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Faux Sleeve Hack

December 12, 2017

The Jolly Roger is probably one of the most used patterns in my son’s wardrobe! It’s fast, easy, and has lots of option to mix it up with the add-on pack. However, one of my favorite looks is a layered sleeve, which can be hard to accomplish when my son always wants to wear a sweatshirt! Enter- the faux sleeve! This hack is very easy to do and can also be used with other long sleeve patterns, including the Yo-ho Henley and Relaxed Raglan.

The only modification you will need to complete to achieve this look is to alter the sleeve. All other pieces will be cut out as directed and sewn as per the tutorial.

The first thing you will need to do is cut the upper sleeve piece. To do so, use the short sleeve cut line, however you will want to cut 1″ BELOW this line.  Don’t forget to cut two MIRROR image upper sleeve pieces! After cutting the upper sleeve pieces, you will cut out the bottom pieces. Using the same method, use the short sleeve cut line again, however cut 1″ above this line. Again, don’t forget to cut two MIRROR images. You will now assemble your sleeve pieces. Place right sides together and stitch using a 1/2″ seam allowance. Press your seam towards the upper sleeve piece.

Lastly, you are going to create your faux hem where the two pieces are connected. Using a hem gauge, overlap the two pieces by 1/2″ to create the hem and press, press, press with your iron. 

Pin the hem in place, then stitch using your favorite hemming stitch. 

You will now complete the rest of your Jolly Roger Raglan (or other shirt) according to the directions. Make sure that when you are sewing the sleeve and side seam, to align the faux hem as well.

Be sure to share your creations with us in our Facebook group and I can’t wait to see what kind of fun layering ideas you come up with!
~Erinn

Filed Under: General Sewing, How to/ Sewing Tutorial, Pattern Hacks Leave a Comment

RagDoll easy hacks

November 30, 2017

 

. . . . .

Cold Shoulder

 


 

 

With the off the shoulder look being all the rave right now, I just had to show you how easy it is to get the look with our newest Ragdoll pattern. I will show you two different looks, one more modest and one sexier if you will. The technique will be the same for both you will just make the sleeve cut out different sizes. Feel free to play with it to get your desired cold shoulder size.

Start by printing the pattern in your size. You will be cutting out a portion of the sleeves as in the graphic below.

Hem the cutout using a 1/2″ hem allowance. The easiest way to do that is to steam press and pin it in place with a lot of pins (or clips). Stitch with your coverstitch, a twin needle or a zig zag stitch. Don’t forget to give it a good press after you hem it.

Sew the shirt or dress as shown in the pattern tutorial. All we have left to do now is attach the neckband. Press 1/2″ memory hem as shown below.

Fold the neckband lengthwise and press it really well. Sew the short sides together to create a loop. Mark the center back (where the seam is) and the center front.

Match the center back of the neckband with the center back of the shirt. Slightly stretch the unfolded neckband and pin it to the back. Repeat for the front of the shirt. Using a stretch stitch, sew the neckband to the shirt right sides together.

Using the memory hem you created earlier enclose the front and back of the shirt and stitch the neckband with either your coverstitch machine, twin needles or a zig zag stitch.

All you have to do now is give the neckband a good steam press and show off your new cold shoulder shirt.


Play around with the cut-out size and get more looks!

. . . . .

Tie Back

 

 

During Raglan Week last year, we showed how to create a keyhole back for the Slim Fit Raglan (here), so I knew a tie back option for the RagDoll Raglan had to be done.  Instead of binding the neckline, I decided to do a spaghetti strap style tie.  You can really use anything for your ties; lace, ribbon, etc. but will show you how to make the spaghetti straps.

Cut your patterns pieces as usual:

  • front, back with low scoop option, 2 sleeves (mirror image).
  • For the ties, I did 1.5″ x 22″.  You can adjust to your preference but found this to be a good length for me.
  • Neckband: as per pattern but less 3″ from the width measurement on the cut chart.  Example: Size large is 2.75″ x 26.75″ so my adjusted neckband is 2.75′ x 23.75″.

Construct your pattern as provided in the tutorial but skip hemming the low back curve.  We will do that after the back has been attached to the sleeves.

With right sides together stitch sleeves to front and back as instructed in the tutorial. You will have excess at the top back, do not cut off your seam allowance.
Back view.
Turn the low back curve and top portion of the sleeve under 1/2″ to the wrong side and edgestitch.

Now to create the ties.

On your serger or sewing machine create a long tail at least 3/4 the length of your tie.
Place your tail on the right side of the tie.
Fold tie with right sides together over the tail.

Stitch using a 1/4″ seam allowance. Be sure not to catch your tail. As you stitch, pull the tail toward you so that you have excess and does not end up enclosed in your tie.
Gently pull the tail and turn your tie right side out.
Finish or knot your ends.

Now, we can finish the neckband.

Grab your ties and neckband.
With right sides together, place one tie at one end of the neckband just below center.
Fold neckband over tie with right sides together and stitch using a 1/4″ seam allowance.
Repeat on other side.

Flip neckband right side out.
Mark center of neckband and neckline of shirt.
With right sides together, match center and each end of the neckband to the back neckline. Stitch.
Press seam allowance down and stitch a small bar tack to keep in place or topstitch entire neckline.

The tie back gives a much more open back but is perfect to show off all those strappy bralettes :).


 

. . . . .

Twist Back

We couldn’t have ended this hack series without a twist back. For this option, you will need to print and cut the low back option. You will not be adding the neckband to this hack so the shirt neckline will be 1.5″ lower than the intended look of the pattern. You may need to wear a cami underneath (like the Cross My Heart Cami) or you can raise the neckline prior to cutting the fabric. Check out this “how to” blog!

Place the back top piece 1/2″ away from the fold line.

Using a 1/2″ hem allowance, hem the top and bottom. You can use a coverstitch, a zig zag stitch or twin needles.

Twist the top piece twice so the right side of both the left and right sides are up. Baste the top and bottom pieces together as in the tutorial.

Attach the sleeves matching the notches. There will be 1/2″ excess fabric at the top which will be hemmed next.

Hem the neckline with a 1/2″ hem allowance. All you have left to do is give the shirt a good press and show it off!

 


. . . . .

Off the Shoulder

Last but not least, we couldn’t leave you without a full off the shoulder option.  Using the same idea that we did for the Relaxed Raglan (here), we’re going to remove some height to all the pattern pieces (front, back, and sleeve).  Also, be sure to move your notches to help you keep the pieces in order and you know which side lines up with one another.

For the band, I used the same measurement as the waistband in the pattern.  In hindsight, I could have made it a smidge tighter around the shoulders but as is doesn’t move around too much. Now, I didn’t measure each size, but just to be safe…..measure your neckline once you’ve completed the main pieces.  Make your band between 80-85% (plus seam allowance) of the opening.  (Unsure how to measure the neckline? Check out this blog post for more details.) Mark in quarter and stitch just like you would a waistband. As with any neckband though, be sure your band has good recovery! This will help keep it up on your shoulders. 🙂


Make a RagDoll Raglan?  Be sure so share you makes in the Facebook Group or tag us on Instragram!

Filed Under: How to/ Sewing Tutorial, Pattern Hacks, Uncategorized, Using P4P Patterns- Tips and How Tos Leave a Comment

#p4pRaglanWeek Winner

September 29, 2016

Well, ya’ll ROCKED IT during #p4pRaglanWeek! From the all littles looking adorable in their new Jolly Rogers to you stylish ladies in your gorgeous Relaxed and Slim Fit Raglans– you gals (and maybe a few gentlemen?) knocked it out of the park this week. But compliments aside, it’s now time to get down to business and announce the winner. This was not easy to pick just one, so we had to include some of our favorites first…

Most Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice aka Fall is Here: Elisabeth Breckly

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Best Real-Life Models: Amanda Hinson

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Most Enthusiasm: Britina Gilkey

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Best Use of Blog Hacks: Brenna Rassmann

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Annnnnnnnnnnnd now, drumroll please! The winner of #p4pRaglanWeek is…

Most Ohhh’s and Ahhh’s: Tasha Gray

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Girl- you nailed #p4pRaglanweek! You were the clear winner not only on Facebook with your insane amount of “likes”, but more importantly, in the eyes of your little girl… Just look at the smile as she’s looking up at you! Congrats on being our winner for Raglan Week. Thank you to everyone who entered. It was so great to see your creations. And just because Raglan Week is over, it doesn’t mean you have to stop sharing- we love seeing what you come up with. So keep posting those raglans!

~Erinn

Filed Under: Announcement, Contest/Giveaway 1 Comment

P4P Raglan Week: Adding Stripe Accent

September 25, 2016

We’re rounding out the end of #RaglanWeek and I’m excited to share another way you can add some flare to your raglans!

I love the sporty look for my little guy since he is so active!  Adding a simple stripe accent to raglan sleeves is such an easy, cute, sporty look!

 

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Here is how you can add them to your raglans!

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Decide how thick you would like your stripes.  Cut your stripe of knit fabric double that for the length and as wide as your sleeves where you will be adding the stripe.

Example: I wanted my stripes just a bit over 1″- so I cut my strip 2.5″ and the width matching the sleeve width.

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Press the strips in half lengthwise and create a crease. Please excuse my ironing board… I swear taking pictures of it makes it look 1000X dirtier than it looks in person!

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Press bottom raw edge up to center crease.

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Press top raw edge down to center crease.

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I used a fabric pen to mark a straight line across my sleeve.  Since they’re both knit fabrics you can find your self ever so slightly off easily, so I’d highly recommend this for a flawless stripe!

 

Pin your stripes carefully along your marked line or lines if you’re doing multiple stripes.  I did 2 on each sleeve for mine. You can also use a wash away hem tape to hold them in place while you stitch.  I recommend not doing this with your baby in the room— or you MIGHT sew the stripes onto the back piece of the shirt rather than the sleeve 😉 OOPS!!

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Edge stitch along the top and bottom fold of your stripes.  I used my single chainstitch on my coverstitch for mine- you will want a stretch stitch since we’re working with knits.

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Complete the shirt as the tutorial directs you— only noting to align your stripes carefully along the sleeve seam when you stitch up your sleeve and side seam.

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I also added a little number 4 since Little Guy is about to turn 4 next week.

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He also picked out the pirate theme lining for the hood for a little pop of “coolness” 😉 .

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His Jolly Roger is a size up from his width measurement in a thick and cozy sweatshirt fleece.  I kept the length what he measures on the chart, this is the banded shirt length, long sleeve with cuffs and regular hood from the new Jolly Roger Add on Pack.

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He’s not much for modeling for Mama!

But, we were both so happy with his new hoodie he has already requested another one!

If you’ve added some fun stripes to the sleeves of your 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

We’ve had such a blast seeing everyone’s raglans this week! We will be picking a winner from those who shared with hashtag #P4PRaglanWeek! Tonight is the last chance to pick up any of the P4P Raglans on sale- though midnight US CST.

Filed Under: Sew-A-Long, Using P4P Patterns- Tips and How Tos 1 Comment

P4P Raglan Week: Off-The-Shoulder Raglan Hack

September 24, 2016

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IMG_0881 Did you start your fall sewing, pirates? Even though it doesn’t look like fall outside I like to tell myself cooler weather is coming. One of the staples in my fall/winter wardrobe is the raglan tunic. It is perfect for wearing it with Peg Legs (and we all know peg legs are practically fall uniform) and SOS pants. For my blog today I’ll show you how to get an “off the shoulder” look using the Relaxed Raglan. You can certainly use the Slim Fit Raglan if you prefer. I just am going for a looser, more casual look so I used the Relaxed Raglan pattern.

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First off, select your size, print and cut the pattern pieces according to the instructions. Don’t cut the fabric just yet! We’ll now make some small hacks to the pattern to get a wider neckline. Take the front pattern piece and measure 3 inches down on the center fold and mark that spot. Then measure 3 inches down on the sleeve part and mark that point too. Using a french curve (or just going slowly) and following the original pattern, draw a curve line between the two points. Repeat with the back and the sleeve pattern pieces.

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Once you drew the new cut line, remove the top part and cut the fabric following the new pattern pieces. At this point you will have a front, back and two sleeve pieces plus and additional cuffs or waistband you may need depending on the style raglan you chose. Do not cut the neckline as per the original pattern suggestion. If you do, the neckband will be too small for the new neckline.

Sew the raglan according to the instruction, leaving the neckline as is. Once sewn, take the shirt/tunic, lay it flat on a table and measure the neckline opening circumference. You will calculate the new neckband based on this measure. The new neckband will be 85% of the opening plus seam allowance. So you will do Opening X 0.85 + 1 (for SA). You now have the new length of the neckband. The width stays the same as the pattern.

You’re almost there. All you have to do now is cut the neckband and attach it to the shirt. Tadah! All done, you have a cool new off the shoulder raglan.

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I can’t wait to see what you create.  Don’t forget to show off your raglan in the group and keep an eye out for all the surprises during this Raglan Week.

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If you’ve hacked a sexy off-the-shoulder look 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: How to/ Sewing Tutorial, Pattern Hacks, Uncategorized 4 Comments

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, How to/ Sewing Tutorial, Pattern Hacks, Sew-A-Long, Using P4P Patterns- Tips and How Tos 1 Comment

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: Uncategorized 4 Comments

Raglan Colorblock Tutorial (Guest Post)

December 15, 2015

Today’s post is a fun one!
We are giving you all a special guest post from a Patterns for Pirates fan, who sewed up this adorable colorblocked version of the Women’s Raglan.  Ashley posted this on the P4P facebook group and we couldn’t help but want her to share it on here.

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Ashley’s tutorial is specifically for the women’s raglan, to achieve the look that she has masterfully come up with.  BUT, you can take information from this and colorblock anything with these techniques!  (For instance, P4P’s Katy shows you how to do a curved colorblock with the women’s henley on her blog HERE.)

Without further ado, take it away Ashley!

Front Colorblock

a. Start with the Front of the Raglan Pattern. Mine is cut for the Small size. I then take a sheet of wax pattern and unroll it until it’s just about the size of the pattern piece. Trace the existing pattern onto the wax paper and decide what length and neckline you would like. In this example, you’ll see the curved hem and a modified V Neck (see step 2 for instructions on doing the V-­‐Neck prior to going onto step b).

b. From the end of the arm hole measure 2.5 inches Draw a line straight across the pattern piece (shown as the green line in Figure 1). . Then measure ¼ of an inch down from that line and draw another line. ( Shown as the blue line on Figure 1. Here you are adding on ¼ seam allowance for when you add your stripe pieces).

c. Cut on the pattern on the 2 ¾ line (blue). Continue with cutting the rest of the pattern. Make sure you make all of the original marks like fold lines and notches so that you can line up the pattern correctly. I also label what each piece is so that I don’t get confused later on. d. FT = Front Top, FB= Front bottom.

V-­‐Neck adjustment

a. I personally don’t like a deep V-­‐neck. So what I did on the Front is where the flat part (small pink line) is on the top of the pattern, where the front scoop (green line) and the armhole meet, I extended it to the left, approximately 1/4inch. I then eye balled it where I wanted the V to end on the middle front of the shirt and drew a diagonal line from that point to beginning of the new flat part (long pink line).

Microsoft Word - P4P Raglan Colorblock Shirt with Striped Arms.d

Sleeve alterations

a. Start by taking the sleeve piece and unroll two pieces of wax paper. You’ll have to tape them together in order for it to be wide enough.

b. Trace the outline of the existing sleeve.

c. Measure 2.5 inches down from the left shoulder seam that will eventually meet the front seam ( green line). In my example it’s the short sleeve line for the red dots line on the original pattern.

d. Measure ¼ inch from the green line and draw a straight line across the pattern (blue line). Again here we are just adding a seam allowance. In my example it’s the short sleeve line for the red dot dash on the original pattern.

e. RT= Right Top

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f. I then used the existing solid red short sleeve line for where I wanted my stripe to end. I drew a line across there (green) and also ¼ of an inch down from there (blue). The middle piece with the seam allowances added is equal to 2.5 inches wide, which when sewn, will give you an ending piece of 2 inches.

Microsoft Word - P4P Raglan Colorblock Shirt with Striped Arms.d

g. Now that we have the top and bottom sections of the arm we need to do the middle part with the stripe. What I did to make things easier was draw lines across in the middle of the middle sections and shaded it in so that I could see how wide the stripe was going to end up being on the finished product. (See photo)

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h. After I was happy with it I cut the pattern on the GREEN line of the RT and the BLUE line of the RB. Now here’s the tricky part. If you were to just cut out that piece you would end up with a middle piece that’s too small and therefore our sleeve length will be short. I took the RM in the wax paper and taped it onto two pieces of computer paper. I then measured ¼ inch on the top and ¼ inch from the bottom. I extended the lines out in order to make the total width of the RM 2.5 inches.

Microsoft Word - P4P Raglan Colorblock Shirt with Striped Arms.d

i. For the stripe in the middle of RM I measured the shaded in part of it and then traced the measurements onto a piece of computer paper so that I had a hard copy and not just the wax paper.

Microsoft Word - P4P Raglan Colorblock Shirt with Striped Arms.d

Cutting

a. Whew! The hard part is over. Now would be a good time to eat a donut or whatever your favorite snack is because you just made it through the hardest part of the hack (in my opinion.)

b. Now that you have all of your pieces you need to decide what color you want the top and bottom parts of the front. In my example the top is plaid and the bottom is black. I then took all the parts for plaid, FT, RT, RB, & stripe and made those into a pile. Then FB, RM, and Back in another pile for black.

c. When you lay out your pattern pieces make sure that if it needs to be on a fold, like the FT, FB, or back that you put it on a fold. For all of the sleeve pieces I just doubled up my fabric so that I end up with a Right and a Left once cut instead of mirroring (too much work).

Microsoft Word - P4P Raglan Colorblock Shirt with Striped Arms.d

d. I added about 1.5 inches to the bottom of RB also so that I could hem the sleeves. You do not need to add as much as I do it’s your preference. You can do anywhere from .5 inch to 1.5 here because we aren’t attaching cuffs.

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e. The only thing you need to remember with cutting FB is that you need to measure up ¼ inch in order to account for the seam allowance when you sew them together. All of my seam allowances are ¼ inch until you sew the side seams and sleeve seams. Those you would do your normal ½ inch.

f. You also want to cut out your RM pieces. Those do not require a fold.

Microsoft Word - P4P Raglan Colorblock Shirt with Striped Arms.d

g. Once you have everything cut out, keep the pattern pieces for the sleeves pinned so that it’s easier to put all the left and right pieces together.

Sewing machine/Serger time!!!

a. Time to put this shirt together. The first thing I always do is my hems, so that they are out of the way. You can do them however you want but I find it easiest to iron first, then use hem tape, and finish with a straight top stitch. I avoid zigzag stitches at all costs just because that’s the easiest way for me to tell between a store bought and homemade shirt. Personal preference only.

b. Now that the shirt hems and sleeve hems are finished let’s start with the easier pieces. Take TF and BF with right sides together and sew at the seam. Always remember rights to rights.

c. I serge everything when it comes to apparel so when that is finished I press the seam and top stitch so that it lays nicely when you wear it. This is optional.

d. Now it’s time to do the sleeves. I took a strip of Heat N’ Bond Lite (or Wonder Under) and with the wrong side of the stripe on the sticky side, iron on the Heat N’ Bond. Let cool and then peel off paper backing. Then line up in the middle of MR and press to adhere to MR. Top stitch or zigzag around edges in order to secure (optional).

e. Line up TR bottom edge with MR top edges, rights to rights, and sew. Open seam, press, and top stitch

f. Line up MR bottom and BR top edges, rights to rights, and sew. Open seam, press, and top stitch. Repeat with Left sleeve pieces.

You are in the home stretch.
Now all that’s left is to follow the same steps you would take with any other raglan. Attach the sleeves to the front and back panels and then sew sleeve seams and side seams.

The VNeck I treated similar to any other neckband except I didn’t start with a loop nor did I measure it out beforehand. I just cut a strip about 1.5 inches wide, folded in half, and press, then starting at the V in the front attach like you would binding on a quilt or other necklines.

I hope everyone enjoys this new colorblock design and if anyone has any questions I’d be happy to help out or explain something!

Microsoft Word - P4P Raglan Colorblock Shirt with Striped Arms.dMicrosoft Word - P4P Raglan Colorblock Shirt with Striped Arms.d

***Next time I think I’ll just make the MR and Stripe one piece similar to the elbow patch instead of spending so much time sewing each piece of the sleeve together and topstitching. That way you could cut full sleeve pieces and then attach the MR/ML with Heat N’Bond and zigzag stitch down.

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