhole / Scoopback Raglan Hack

Saturday, September 24: Off-The-Shoulder Raglan Hack

Sunday, September 25: Adding Stripes to Your Raglan Sleeves

You can follow along on the blog here, or in our Facebook group.  Search #P4PRaglanWeek to be able to find our posts all over social media.  And please feel free to sew-along with us on one or all of the days.  The more the merrier!

But wait, there’s more!  We wanted to create a friendly pirate-y competition with our P4P Raglan Week!

Between tomorrow and Wednesday, September 28, sew up a Patterns for Pirates raglan shirt shirt using one of our add-ons, hacks, or keep the pattern as-is.  Share your photo with us on Instagram or in our Facebook group and use the tag#P4PRaglanWeek We will pick our favorite and the winner will win a free P4P pattern of choice AND be featured on this blog.  Fun right?

To make it even better we have put all the raglan patterns in the shop on sale all week (no code needed)!

Now get out there and sew some raglans, matey!

Filed Under: Announcement, Blog Tours, Sew-A-Long 6 Comments

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