Patterns for Pirates

P4P stylish, modern, wearable patterns

Vintage Jumper – Easy Hacks

The Vintage Romper is here and we couldn’t be more excited to share with you the blog team’s take on some easy hacks. Grab your patterns and let’s get started!

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Pants/skirt

Do you love shorts like we love shorts?! Then you’re in the right place. I’m going to spend a little time today showing you how to hack the new Vintage Romper into a shorts or skirt only piece. It couldn’t be easier and I have even filmed a little tutorial showing you how to adapt the waistband pattern piece and then put the waistband together too, which you can find here:

However, if you like it old skool here is the written blog post. 

 

First you will want to cut out your skirt or pants pieces as per the regular tutorial. Then take your waistband piece and double the height of it. I used the Youth pattern to make mine and this measured 2 inches in height so I doubled it to make it 4 inches tall and then cut the length out as usual. I wasn’t going to use the strap pieces so I extended the waistband height out over the strap piece here, just to save paper.  Cut your waistband lining piece out in the same way.

 

Waistband piece cut with the height doubled

 

shorts pieces, pockets, waistband outer and lining.

You will then have your pants/shorts/skirt pieces; pockets if using; extended waistband pieces; interfacing if using.  Construct the rest of your garment as usual until you get to the section where you have to attach the waistband. You will attach the waistband as per the tutorial, the only difference being you don’t have the bib and straps to sandwich between the outer and lining of the waistband pieces. So you will attach the waistband outer right sides together with the pants/skirt.

Waistband with overhang

You will have an overhang of the waistband over the edge of the pants piece .  This is correct, it enables you to attach a fastening for the top of the waistband at the end, like a button and buttonhole or poppers. Then sew the lining right sides together with the outer, up one short edge, along the top and down the other short edge.

 Clip your corners, turn it through.

 

Topstitching after pressing

Press and topstitch around the entire waistband. 

Then finish off your garment as per the regular tutorial instructions and you’re done!

We style them with tights, Doc Martins and a crop length Hepburn. I loved it so much on the shorts I had to do it for the skirt too!  

Anyone else find that their child turns into a karate expert as soon as you turn on a camera?!

Obviously you can also just sew this up with the regular height of the original waistband too. The choice is all yours! 

 

Happy sewing! 

 

Dana x

 

 

Front zipper

Up next we wanted to show you a different style jumper that can be achieved with the new Vintage pattern. Let’s add a zipper to the front instead of the side. This a s great opportunity to show off your favorite zippers and pulls. For my example I am using zipper by the yard with a fun rainbow finish zipper pull. I also went with a Doodles French Terry instead of stretch woven. Cut your pattern as instructed in the tutorial. You will make two changes. Remove the part of the waistband beyond the notch on both ends. Repeat for the waistband lining. The other modification would be for the bib. Cut two 2 mirror images instead of 1 set mirror pieces and the lining on fold.

After sewing the darts on the back pants pieces, sew the back crotch seam and the two side seams. The pants will not be sewn at the front crotch just yet.

Prepare the bib by sewing the left side main and lining piece right sides together along the top and slanted side raw edge. Repeat for the ride side bib. You will now have two bib piece that will have raw edges on the vertical center seam and bottom.

Attach the main print waistband to the pants right sides together by matching the center to the center back and the raw edged to the front raw front seam.

Pin the straps matching the strap placement notches. Place the bib on the top edge of the waistband, right sides together matching the raw edges. Repeat on the other side with the other half of the bib. Place the lining on top, right side down, sandwiching the bib in between the main and lining waistband. Stitch in place.

Mark the place of the zipper stop on the wrong sides of the fabric. Place the front of the jumper right sides together matching the front raw edge. Baste in place from the top to the marked point and sew in place down from that point along the front crotch seam. Attach the zipper using the same technique as in the Vintage Jumper tutorial.

Finish your jumper by attaching the straps to the front and hemming. All done! I can’t wait to see your take on this hack.

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Overall buckles

Love the Vintage Jumper, but you’re terrified of button holes? Never fear! Buckles are here!

Adding buckles as a button replacement is an easy and super cute hack… no extra sewing involved!

For the Vintage Jumper, you’ll need 1 ¼” buckles. I ordered mine from WAWAK and they came within 2 days, but you can also order from Amazon or pick them up in your local fabric store.

I’ve put together a video tutorial, but if you prefer written instructions, just scroll a bit further!

Mark your button placement on the bib with tailor’s chalk, 1” from the top and side edge of the bib.

Take your button post and push it through the backside of your bib, at your chalk mark, going through all layers of your fabric.

Protecting the front side of your button (as I’ve done here with a simple cloth bag), hammer the button post into the button.

Thread your straps through the buckles, starting with the top…

Running through the bottom…

Back through the middle…

And behind the front of the strap, back through the top loop.

Give yourself plenty of play in your straps to make fit adjustments

5.     Adjust the straps to your preference and you’re done!

I have always loved overalls! I am so glad to have this updated pair in my wardrobe. As with all Patterns for Pirates makes, you can’t stop with one. I already have the fabric ready to make another pair soon.

I hope you enjoy your new jumper!!

Rachel

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Skip the Zip

If you’d rather skip the zip you can choose a fabric with high stretch and recovery and slip it on/off. It’s a very simple modification, just make sure your fabric is stretchy enough to slip on and off with the snug waistband at natural waist. You will want a fabric that is more stable and can “hold” that waistband shape nicely. Or you can add some 1″ elastic into the waistband to help keep the shape.

Cut out all your pieces the same, except the waistband. You will need to trim off the extra 1″ on each end since we will not have them overlapping for a button. If you’re adding elastic I cut mine just slightly shorter then my new waistband piece so it would be snug to her waist.

Instead of sewing your zip into your side seam you’ll just stitch it up. Stitch your waistband pieces into a circle. If you are adding elastic sew it into a circle as well.

You will follow the same steps as the tutorial attaching the main waistband piece, sandwiching the straps and bib between the main and lining waistband, and top-stitching band. You will just be sewing in a complete circle rather then having the ends that overlap for a button.

All done, now you can just slip it on/off with no zip!

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Zipper Guard

If the feeling of the zipper on your skin bothers you- you can add a simple zipper guard quickly and easily. You will cut out 2 rectangles (you can curve the bottom edge if you’d like I did or leave it a rectangle) a little longer (1-2″) then your zipper and about 2″ wide.

Stitch your pieces right sides together along one long and short edge like a L (J if you curved your corner like me) shape. Trim seam allowance and flip right sides out. Press and stitch.

Place your zipper guard along the side seam with zipper with the raw edges aligned to the seam allowance of the front pant/skirt. Stitch guard to seam allowance (do not stitch through pant/skirt).

Pin in place from front. Stitch in the ditch along your zipper seam on the front pant/skirt through the zipper guard.

You can also continue to stitch in the ditch across the bottom and up just a little to help keep the guard in place when taking on/off. This is what it will look like after with the zipper guard keeping the zip from touching your skin:

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Add some Ears

Adding a little face and ears is always a way to make my daughter super happy with something I sew her. She requested a kitty for this one after seeing one similar at a store. It was such an easy little modification. I simple free-handed the ears… but we do have some ears in the Oversized Sweater-Youth pattern and I used the faces from our free Animal Faces for our Jolly Roger Raglan. I only freehanded the ears to make sure they fit perfectly and…. well… I didn’t want to print anything 😉

Stitch the ears up and sandwich them between the main and lining bib. Ta-da… that’s it! So cute and simple!

What an amazing line up! We look forward to seeing  your own “”hacked” Vintage Jumper  creations on Facebook and Insta.

Naughty Nice + Sugar Spice PJs :: Easy Hacks

Our newest pajama patterns are just so perfect for the holiday season, aren’t they? So if it’s a party, let’s make it a pajama party with some easy hacks that will add even more options to the Naughty Nice and Sugar Spice PJs you’ll be making.

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Zipper

 

Let’s start by switching the front of the Naughty Nice pajamas from a button/snap placket to a fun zipper. Fear not, it’s super easy! I personally find the zipper to take less time than adding all the snaps or buttons. Grab a 9″ zipper and let’s get started.

Sew the pajama as instructed in the tutorial, except for the neckband. You won’t be using the one in the tutorial, you’ll make a new neckband.

Lay your zipper right side down on the front opening. The to of the sipper will be at the curve. Sew it as close to the zipper teeth as possible. Using a zipper foot will make this easy.

Repeat the process on the other side of the zipper.

On the wrong side of the fabric, sew a straight stitch where the fabric and zipper meet and remove excess zipper.

Now that we added the zipper we need to create a new neckband. With the zipper closed measure the neck opening. I like to lay mine flat but you can measure anyway you feel comfortable.

Cut your neckband 85% of the neckline opening plus 1″ for seam allowance by 2.5 inches. Fold your neckband widthwise and round your open edge to resemble a henley neckband. Open then neckband and fold it lengthwise, wrong sides together. Give it a good press and mark the back and the quarter points.

Mark the quarter points on the neckline opening. With the zipper open, pin (or clip) the neckband in place.

Attach the neckband using a stretch stitch. Optionally, top stitch. I actually like to topstitch around the neckline and zipper right now, using a continuous stitch.

All done! You can use the same technique to add a front zipper to the Sugar and Spice PJs too. You will just have to adjust the zipper length.

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Lace Up Front

Want to spice up the naughty version or just want some extra fun detail? Instead of snaps or buttons, use grommets/eyelets on the front neckline.  Use as many or as little as you prefer.  I chose to do 4 spaced about 1.5″ apart.  Use drawstring, ribbon, lace or our knit fabric to create the string and lace it up!

 

 

 

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Hood

When I was searching for inspiration for my Naughty Nice PJs, I kept coming across hooded versions of this same style pajama.  I’m not sure how comfortable a hood would be to sleep in, but to have a little extra coziness around you while you’re lounging around?  Sign me up!  Plus, I think this pattern will translate so amazingly well for costumes next Halloween, and a hood is always a good thing to be able to attach for those as well.

You can use your favorite hood piece from any pattern.  I chose to use the Women’s Henley hood piece.

Assemble your hood piece like you normally would.  I chose not to line mine and hem it instead.

You’ll need to take two measurements:
— The width of the bottom edge of your hood, where it will attach to your PJs.
— The full length of the neckline + placket opening.

You won’t be using the neckband piece that comes with the pattern.  Instead, you’ll need to do a little more math.

(Neckline Opening Measurement – Hood Width Measurement) / 2 + 1″ Seam Allowance

This will give you your new placket piece length.  You’ll want two of them, for either side of the openings.

With your placket pieces folded in half (wrong sides together), pin it along the front placket opening and stitch.  Repeat with the second placket piece on the opposite side.  Follow the instructions just like the Naughty Nice / Sugar Spice patterns call for, to finish the bottom of your placket pieces.

With right sides together, align your hood piece along the raw edges of the neck opening.  Pin and stitch.  You’re done!

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Leg Placket

 

The last easy hack we wanted to show you is geared towards the Sugar and Spice. We all know how changing a bitty’s diaper can be difficult when they get all wiggly, especially in the middle of the night. So I wanted to show you how to add leg plackets to make changing a little easier.

Make the pajamas as instructed in the tutorial but do not stitch the inseam. Instead, add the cuffs flats, right sides together.

Once you add the cuffs, your pajama legs will look like this.

Open the PJ legs and measure the front and back inseams.

Cut two strips of fabric and interfacing that will be the measured length plus 1″ by 2″ width. Add the interfacing to the placket, fold and press lengthwise.

Fold the placket pieces right sides together and sew a stitch along each short end. Use a 1/2″ seam allowance. Cut the seam allowance to about 1/8″ and turn outside out. Press.

Pin each placket strip to the leg opening, making sure you match the front placket to the front opening and the back placket to the back.

Stitch in place and top stitch. If you used a serger to add your plackets, take a look over this blog to see how to finish the serger tails.

All you have to do now is add your snaps. Space them about 1 – 1.5″ apart from each other.

All done! Now you have easy diaper change Sugar Spice Pajamas!

There you have it, 4 easy hacks to give your pajamas even more options! We can’t wait to see what your Naughty Nice and Sugar Spice Pajamas will be. Post your creations in the P4P group!

Alex, Nicole and Katy

SOS Knit Pants -easy hacks

Not only did the SOS Knit Pants get a facelift but we also released the mini version and added a few easy hacks. Here are some of the P4P team’s favorite mods you can do to get even more looks.

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Moto Hack

 

The SOS Knit Pants have been around awhile and there seems to be a never-ending request for a Moto style option.  With the revamp of the original pattern, we thought, what better time to take the Moto for a spin.  Rather than trying to make you figure out the pieces on your own, we decided to provide a full step by step tutorial, including pattern pieces…for FREE!  You can “purchase” the Moto Hack HERE.   These are definitely not a “quick-sew”, so be prepared to spend some time stitching all those pin-tucks, but seriously… how amazing are the final results!  (This is for the women’s version only at this time but don’t worry…we plan on releasing the same hack for the girls’ soon!)

 

 

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Contour Waistband

Admit it, you’ve been thinking about using the Peg Legs contour waistband that’s included in the free Add-On with all our pants patterns, haven’t you? Well, I have, so I wanted to show you how easy it is to replace the SOS elastic waistband with the contour one.

Cut your SOS Knit Pants fabric pieces without the elastic and the knit waistband. Print and cut the contour waistband included in the Peg Legs Add-On. Sew the knit pants and the contour waistband as instructed in their respective tutorials.

Tip: If you would like the extra tummy control you can add a layer of power mesh in between the lining and the main fabric of the contour waistband.

For my contour waistband, I used custom brushed poly so it is pretty thick. The lining is the same fabric so I did not add any power mesh.

Attach the contour waistband to the SOS pants the same way you would attach it to the Peg Legs.

Tadah! All done. All you have left to do now is enjoy your new contour waistband SOS knit pants.

Note: please note that the rise on the contour waistband SOS will finish a little higher than the original pattern.

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Shorts

SOS Knit Shorts is one of the most popular requests and probably one of the easiest modifications.  Determine your desired inseam and preferred hem allowance.  I chose to keep the 1″ hem (1/2″ folded twice) as shown in the pattern and a  5″ inseam.

Measure the length of your inseam, starting 1/2″ from the pattern line (for seam allowance) to your desired length.  Draw a horizontal line across the leg for both front and back.  Now that you have adjusted your inseam length we will make our hem gauge for the hem. Cutting the outward notch will allow the hem to lay flat once folded.  The angle of the gauge should be a mirror image of the seam just above it so that when its turned under it will lay flush.  Again, my hem allowance is 1″, if you choose to do a narrower or wider hem, you will want to make your hem gauge to match the same length of your hem allowance. This is super easy and can be done both skinny and straight leg options.  Now, you can customize your pants to any shorts length!

 

 

 

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Button/Snap Waistband

 

 

Most of the time, everyone raves about a “jean” with an elastic waistband that was accomplished with the SOS… I mean, other than leggings or sweats, what could possibly be more comfortable and look like real pants?  With a few simple steps, we’re going to transform the SOS to mimic real pants with a semi-functional waistband to give you an even more RTW jean/pant look!

 

First, add 1″ to the waistband and elastic measurements.  You’ll need that little extra so that the waistband overlaps one another.  Construct you pants as instructed in the tutorial except as follows:

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Zipper Accents

The SOS just screamed for a zipper detail so I made myself a pair using some pretty decorative lace zippers. Here’s how to achieve this look.

Print and cut the SOS knit pants pattern pieces and grab two lace zippers. I used 9″ ones. I did cut a calf length instead of the pattern’s ankle length because I had a remanent of this grey athletic fabric that I really, really wanted to use. It’s very easy to make 3/4 length SOS pants…just cut both the front and the back leg at the calf marking instead.

Using a fabric pen or tailor chalk, mark the top of the zipper on both the front and back side seam.

We will now be changing the construction of the pants a little. Sew the pockets and crotch curves as instructed in the tutorial. Sew the inseam next. Hem your SOS pants using a coverstitch or twin needles.

Now that the inseam and hem are done, you will sew the side seams. Using your serger or a stretch stitch sew the side seam, front and back, right sides together and STOP AT THE MARKED POINT. Using a basting stitch, sew from the marked point to the hem.

Place your zipper on the right side of the pants and pin pit n place. It is important to have the zipper teeth on the side seam.

Remove the basting stitches to make it easier to sew the zipper in place.

Using a zipper foot and a straight stitch, sew the zipper on, making sure you fold the lace under the hem.

All done! Now go to Pinterest for some more zipper skinnies inspiration, order yourself some lace zippers and get creating!

 

How’s that for more options? We hope you love the hacks as much as we do.  Sew up a pair of SOS Knit Pants using one of our hacks?  Be sure to share in the Facebook Group or tag us on Instagram (@patternsforpirates).

 

Alex, Katy & Nicole

Wiggle Dress – easy hacks

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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!!

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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. 🙂

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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. ”

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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!

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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!?

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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.

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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.

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Front Leg Slit

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

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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 – easy hacks

In true P4P fashion, we have a few easy, fun hacks for the Brunch Blouse. Grab the pattern here and get creating!

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Color Block Dress

First off I will show you how to achieve a color block look with the dress option of the Brunch Blouse. You can use the same principles for the top option, you will just need to adjust some measurements. Start by printing the pattern in the size you need. Now grab a ruler and some scissors or a rotary cutter (for paper only 😉 ) because we’ll do some cutting.

Take the front pattern piece and mark 1.5″ down from where the dart mark is. Now draw a horizontal line (perpendicular to the center fold). Measure the distance between this line and the bottom of the dress.

Divide the length in half and draw a horizontal line at the half way mark. You have now split the front in 3 separate pieces.

Measure the side seam from the bottom to the bottom colorblock line. Take your back piece and measure up on the side seam the same amount and mark it. Now draw a horizontal line on the back piece. We will be measuring the front middle part side seam now. Mark the point on the back piece from the bottom colorblock line to whatever the measurement was for the middle front side piece. Draw a horizontal line front that marking point. You have now color blocked your back pattern pieces too, making sure that they will line up beautifully with the front color block pieces. Great job!

We will now cut the fabric. DO NOT FORGET THE SEAM ALLOWANCE! Since we are only dealing with straight color blocking lines, I will show you the easiest way to add SA. Simply use a quilter’s ruler and cut away 1/2 from the newly designed pattern pieces. Remember you need to add seam allowance only to the colorblock parts, NOT the center fold or side and middle back seam. Those seam allowances are already included in the pattern.

Once you have all your pieces cut (3 for the front, 6 for the back) you will start sewing them together. First sew the front top to the front middle (RST) with 1/2″ seam allowance, serger your raw edges and optionally top stitch. You will now sew the front bottom to the front middle, right sides together. You now have your front piece ready. Repeat the process for the back pieces. Remember that the back of the Brunch Blouse is not cut on fold so you will end up with two mirrored back cuts.

Finish sewing your BB dress as per the tutorial instruction. How easy and fun was that? You can get creative with your color blocking…just imagine a beautiful ombre blouse, or a blouse with lace overlay for the top colorblock. The possibilities are endless.

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Belt Loops and Sash Hack

This hack is super easy but a fun option for a different look than the normal Brunch Blouse!  You can do this hack with any option except the one that already includes the waist tie.

1. First, sew up your blouse/dress as usual.  Make sure to mark the notches on the side seams, add a pin as well after you’ve sewn the side seams so that you can still see where the notch is.

2. To make the sash, refer to this cut chart based on your size.  Cut two.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Right sides together, sew the short ends together.  Press open and finish edges.

 

4. Right sides together, sew the long edges now, but leave 2″ unsewn in the middle.  This is how you’ll turn it right side out when you’re done.

 

5. Iron the short edge over to form a triangle.  Now sew here to make the pointed edge, and trim the seam allowance down to 1/2″.

 

6. Turn right side out, press, and topstitch as close to the edge as you feel comfortable.  When you get to the 2″ you left open, align the seam allowance inside and and stitch shut while topstitching.

 

7. For the belt loops, first decide if you want two or three.  I opted for two because I didn’t want one on the back (I just don’t like the feeling).

8. Cut rectangles 3″ x 1.5″ – four for two belt loops or six for three belt loops.

 

9. Stitch along the long edges, right sides together.  Then trim seam allowance to 1/4″.

 

10. Turn right side out, press short raw edges to the back 1/2″. then topstitch down the long edges as close to the edge as you feel comfortable.

 

11. Find the notch on the blouse side seams you marked earlier.  Sew the loops on to the side seams, over the notch, by topstitching the short side 1/4″ from the edge.  If you’d like a loop on the back too, find the middle of the back neckline and use a ruler to find the center back of the blouse from there and attach.

 

12.  Press everything one last time.  Slip in your sash into the loops and wear your new blouse!

~Elisabeth

. . . . .

Front Zipper Hack

 

 

This is a little more intense and involves one of those scary things… you know, a zipper!  Now, if you’ve never installed a zipper this may be a little daunting, but I promise, take it slow, you can do this!

I am using a 7″ (I think?) exposed metal zipper but you can choose your preferred length if you want it shorter or longer.  If you’re choosing this option, do this prior to any other step in completing your top.  So now, let’s get started.

There you have it!  I hope that wasn’t as difficult as it appears.  If you’re not sure you’re ready to tackle the zipper on your top, try it on a few scrap pieces first.  Practice makes perfect right?

 

We hope you enjoyed the hacks as much as we did.   Don’t forget to share your makes in the Facebook Group, we’d love to see them!  Happy Sewing!

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