Hepburn Top and Dress : : New Pattern Release!!

August 13, 2019

We’re so excited to share the newest patterns in the P4P collection… the Hepburn Top and Dress will take you from summer crop to winter turtleneck dress and everything in between! All the options will have you creating a huge variety of timeless wardrobe staples.

: Hepburn- Youth

These patterns are a slim fit silhouette great for flattering your figure and also amazing for versatility because you can tuck them in or layer easily during colder weather. The classic details will never go out of trend including the side seam split and turtleneck options. The simplicity of the garment means it’s a quick and easy sew while the look is very polished! By using different fabrics and options you can come out with an athletic looking crop or a holiday party dress! The possibilities are endless <3

Drafted for a high stretch knit fabric some of our favorites were rayon ribbed knits, rayon spandex blends, poly rayon spandex blends, double brushed poly, single brushed poly, cotton lycra, athlethic spandex knits (we even used swim for a rashguard top!), and of course sweater knits!

Options include: hemmed neckline, mock turtleneck, fold over turtleneck, tank, short sleeve, 3/4 sleeve, long sleeve hemmed, long sleeve with cuff (both regular and fold over style), crop, shirt, above knee dress, and below knee/ midi dress lengths.

**Want to learn more about how to measure yourself for this pattern? We’ve got you covered with an in-depth blog HERE. And in case you’re new to Patterns for Pirates and PDF patterns in general, we have a great blog full of new-user tips HERE to help you get started! As with all of our current releases and updates, the pdfs now include our layers feature and can be found in Letter, A4 and A0 sizes. And for even more helpful fun, we have a *free* printable that you can use to help record your measurements as you take them.

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

HEMMED NECKLINE / MOCK TURTLENECK / FOLD OVER TURTLENECK

: Hemmed Neckline

: Mock Turtleneck

: Fold Over Turtleneck

YOUTH— HEMMED NECKLINE / MOCK TURTLENECK / FOLD OVER TURTLENECK

: Hemmed Neckline

: Mock Turtleneck

: Fold Over Turtleneck

CROP / SHIRT / ABOVE KNEE / MIDI LENGTH

: Crop

: Shirt

: Above Knee

: Below Knee/ Midi

YOUTH—CROP / SHIRT / ABOVE KNEE / MIDI LENGTH

: Crop

: Shirt

: Above Knee Dress

: Below Knee/ Midi Dress

TANK / SHORT SLEEVE / 3/4 SLEEVE / LONG SLEEVE (HEMMED, CUFF, FOLD OVER CUFF)

: Tank

: Short Sleeve

: 3/4 Sleeve

: Long Sleeve Hemmed

: Long Sleeve Cuffed

YOUTH— TANK / SHORT SLEEVE / 3/4 SLEEVE / LONG SLEEVE (HEMMED, CUFF, FOLD OVER CUFF)

: Tank

: Short Sleeve

: 3/4 Sleeve

: Long Sleeve Hemmed

: Long Sleeve Cuffed

SIDE SEAM SPLIT DETAIL

: Shirt

: Above Knee

: Below Knee/ Midi

YOUTH— SIDE SEAM SPLIT DETAIL

: Shirt

: Above Knee

: Below Knee

What about a little fabric choice inspiration?? One of the most common questions when we release a new pattern is what we suggest as the best fabrics. So, here are some of our favorites during testing:

ATHLETIC KNIT AND COTTON SPANDEX

: Performance Knit

: Performance Knit

: Cotton Spandex

: Cotton Spandex

FRENCH TERRY AND JERSEY

: Rayon French Terry

: Rayon French Terry

: Poly Rayon Jersey

: Bamboo Rayon Spandex

: Viscose Jersey

RIBBED KNITS

: Ribbed Knit

: Ribbed Knit

: Ribbed Knit

: Ribbed Knit

DOUBLE BRUSHED POLY

: DBP

: DBP

: DBP

: DBP

SWEATER KNITS / WAFFLE KNITS

: Sweater Knit

: Sweater Knit

: Waffle Knit

: Waffle Knit

VELVET AND LACE

: Crushed Velvet

: Velvet

: Velvet

: Velvet

: Stretch Lace/ Rayon Spandex Lining

I can’t wait to see what varieties everyone makes! Go grab your pattern(s) now!

HEPBURN | HEPBURN – YOUTH | HEPBURN BUNDLE

Need more convincing? Just take a look at this pattern on all of the amazing shapes and sizes of our testers, and get a look at more examples of all the options in our albums in the P4P Facebook group!

Hepburn Album | Hepburn -Youth Album

And if that didn’t give you enough options, make sure to check out the hacks post to help take your patterns even further.

The release sale (no code needed) will be through Monday, August 19, 2019 (11:59PM US Central Time Zone).

Happy Sewing, pirates!

Wiggle Dress – easy hacks

October 24, 2017

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Separates

The full-length mermaid-esque dress is gorgeous, but maybe you want to pair it with a different top or choose different fabrics? With this simple hack, you can create a gorgeous set and wear them as separates. For the skirt, cut along the crop cutline. Stitch the center back seam and each side seam. Using the cropped band measurement and instructions, attach to the top edge of the skirt. Easy peasy!

How cute is Katy in this Ariel inspired Haloween outfit!

And seriously, how amazing is this sequin skirt!!

…..

Color-Block Bodice

Keeping with the concept of separates, but perhaps you still wanted a dress. Doing a color-block bodice gives you a chance to mix up your fabrics. Since there is already a crop cutline on the pattern pieces that hits at the natural waist, we will be using that as a guideline. Re-trace the crop cutline 1/2″ above and below it to create your seam allowance on both the front and back pattern pieces. Cut your new top bodice and bottom skirt from both front and back. For the back, you will have 2 back top bodices (mirror image) and 2 back bottom skirt (mirror image) pieces. For assembly, with right sides together, stitch with a 1/2″ seam allowance the front bodice to the front skirt. Repeat for both back bodice and skirt pieces. Continue construction as provided int he pattern. 🙂

…..

Decorative Button Back

Adding embellishments to your dress can give it some extra special details that will set it apart from the next. Since the pattern is drafted for stable knits, you do not need a zipper or functional buttons to put it on, so these buttons are purely for decorative reasons. I love the finishing touch it gives the back. Using the center back seam as a guideline, I hand stitched pearl buttons every 1/2″. I used the zipper lengths as mentioned in the tutorial as a guide where to end my button placement. For this version, I used a total of 13 buttons. ”

…..

Straps for off the shoulder

Love the off the shoulder but hate wearing strapless bras? No problem! Let’s add some cute straps to the Wiggle off the shoulder dress that will cover your bra straps. Print the off the shoulder option of the pattern and sew it up as per the pattern tutorial. Stop at the neckline finishing steps. Cut two pieces of fabric 4″x 9.5″. These will be your straps. The length of your straps may vary slightly based on the size you make.

Fold the straps lengthwise and sew them side with a 1/2″ seam allowance.

Turn the straps inside out and press them with the seam in the center.

For perfect straps placement, try the dress on with your favorite bra. Mark with a pin or a clip where the bra straps will be.

Sew the straps to the dress with the right sides together. Finish the neckline as per the pattern tutorial.

That’s all! You now have yet a new style of the new Wiggle dress!

…..

Sleeveless

The Wiggle Dress is already packed with soo many options and great for every season but I don’t know about anyone else but summer here is HOT!! I can not handle any type of sleeves at all so a sleeveless version of the Wiggle dress would be what I would want for summer and lucky for me it is a really quick and easy hack. Let’s get started.

First, you are going to cut all your pieces except for your sleeves. You do not need to modify the armscye at all for this hack so just cut your front and back as usual. Sew the shoulder seams and side seams as directed in the pattern, but skip the section for adding a sleeve. Next, you will iron and pin your armscye to the wrong side 1/2″ inch as shown below. Topstitch using your favorite stretch stitch.

Now just finish up the dress or top as instructed in the pattern and you’re done. Quick, right!?

…..

Full Zipper Back

As soon as I saw the Wiggle dress I knew I had to make a full zipper back! So I took it up a notch and bought a dual zipper. This style zipper opens at the top and bottom. You can add this zipper to the high back, low back or even the off the shoulder option as well as the above, bellow or midi length. Just make sure the zipper you use is long enough! As a point of reference, I used a 48″ zipper for the high back, midi length style.

Start by marking the hem on the center back seam.

Add a strip of 1/4″ Wonder Tape to the center back seam, 1.4″ away from the edge. Start at the point you marked above and stop 1/2″ away from the top.

Repeat with the other back piece.

Remove the paper backing of the Wonder tape and adhere the zipper right sides together. Sew in place with a 1/2″ seam allowance.

Zip up the zipper and place the other side of the back piece, right sides together, making sure that the bottom and top match.

Sew in place and top stitch.

Now that you have your back piece ready, sew the dress as per the tutorial. You will be enclosing the zipper in the bottom hem as shown below.

All done! Now all you have to decide is where the next date night will be! 🙂

I loved the idea of a full-length zipper like Alex showed us above, but when it came to finding one locally, I wasn’t able to get one the length I needed. I did find a chunky zipper that would be perfect to use as an exposed zipper and just so happened to work out that it’s finished length was about knee length. I opted to go with the midi length and do a split hem at the center back. You will install your zipper the same as you would in the tutorial, except place it on the RIGHT side of the fabric with the wrong side of the zipper centered along the back seam.

: Place zipper on top of the center back seam.

: Pin in place and topstitch.

: View from Back

: Fold the remaining center back seam to the wrong side and topstitch.

…..

Lace Applique

I’ll be honest, Judy created this dress while we were pre-testing and I had to replicate it. Adding a lace applique is super easy but adds a super sexy and classic flair. For this particular version, the lace extends along the entire side seam, so I constructed my bodice first, added the lace to the top, then sewed my sleeves on so that the lace was enclosed in the armscye. You can, of course, add lace wherever you’d prefer, such as the neckline or bottom hem but I love the silhouette the wide stripe gave from the front and back. I used a fairly narrow zig-zag stitch down the center seam and along each edge of the stretch lace trim. Be sure to keep your lace taut as you sew along the waist and hip curves.

…..

Front Leg Slit

What sexy dress doesn’t include a slit! Show off those legs and add a front slit to your wiggle.

: Try on your dress and mark where and how high you would like your slit. For reference, mine is 24″ from bottom hem (just above the knee) and is about half the distance from the center (1/4 point).

: Cut the slit.

: Cut 2 binding strips 1 1/4″ by the length of your slit.

: With right sides together and using a 1/4″ seam allowance, stitch binding to each side of the slit.

: Fold the binding to the wrong side.

: Fold the raw edge down to the previously sewn stitch line.

: Fold over to the wrong side again, and pin in place.

: Topstitch.

…..

Sweetheart/Wiggle Mash

We couldn’t end this epic hacks series without a Wiggle dress/Sweetheart mash up. I just had to make myself a black velvet and lace long dress. We all need one in our closets, right?

This mash is super easy. Simply take the front patterns of the wiggle dress and mark the sweetheart color-block lines using the Sweetheart dress top pattern piece. Don’t forget to add the seam allowance!

Sew the two front pieces (lace and velvet) as suggested in the Sweetheart pattern.

Once you do that simply follow the directions in the Wiggle Dress pattern to finish your dress. I used lace for my sleeves too. Since I didn’t have any black elastic and I certainly couldn’t use white elastic for the neckline, I used clear elastic instead. It worked like a charm!

Tadah! Just by adding a sexy sweetheart color block front, you took your Wiggle dress up a notch!

Holy Moly…. I think we covered just about every hack we could come up with to take The Wiggle Dress to the next level (if it wasn’t already on its own)! Make a Wiggle? Hop on over to the Facebook Group, and share your makes, we’d love to see it!

Brunch Blouse:: New Pattern Release!

September 14, 2017

The Summer of Wovens has brought some pants with the Linen Loungers, an updated Everyday Elegance Top and Sweet Bow Dress… and now we give you the perfect top for your apparel wovens, the Brunch Blouse!

We also did it in youth for those with littles.

And, as always we gave you a deal if you wanted both in a bundle listing!

They are both fitted through chest/bust and looser through waist and hip. They are the perfect casual event top and dress! Use up those gorgeous wovens in your stash or you see at the store and have the perfect thing for that next baby shower, birthday party, brunch with the girls…it even works great for your work or church rotations.

**Want to learn more about how to measure yourself for this pattern? We’ve got you covered with an in-depth blog HERE. And in case you’re new to Patterns for Pirates and PDF patterns in general, we have a great blog full of new user tips HERE to help you get started! And, as with all of our current releases and updates, the pdfs now include our layers feature and can be found in Letter, A4 and A0 sizes.

Lets go over ALL the options!

They include a dolman style short sleeve, cap sleeve and tank.

Shirt length:

Tunic/Curved Hem:

And Dress Length:

They both include a henley option:

Chest Pockets:

Short Sleeve Cuffs and Button Tabs:

Waist Ties:

The neckline and tank are finished with single fold bias binding to the inside:

Both have a center back seam:

Youth has a button and loop closure on the back while women’s is a simple pull on with no closure.

Don’t forget you can check out this pattern on all shapes and sizes and get a look at more examples of all the options in our albums in the P4P Facebook group! Here is the women’s Brunch Blouse Album and the youth Bitty Brunch Blouse Album.

The sale price will last through Sunday September 17th (midnight US Central time zone) so grab it while you can get that awesome price!

And if that wasn’t enough options, be sure to check out our Brunch Blouse Hacks HERE.

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!

Spice Cake Dolman Pattern Release!

October 6, 2016

Are you ready for fall? We most definitely are!! One of the fall favorites for women is the Pumpkin Spice Dolman and with mommy and me fashion becoming ever so popular, it was only time we added the mini version to the girl’s pattern line up. We’ve actually had this planned for awhile but what better time to release it than in the fall! We’d like to thank So Sew English Fabrics for sponsoring this pattern and providing us with some gorgeous fabrics!

So, with that, meet Spice Cake!

This is a loose fitting dolman sleeve, loose through the chest, waist and semi-fitted at booty and is perfect paired with some skinny jeans or leggings. The extra wide “bat-wing” is on trend and fit in with modern boutique style tops. Some favorite fabrics choices are rayon spandex, brushed poly, French Terry spandex, sweater knits and jersey. I personally love the lighter-weight knits because the dolman sleeve drapes so nicely but you can get away using a very wide array of knits. The elbow patches can be made from any fabric and is a great way to add some extra punch to your girls’ top!

Packed with the same options as the Pumpkin Spice Dolman, The Spice Cake includes:

3 Sleeve Options: Banded Short Sleeve, hemmed 3/4 and long sleeves.
4 Hem Options: Straight Hem, Short and Tall Banded and curved.
Elbow Patches

Short Sleeve:

3/4 Sleeve:

Long Sleeve:

Straight Hem:

Short Banded:

Tall Banded:

Curved Hem:

Elbow Patches:

T-shirt Neckband and Turned Facing Options:

There you have it! Now, go grab the Spice Cake for your mini!!

Don’t have the Pumpkin Spice Dolman yet? Grab both for a special bundled price HERE.

Be sure to head over to the P4P Facebook Group and check out the tester albums for more inspiration and share your beautiful creations!

Timeless Tunic and Tiny Timeless-Pattern Release!!

September 13, 2016

I’m asked for more patterns drafted for non-stretch woven fabrics all the time! And although my heart will always sing for those quick knits 😉 I do love a nice woven top or dress too!

So without further ado, let me introduce the Timeless Tunic and the youth version the Tiny Timeless (because Baby Girl needs to match Mama sometimes)! We also have them bundled together for a discount in the Timeless Bundle! All will be on sale through Sunday 9/18/2016 US Central Time Zone.

I love a softer drape for my own tops. I feel like the drape gives a more flattering silhouette. Personal favorites are rayon challis, crepe, peachskin, poly chiffon and voile. But, I drafted it so that you can get away with using a stiffer woven like a chambray or flannel without loosing too much of the glamour! Now you will have a great, timeless pattern that allows you to use up that gorgeous woven fabric you’ve been hoarding for that “perfect pattern”! (ah ah ahhhhhhhhhh…)

Both include the same options:

Tank– Perfect for warmer weather or for a nice layering piece. I loved to wear a nice silky tank under a cardigan!

Short Sleeve– A bit more coverage, but still great for warmer weather and layering!

3/4 Sleeve– A great transition length that you can wear year round.

Long Sleeve- Take this length into the colder months no problem! A lot of our testers loved the longer sleeve paired with a cozy flannel!

Top/Shirt Length- Cute, comfy, and easy to wear!

Curved Tunic Length- My personal favorite 🙂 It’s flattering and has some coverage but still looks trendy and put together. Younger girls love that curved tunic for pairing with skinnies or leggings!

Dress Length- Meant to hit about 2″ above knee (a super flattering length on all shapes) you can make it casual everyday or sew it up in a nicer fabric and pair with heels to dress it up!

So, just how versatile is this pattern? It can really be styled up or down so many ways you could wear this anywhere!

This is such a classic look you can make it a casual, everyday/play look:

Maybe a casual date, girls meet up, or shopping day:

Use something a bit nicer and you have a great office or work wear attire staple. Send your littles in it for school ceremonies or picture day:

It’s the perfect style for a shower or party! Perfect for those adorable border prints as well!

You can even do a great silky fabric and make a more formal version:

Warning though, doing this dress in a fabulous silky leopard print can really make you feel glamourous!! This little one had some great modeling poses in her fancy dress!! Don’t we all love to feel beautiful! <3 <3 <3

I hope you enjoy this new pattern as much as we all do!

The Timeless Tunic and Tiny Timeless will be a great weapon to pull out when you or your little one find that perfect woven fabric!

Siren and Hello Sailor Hacks

April 25, 2016

We couldn’t help ourselves to a few hacks to the new Siren Swim Top and Hello Sailor Swim Bottoms during testing! We loved them so much we decided to share a few of our favorite quick and easy mods.

The Double Strap Hack: (My favorite! I couldn’t stop using this one 😉 )

This one is super simple and quick! You have 4 straps per cutting instructions. Instead of sewing them right sides together to create 2 straps, we sewed each strap folded in half width-wise down the long edge.

Turn right sides out.

And place both side by side on the top pick ups.

The Double, Straight and Cross Strap Hack:

Then we had even more fun doing one set of straight straps and one set of criss-cross straps… cute right?!?!? Just baste and double check you have them all placed correctly before finalizing the stitching! I slipped swim elastic inside this navy/white top straps for more support. It also keeps the straps in place and hold their shape (not get folded or wrinkled up).

Fringe Hack:

The only change during construction is that I did not sew the flounce into the side seam.

Once the top was compete I began in the center and used my rotary blade and clear quiting ruler to cut 1/4″ strips up to the seam line. I continued all across the top, keeping my slits straight. I wont lie though, it was REALLY late and I was tired… I threw the ruler aside and went at it all crazy!

I went back with scissors and clipped all the way up through the pick ups (I couldn’t get my roatary up that far without cutting through the main top pieces.

It was crazy windy on our picture day with my cousin (isn’t she the cutest?!?!) so we only caught a few where the fringe wasn’t wildly blowing around! You could do the slits as small as your patience allows for and you could also tug them a bit to let the knit curl to hide some imperfections too! It’s a fun, flirty mod! I hope you don’t mind the other watermark on her pictures, my amazing sister took these photos and edited for me :).

Double Flounce Hack:

Creating the double flounce is as simple as cutting 2 of the front and back flounce pieces. I just kind of eyeballed how much shorter I wanted the top layer flounce but ended up cutting about 1.5″ off the front and 1″ off the back. Depending on your size, you could also use a smaller size length as a guide. Be sure to keep the side seams the same length on both the front and back flounce of the layer you cut. For construction, I basted the two layers together to help keep them together as it is a little trickier to stitch 5 layers of fabric.

HELLO SAILOR BOTTOMS

Piping Detail Hack:

This adds a bit of visual interest to those paneled options! Just cut strips at least as long as your seam where your front center and front side panels meet. The width is a personal preference, but you will need double what you’d like your finished width, plus double the seam allowance (3/4″). I choose 1/4″ finished width for mine, so I cut a strip 1 1/4″ wide.

Fold strip width-wise and place right sides together matching raw edges along seam where front center and side panel meet.

Then place side panel on top and stitch with normal 3/8″ seam allowance. (You will be stitching through 4 layers of fabric)

I choose to top-stitch mine down along the folded edge.

I love the little, simple detail!

Separate Skirt Cover Up Hack:

I created a separate skirt for my cousin to use as a cover up! I just cut 1 extra waistband than the pattern calls for and sewed it to the skirt just like the waistband (folded with right sides together along the top raw edge.)

Now she can slip on the skirt when she’s walking around and take it off when she’s ready to really go swimming 🙂

One-Piece Hack:

For some, a two piece suit is not their style, so we hacked the Siren Swim Top and Hello Sailor to create an on trend one piece. You will construct your top and bottom as in the tutorial but will not attach your bottom band of the top or the waistband of the bottoms. I chose to keep the bottom band of the top for extra support, but you can omit if you choose. We will be connecting the top and bottom with a connector piece so you do not need the waistband of the bottoms. Try on your top and bottom.

To determine the length of the connector piece, measure the distance between the raw edge of your top and the top edge of your bottoms at center front and center back. You may need to find someone to help you with the back ;). Add double the seam allowance (0.75″) My gap was about 3″ so the length of my connector piece was 3.75″. I used the waistband measurement for the width of the band as I wanted it to be held tight there. Note: if your hip is much wider than your under-bust and waist, it will be difficult to pull up over your hips so you may need to shimmy it on!

Connecting the top and bottom is the same construction as the bottom band and waistband but you will be using the connector piece instead. Stitch short ends of the connector piece and bottom band. On the bottom band only, fold with wrong sides together.

Matching raw edges and wrong side facing up, slip bottom band over connector piece. You should have 3 layers of fabric. Mark in 1/4s and with right sides together, match raw edges of the connector piece to the Siren Top. Stitch. Flip open and press seam down.

Turn your Hello Sailor bottoms inside out. Matching raw edges of the connector piece, with right sides together, slip your Siren Top inside the bottom. Be sure to match the front of your top with the front of your bottoms. Stitch.

Women’s Raglan Nursing Mod

January 19, 2016

If you’re a nursing mom, you know that there are not many fashionable and functional tops out there for nursing that are reasonably priced. After having my little one last year, I quickly realized I wanted a nursing hoodie. I usually just wore a camisole and did the pull up method, but with a hoodie or sweater, that’s not quite as easy. I searched a few sites for inspiration and came up with a mod that works great for the looser relaxed cut tops. We just so happen to be testing the raglan add on pack at the time, so I used the Women’s Raglan as my base. This mod works best with thicker, more stable knits like French Terry, jegging (what I used in the tutorial), fleeced back knit, cotton Lycra, Ponte de Roma and so on. If using a knit with poor recovery, you will want to invest in some clear elastic.

First, you will cut two (2) Front pattern pieces on the FOLD. One will be your under layer and only needs to be about half the length. Measure from armpit to a couple inches below your bust. My example is approximately 9″ from armpit to bottom edge.

UNDER LAYER: Cut a “V” from about 2″ from bottom edge to top. You can also keep fabric on the fold and cut a diagonal line to create the “V”. Since knit does not unravel, you can choose to either leave the V and bottom edge raw, or finish the edges with your preferred method. You can also add a band at the bottom edge. I would recommend measuring the width and subtracting a couple of inches. This will help tighten the under layer and keep it under your bust.

TOP LAYER: Cut a semi-circle from each side. (tip: cutting the curves while the fabric is still on the fold will keep them equal) My curves start at approximately 4″ from neckline to 7″ from armpit however, you can adjust the curve to your liking based on your bust size and how deep you would like them.

Fold under curve 1/2″ to the wrong side and finish using a stretch stitch, zig zag or cover stitch. If your knit is less stable with poor recovery, add clear elastic in the hem for extra stability.

Place top layer wrong side to right side of the under layer. (my picture shows opposite, as I later decided to use the wrong side of the fabric as the right side of my finished garment.) Baste neckline and side seams.

This is now your new front piece. Continue construction of the raglan as shown in the tutorial. Finished product = An awesome nursing friendly hoodie or sweater! Once you’re done nursing you can go back and topstitch the curves closed and have an added design detail that no one would ever know it was for nursing.

Followed this nursing hack? Or came up with something of your own? We would love to see it! Share your latest make on the Patterns for Pirates facebook group!

FST/LMU Mash Nursing Hack

November 25, 2015

I love the FST and LMU mash for after baby. It makes me feel stylish, put together and comfortable! The loose aline look hides any left over baby belly and the tighter top doesn’t feel you leaving frumpy.

For this hack I essentially did a double layer body. I can lift up the top layer and have the bottom layer covering my back/belly during nursing. And it looks like a perfectly “normal” everyday shirt! 🙂

I made mine completely doubled because we are going into winter here and I didn’t mind the added warmth. If I was making this for spring or summer months I would probably tinker with a faux double layer for the back piece.

I cut 2 front and back pieces.

Then took 1 front piece to modify for the under layer. I measured on myself from the neckline to under my bust (I did happen to have on the same shirt, so I didn’t even need to guess where the neckline hit ;)). Then I transferred that measurement to the front center and curved up to the armpit.

Since the FST flares out under the bust it was a little loose there. So I added a thin elastic to the raw edge. I just held the elastic taute (not tight) on my body from seam to seam (again, I happen to be wearing this shirt, so there was no guessing!). This way the two layers would have the same finish length–without the elastic holding up the center it would droop lower then the top layer. As well as not worry about holding it up while nursing–bonus :).

I choose to put my elastic on the right side of my under layer, because I didn’t want to feel it against my skin. But you can put it on the wrong side so that it is hidden when you nurse– whatever you prefer! You will need to stretch the elastic to fit the curve. I serged mine on, but any stretch stitch will work! It will line up right at the armpit.

I sewed the shoulder seams and sleeves on like normal. Then when going down the side seams I kept the main body layers seperate (so you can lift the top layer freely). It is a bit tricky right at the armpit, but just go slowly and remember you wont be showing anyone the inside of your armpit seam! 😉

Now for hemming, I choose to hem the top layer completely normal with a 1″ allowance.

For the under layer I choose to add a pretty lace trim to stick out longer then the top layer. I wanted the seam hidden, so I trimmed off 1″ from the bottom.

I serged my lace on right sides together trimming off about 1/2″ of both shirt and lace (the top of the lace that was blank).

Then flipped up and top-stitched (I didn’t want that seam flipping and showing through the dainty lace trim!). So, I trimmed 1″ and took off another 1/2″. This means my seam on the under layer should be 1/2″ above the hemmed edge of my top layer and the lace will peek out below.

I attached the neckband normally catching both layers on the back piece and top layer of the front piece.

Tada! I love my new warm winter nursing friendly shirt! It screams fashionable and not I’m nursing! 🙂 When you’re done nursing you can still wear it as is… or cut out the under layer!

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