Patterns for Pirates

P4P stylish, modern, wearable patterns

Runabout SAL – day 6 (add waistband)

Ahoy, pirates! Last sewing day is here! Today we create the waistband and attach the bodice to the skirt, shorts or joggers. Start by adding the grommets to the center of the main front waistband. These are for the faux drawstring. This step is completely optional but it yields a very cute result. I wouldn’t skip it.

Tip: if you don’t have any grommets handy, you can make two big buttonholes instead.  

Once you finish the decorative steps, sew the waistbands main and lining in a loop. You will notice that the waistband has 2 main pieces for sizes 2x and up. This is only to accommodate the most common width of fabrics.  You will see in the video below how I create the elastic opening. You will proceed to pin together the waistband main and lining wrong sides together.  Attach the waistband top to the bodice and bottom to the skirt/shorts/joggers, matching the center and side seams. 

All you have left to do now is thread the elastic through. All done!!! 

You can see the last sew along video here. Once you finish your outfit, snap a picture and post it in the comments of day 6 photo of the Runabout Romper and Dress. We will be picking our two winners on Monday evening and announcing them here on the blog. Great job, everyone!

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 1 | Print pattern and cut fabric

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 2 | Add chest pocket, sew shoulder seams and add neckband

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 3 | Sew side seams and add tank armband/dolman sleeves

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 4 | Add pockets, side seam skirt or shorts/joggers and inseam

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 5 | Hem skirt/shorts or add cuffs to joggers

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 6 | Add waistband and show off your creations

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 7 | Winners announcements

Runabout SAL – day 5 (hem skirt/shorts or add cuffs to joggers)

We made it to day 5 of the Runabout Romper Sew Along. Today is probably the easiest day. We are finishing the bottoms by hemming or adding the cuffs. 

I opted for the dress do I will be hemming the curved edge. We have a P4P University blog with tips for hemming knits. You can read about it here. The most important thing about hemming knits with your coverstitch or sewing machine is to PRESS, press and press some more! 

If you are sewing the joggers will will add ankle cuffs. Mark the quarters of the ankle opening and the cuffs. Stitch the cuffs on, matching the quarter point, making sure that you stretch the cuff but not the jogger. 

Tomorrow we will be working on the waistband and finishing the project. Watch the video below and when you finished today’s steps, post a picture of your progress  in the day 5 comments of the RRD album.See you soon! 

 

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 1 | Print pattern and cut fabric

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 2 | Add chest pocket, sew shoulder seams and add neckband

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 3 | Sew side seams and add tank armband/dolman sleeves

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 4 | Add pockets, side seam skirt or shorts/joggers and inseam

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 5 | Hem skirt/shorts or add cuffs to joggers

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 6 | Add waistband and show off your creations

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 7 | Winners announcements

Runabout SAL – day 4 (add pockets, side seam skirt or shorts/joggers and inseam)

Welcome to day four of our sew along! Today we start working on the bottom part. Whether you are sewing the romper or the dress today you are adding the pockets and sewing the side seam. Additionally, you will also be stitching the inseam of the joggers and shorts. 

Tip: double check that you cut the correct pockets before you start sewing. You might have noticed that there are two pockets and pocket lining patterns. One is for the skirts and shorts and one is for the joggers. You can’t switch them around.

If you are sewing the skirt you will be stitching the side seams with your serger or your sewing machine. Be mindful of the side split directions if you opted for the maxi style. 

If you are creating joggers or shorts, you will be sewing each leg at a time. This will give your crotch seam the most strength. 

The day 4 video is below. Once you get the steps done, post a picture in the comments of day 4 photo of the RRD album in the FB group. This will count as your check in for today. See you back here tomorrow !

 

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 1 | Print pattern and cut fabric

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 2 | Add chest pocket, sew shoulder seams and add neckband

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 3 | Sew side seams and add tank armband/dolman sleeves

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 4 | Add pockets, side seam skirt or shorts/joggers and inseam

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 5 | Hem skirt/shorts or add cuffs to joggers

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 6 | Add waistband and show off your creations

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 7 | Winners announcements

Runabout SAL – day 3 (side seams and tank bands/dolman sleeves)

Welcome to day 3 of our sew along! Today is a pretty easy day. We will finish the bodice by sewing the side seams and finishing the sleeves. 

  • if you are creating the tank style, you will be adding the arm bands the exact way you added the neckband yesterday
  • if you are doing the short sleeve option, you will be be hemming the sleeve as I am
  • if you are getting ready for cooler temperatures and sewing the long sleeves, you will be adding cuffs. The tutorial shows you how to add the sleeves in the round. 

The word of the day is PRESS! Press and steam all your hems and cuffs, you want to make sure it looks great! Plus, hemming is a lot easier if you pressed before, I promise you! 

You can see in the video below how I am a sewing the side seams and hemming the short dolman sleeves. When you complete these steps add a picture of your progress to the comments of day 3 of the RRD sew along album. 

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 1 | Print pattern and cut fabric

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 2 | Add chest pocket, sew shoulder seams and add neckband

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 3 | Sew side seams and add tank armband/dolman sleeves

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 4 | Add pockets, side seam skirt or shorts/joggers and inseam

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 5 | Hem skirt/shorts or add cuffs to joggers

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 6 | Add waistband and show off your creations

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 7 | Winners announcements

Runabout SAL – day 2 (chest pocket, shoulder seams and neckband)

Welcome to the second day of our sew along! Today we start working on the bodice. First we will tackle the chest pocket. This is a great opportunity to add an accent fabric or a pop of color to your Runabout romper or dress. The pattern features a simple rectangle pocket that you simply hem prior to attaching. You can see in today’s video I opted to line it instead.

Once this step is completed you will sew the shoulder seams right sides together, following a 1/2″ seam allowance. 

Tip: Add clear elastic to the shoulder seams to strengthen them and make sure the shoulders don’t stretch throughout the day. 

The last part for today’s progress is to add the neckband. You are basically following the same technique regardless of the style neckline you decided to do. If you are new to sewing with knits or simply would like a refresher, take a look over our P4P University Neckbands 101 blog post. 

Once you finish today’s steps snap a picture of your progress and add it to the day 2 photo comments on the Runabout SAL album in the P4P & M4M group.

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 1 | Print pattern and cut fabric

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 2 | Add chest pocket, sew shoulder seams and add neckband

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 3 | Sew side seams and add tank armband/dolman sleeves

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 4 | Add pockets, side seam skirt or shorts/joggers and inseam

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 5 | Hem skirt/shorts or add cuffs to joggers

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 6 | Add waistband and show off your creations

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 7 | Winners announcements

Runabout SAL – day 1 (print pattern and cut fabric)

Welcome to our Runabout  Sew Along!

Day One is reserved to purchasing the pattern, printing and cutting the size(s) you need. If you plan on sewing for yourself you can get the Runabout Romper and Dress here, if you’re sewing for your little one, the RRD can be purchased here and if you’re sewing for both of you (just think of the mommy and me matching outfits!) you can get the bundle. If you can’t decide which one to make, our Round Up blog will give you a glance at all options included, from sleeve length to bottom styles. 

This sew along will be held in the the M4M & P4P Sew Along group so be sure to join the group not only for the exclusive discount code available for the Runabout patterns but also to post your daily progress this week. Don’t be shy about asking questions or suggestions, that’s what sew alongs are or, after all. 

Now that you purchased the pattern(s), print the size needed. In order to do that it is very important that you take your most accurate measurements. You will need your waist, hips and chest measurements in order to choose the correct Runabout Romper or Dress size. P4P has an amazing blog that gives you tip for accurately taking your measurements. You can read all about it here. If your measurements put you in a different size for chest/waist/hips be sure to check out our P4P University blog and grade to achieve the perfect fit.

The P4P team has started adding Projector Files to the new patterns so I couldn’t miss the opportunity to use it for my own dress. You can see in today’s video how easy it is to utilize one instead of printing your pattern. 

The pattern is drafted for knit fabric with at least 30% stretch and soft drape. My personal recommendations are rayon spandex, bamboo lycra, ITY, Cupro and double brushed poly. All of these would make great rompers and dresses. 

For my dress I am using a gorgeous floral  CoordiKnit Nonsense Fabrics bamboo lycra which has beautiful drape and a soft feel. Bamboo is my favorite fabric base ever so it was only natural that I picked this base for my RRD dress…plus, it’s so, so pretty!! CoordiKnit is this sew along’s sponsor as well so our two lucky winners will be receiving prizes to treat themselves to their custom prints.

If you are unsure about which knit type will work best for your desired look, take a look over our P4P University Knit Types blog. We also included a cheat sheet that you can print. If you are like me and sometime are just keen on using a specific print for a specific pattern, read our Different fabric, different fit blog post before you cut your fabric.

You can see the first video below, including how I use my projector file. Once you cut the fabric, post a picture of your pretty pile in the comments of DAY 1 photo of the Runabout album in the M4M & P4P Sew Along Group. 

 

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 1 | Print pattern and cut fabric

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 2 | Add chest pocket, sew shoulder seams and add neckband

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 3 | Sew side seams and add tank armband/dolman sleeves

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 4 | Add pockets, side seam skirt or shorts/joggers and inseam

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 5 | Hem skirt/shorts or add cuffs to joggers

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 6 | Add waistband and show off your creations

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 7 | Winners announcements

Flutter Wrap SAL day 7

What a fantastic week! Thank you so much for joining me in the Flutter Wrap sew along. The time has come to announce our winners and let me tell you… The mermaids/pirates team had a hard time picking!

Congratulations Gaelle Davila! As our first winner, Gaelle will receive a $20 Patterns for Pirates gift card and a $50 Oh So Pretty Custom Fabrics one.

We were also mesmerized by Tiffany Ottoson‘s dress! Tiffany is our second prize winner, a $20 gift card to Made for Mermaids and a $25 Oh So Pretty Custom Fabrics one.

A big THANK YOU to Oh So Pretty Custom Fabrics, our Sew Along sponsor, who also provided the bamboo lycra fabric for the videos.

Team Mermaids will be taking over the SAL group in May. Stay tuned for their pattern choice announcement!

 

Flutter Wrap SAL day 1 | Print and cut pattern

Flutter Wrap SAL day 2 | Cut fabric

Flutter Wrap SAL day 3 | Sew back, shoulder and side seams

Flutter Wrap SAL day 4 | Sew sleeves or tank binding

Flutter Wrap SAL day 5 | Add neckline binding and waist ties

Flutter Wrap SAL day 6 | Finish skirt

Flutter Wrap SAL day 7 | Winners announcement

Flutter Wrap SAL day 6

Welcome to the last sewing day of the sew along! What a fun week! Today we add the bottom flounce flounce or hem the dress/shirt.

If you opted for the no flounce style, start by hemming the vertical raw edge first. Fold it 1/2″ and stitch it down with a zig zag stitch, a  coverstitch or twin needles.  Before you start, take a look over our Hemming blog because we have a few tips for easy and successful hemming. If you are finishing the bottom hem using twin needles, a good refresher blog is the P4P University Twin Needles Tips.

For my dress, I went with the flounce hem. Start by creating the very long flounce by sewing the pieces together as instructed in the pattern. If you added the neckline flounce yesterday, you will be doing a very similar process today. Once the flounce is created you will add it to the raw hem, right sided together. The ratio is 1:1 so you will not be stretching the dress or the flounce.

All done! All you have left to do is enjoy your gorgeous creation and show it off…you know… “I made it!” 😉

You can see today’s video below! Once you finish your dress or shirt snap a photo of it (modeled or not) and post it in the comments of day 6 photo of the Flutter Wrap Sew Along album in the SAL FB group. We will be choosing the two winners from the photos in the comments! Once you do your check in, please do share your work in the main Patterns for Pirates FB group too.

 

Flutter Wrap SAL day 1 | Print and cut pattern

Flutter Wrap SAL day 2 | Cut fabric

Flutter Wrap SAL day 3 | Sew back, shoulder and side seams

Flutter Wrap SAL day 4 | Sew sleeves or tank binding

Flutter Wrap SAL day 5 | Add neckline binding and waist ties

Flutter Wrap SAL day 6 | Finish skirt

Flutter Wrap SAL day 7 | Winners announcement

Flutter Wrap SAL day 5

Ahoy, pirates! Today’s steps will be adding the neckline binding and creating & attaching the ties. Pretty easy! Start by pressing the binding 1/4″ inch along one of the long edges. Set that aside if you are adding the neck flounce.

Create the long neckline flounce by sewing the pieces right sides together as instructed in the pattern. Make sure you attach the flounce 1/2″ away from the ends. Once this step is completed, add the neckline binding right sides together with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Remember, the binding is not visible on the outside of the dress. 

Last thing we need to do today is to create the two ties. Take the long tie and fold it in half, lengthwise, right sides together. Sew along one of the short ends and the long one, turn inside out. It is very important that you attach the long tie to the side where you have the side opening.

Day 5 video is posted below, take a look. When you finished today’s steps post a picture of your progress in the comments of day 5 photo of the Flutter Wrap sal album in the M4M/P4P Sew Along group on Facebook.

 

 

Flutter Wrap SAL day 1 | Print and cut pattern

Flutter Wrap SAL day 2 | Cut fabric

Flutter Wrap SAL day 3 | Sew back, shoulder and side seams

Flutter Wrap SAL day 4 | Sew sleeves or tank binding

Flutter Wrap SAL day 5 | Add neckline binding and waist ties

Flutter Wrap SAL day 6 | Finish skirt

Flutter Wrap SAL day 7 | Winners announcement

Flutter Wrap SAL day 4

Welcome to day four of the Flutter Wrap sew along! Today we add the sleeves or, if you selected the tank option, add the arm bindings. For my dress I decided to go with the flutter style. All sleeves will be added in the round.

  • For the short, 3/4 and long sleeves start by pressing a memory a 1/2 hem. Fold the sleeve right side together and sew the raw edges with a stretch stitch or you serger. Hem the sleeve…see how easy it is to stitch now that you have a memory hem done? 😉
  • If you opted for the tank style, start by pressing the binding 1/4″ along one of the long ends. This step will make it so “hassle free” when you fold the binding inside the arm opening.
  • The flutter style sleeve will not be hemmed. You will need to finish the serger thread tail. You can read about some of my favorite ways to finish the serger stitch here.

My flutter sleeves process in the video below. As always, once you complete today’s steps, post a picture of the shirt/dress in the comments of day 4 photo of the Flutter Wrap SAL album.

 

Flutter Wrap SAL day 1 | Print and cut pattern

Flutter Wrap SAL day 2 | Cut fabric

Flutter Wrap SAL day 3 | Sew back, shoulder and side seams

Flutter Wrap SAL day 4 | Sew sleeves or tank binding

Flutter Wrap SAL day 5 | Add neckline binding and waist ties

Flutter Wrap SAL day 6 | Finish skirt

Flutter Wrap SAL day 7 | Winners announcement

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