Patterns for Pirates

P4P stylish, modern, wearable patterns

Fall in Love with Sewing :: 120k member Saleabration and Giveaway :: Admin Love Bundle

As the Patterns for Pirates FB Group has grown over the years, we’ve added more and more admins/moderators to help keep the group moving! Now as we’re hitting 120k members, we have a pretty large group of wonderful people that help me approve new members and posts, answer questions, go live in the group with sewing topics, and more to keep the group inspiring and helpful for everyone!

I thought it would be really fun to highlight each one with their item they picked for the Admin Love Bundle that the Grand Prize Winner wins for the Fall in Love with Sewing Giveaway we’re doing this week!

I also asked them to tell us a little something about how they fell in love with sewing.  I always love to hear how people started their journey into sewing!!  I loved reading all of them and I hope you do too!  We have so many I’m going to split them up into 3 days. So here are the first bunch to enjoy:

Since I got to pick out the Grand Prize I didn’t pick out an item for the Admin Love Bundle!

Katy picked out a pair of Kai scissors (which also happen to be my very favorite sewing scissors!).  They are so sharp and comfortable to use without breaking the bank!

For Nicole her pick was a nice iron! I LOVE that! Pressing can absolutely make a sewing task so much easier and your end product looks vastly better! This is the iron I have personally and love it!

For Alex’s pick she went with a point and tube turner.  I love this too! This is the tool my mom used and so I always had one as well.   They were quite difficult to find for a while, but seem to have made a come back recently! I think they make turning a tube so quick and easy.

Erinn picked a quilters’ ruler for her sewing supply she loved! It makes cutting rectangles much easier and quicker for sure! I always grab mine with cutting neckbands, cuffs, ect even if there is a pattern piece! I find it much more accurate and straight then just using the piece on it’s own.

Up next is Angela who wanted to share her love for a french curve ruler set! I have recommend grabbing a french curve in many blog posts and videos 🙂 It is something that is so nice to have when adjusting patterns. 

 

Elisabeth’s pick was a SemiFlex Sewing Guage.  This is so handy when you’re trying to evenly space things like buttons, button holes, etc.  You can skip the math! I always grab mine with I’m adding buttons, button holes, snaps, etc.  You can just decide how many you’re wanting and spread the guage to the top and bottom and it will even space your marking points for you in seconds!

Michelle recommended a magnetic pin holder.  No more loosing your pins! and if you happen to drop a few you can use this to find and pick them up easily.

Dana wanted to share one of her favorite fitting books: The Palmer Pletsch Complete Guide to Fitting: Sew Great Clothes for Every Body. Fit Any Fashion Pattern (Sewing for Real People series) This happens to be a book I also love and have recommended in past blogs as well! It’s a great fitting guide book for anyone wanting to learn how to better adjust patterns to fit their body (or anyone else they’re sewing clothing for).  Learning your body and the personal adjustment it needs can be so amazing! Having clothes that fit you perfectly or even just much better then you can pick up at a store is absolutely something that will make you love sewing even more in my eyes!

Aaronica recommended a hem gauge.  There are many kinds of hem gauges (and we had a couple different kinds recommended for this bundle even)! This one is great to use for hemming.  You can fold the fabric to the line you need and press with your iron right on top.

Amy suggested clips.  These are used like pins to hold fabric or pieces together.  A lot of sewists prefer clips for most projects.  I love to have both clips and pins at my desk and pick the one that works best for that certain time every time!

Jennifer wanted to add a box of glue sticks! They’re quick and easy to stick your PDF trimless pattern pieces together!

Lizzy picked a little set of small snip scissors.  These are so nice to have right next to your machine (and a pair by each machine if you’re lucky enough to have multiple). They’re quick and easy to snip off threads as you finish your seams.

I hope you enjoyed getting to know a few of our admins a bit better and look forward to a couple more days! Don’t forget to enter the contest and take advantage of our huge site wide sale! It’s the last sale of the year!

 

Fierce Bra & Undies :: New Pattern Release!

Hey there Pirates!  Today was a day I thought would never come… a bra and undies pattern release! I never had my sites set on doing undergarments, but my strong desire to have a soft knit bra that fit was too much to deny any longer!  The Twist Back Top was such an adorable open back pattern that begged for a cute strappy bra under… so the Fierce Bra was born!

Then who could resist some matching undies to the bra right?! The Fierce Undies came right along as well 🙂 Both Adult and Youth can feel fierce in their undergarments now!

Lets talk Fierce Bra first! This pattern is a great first bra for any sewist to try their hand and get sizing and adjustments down for more involved bras.  It is drafted to be a light to medium impact sports bra… what exactly does that mean? It would give enough support for a walk, yoga, or other light to medium exercising.  It’s not a high impact- which would include running, jumping, burpees, ect.  Depending on fabric and options you choice you can essentially create a lounge bra with minimal support (and lots of comfort ;)) or a more medium support.

The straps are created with 1″ FOE (Fold Over Elastic) which is a super simple and quick method.  The exposed elastic band at the bottom gives it a unique detail and options to use different width elastics that you may find and fall in love with!

 

The youth pattern covers a size range from 12M – 14.  Adult covers XXS-Plus 5X plus it includes a SBA (Small Bust Adjustment) and FBA (Full Bust Adjustment) pieces if your upper and full bust don’t fall into the same size on our chart.  Sound complicated? Don’t worry, we have a video in there to explain it all <3

Don’t forget that super adorable strappy back! Not only does it look cute, but the straps also provide support both criss cross and traditional straight straps which allows the pressure of the straps to be distributed a few more spots on your shoulders and back…meaning… more comfortable! It’s just a bonus that it looks great with open back tops!

Okay… now lets chat about the matching Fierce Undies!! Underwear can be so fun to sew up.  It takes just scraps of fabrics and are so quick to make!  Bonus, you can have extra freedom choosing fun prints and fill up your drawers with something super practical at the same time!

The Fierce Undies are a sportier looking underwear pattern with an exposed elastic waistband that matches the Fierce Bra.

INCLUDED STYLES: Youth Includes a brief and shorties options.

Adult includes a thong, full coverage brief, and cheeky options.

INCLUDED RISE OPTIONS:

We also included a few different rises to choose from.  Youth includes low rise and mid rise.

The Adult Fierce Undies includes low rise, mid rise and high rise options.

You can even customize your waistband by what thickness your elastic is… the thicker the elastic the bit higher the rise will be!

VIDEOS! Don’t be worried if you’ve never ventured into undergarments before… I included several videos in both tutorial about supplies, sizing, and a video of a complete bra and undies sew up!

**Want to learn more about how to measure yourself for this patterns?  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.

Make your cute matching sets as cute or spicy as you want!

Ready to fill your drawers with practical pieces and plow through that scrap bin?  Go grab the patterns now!

FIERCE BRA | FIERCE BRA – YOUTH | FIERCE BRA BUNDLE

FIERCE UNDIES | FIERCE UNDIES – YOUTH | FIERCE UNDIES BUNDLE

 

 

Hoping for a little inspiration before you get to sewing?  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!

Fierce Bra Album | Fierce Bra – Youth Album

Fierce Undies Album | Fierce Undies – Youth Album

And if our pattern alone doesn’t provide enough options for you, we’ve also included a blog post that will help take the Fierce patterns to the next level!  Go check out our Easy Hacks Post to see how to make some slight alterations to the original pattern, to customize it even further!

 

The release sale (no code needed) will be through Thursday 7th (11:59PM US Central Time Zone).

Happy Sewing, Pirates!

Fierce Bra and Undies – Easy Hacks

Ahoy, pirates! In true P4P fashion we could not let the DOUBLE release happen without showing you some simple hacks for your new Fierce Undies and Bra. All these simple mods can be applied to both our adult and youth pattern.

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Undies with bands

   

I love the new Fierce Undies. They feel so amazing! But I know sometimes I prefer a knit waistband instead of elastic. So today I will be showing you how to hack a knit waistband on the Fierce Undies.

 

The first thing I did was cut and assemble the pattern according to the pattern. Then I measured the top of the undies to see how wide it is.

Now here is the formula I used to the band width: (undies width X 2)+1 X 80%. I like to use 80% because I like my band a little smaller but not too tight. Here is a picture of my measurements. 

So my finished number is 24.8. So I cut my band at 4” tall and 24.8 wide. I cut my band 4” high because I like the 2” thickness. I fold my band short ends together and sew.

Then I fold it again raw edges together.

 

Now I quarter the band and undies, then I put the band over the undies with right sides together matching the quarter marks.

Sew the band on, top stitch if desired.

Now you have a knit and Fierce undies! 

 

 

 

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Undies with picot lace

Nicole will show us how to add picot trim to the leg opening soon!

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Bra with knit biding

For this hack, we will be using knit to create a binding instead of fold over elastic (FOE). This is a a great hack to use if you don’t have any FOE on hand or if you want your binding to be a cute print or exact match of one of your fabrics.
To get started, cut out the three 2” strap pieces using the width measurements as indicated in the elastic cut chart according to your size. Optional: serge along the long edges for additional stability. Then, press all three binding pieces into 1/2” strips: Fold pieces in half, press, open back up, then bring raw edges to meet at the center crease, press, fold in half, press.
Open up your binding neckline piece, match the center point of binding (right side) to the center point of the neckline (lining side). Stretching slightly, stitch along the neckline using a stretch stitch and a 1/2” seam allowance (along the first crease).
Finger press binding and seam allowance up, then re-fold the binding in the same manner as done previously to get a 1/2″ strip. Re-fold the entire strip to form your straps and pin/clip in place. Stitch using a stretch stitch along the entire binding to close and finish the binding/straps.
Continue with pattern instructions for construction. Repeat binding steps with outside straps: be sure your binding pieces are open before stitching the ends together when getting started on the outside straps.
 
and now you have your own custom knit binding! <3
(bra pictured has elastic band attached differently than pattern)
Lacy

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Youth bra with cups

My daughter is getting to be that age that she wants just a bit more coverage and loves all her ready to wear sports bras that come with padded cups. The first thing that she asked me about the new fierce bra is if it had cups and I said no but not to worry I could add them for her.  This hack is super easy and the construction does not change at all!  Let’s get started!

First we are going to trace off our front piece, next we need to create an opening for our cups to slide into.  I used my french curve but you can certainly free hand a curve similar to what I have shown here.  I just estimated how big to make it, it does not need to be to big, you want to be able to easily slide a cup in and out of it.  Next cut away the line you drew on your piece, this will now be your lining piece. You will cut one main front and one lining from your newly created piece.

Your construction will stay exactly the same, you will just have the curves in your lining piece.  I choose not to finish the edges of my curves as I was using a really nice quality athletic fabric but you can always finish that edge with your serger or with a narrow hem on your sewing machine.  Once finished you will be able to slide in cups, I just grabbed a set from my daughters ready to wear bras but you can also buy bra cups and cut them down to fit.  My daughter is only 10 and really doesn’t need them to add any type of support she just likes the extra coverage so really any cheap cups from Amazon will do the trick and are easy to cut to size.

All done and my girl is happy to have a bra made to fit her perfectly

Angela

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Undies with lace band

Up next I wanted to show you another way to add a waistband to the Fierce Undies. Instead of the 3/4″-1.5″ waistband elastic you can use stretch lace. I used 1″ for my example but 1.5″ would work beautifully as well. Start by cutting your pattern as instructed but cut stretch lace instead of elastic.

Sew the short ends of the lace to form a loop. You may find it easier to use a piece of water soluble stabilizer between the machine’s feed dogs and the lace so as to deter your machine from trying to “eat” your fabric.

Sew the undies as instructed in the tutorial. Pin the lace at the top, overlapping 3/8″. The wrong side of the lace will be against the right side of the undies. Sew in place using a zig zag stitch of a coverstitch.

Tadah!  Done! You just added one more option to the Fierce Undies.

Judy is rocking a pair of Fierce Undies with a 2″ lace band.

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Swim suit

Last but certainly not least we want it to show you how easy it is to make  Fierce Swimsuit. You will need:

  • swim suit fabric
  • swim lining (or solid swim like I used)
  • 1″ swim elastic for the waistband and under bust band
  • 3/8″ swim elastic for the leg openings and bra straps
  • optionally power mesh and cups (I have not used them on mine)

Start by cutting you undies front and back pieces from swim, the liner from solid swim or lining. Cut the waistband 3″ by the length of the waistband elastic (from the cutting chart) plus 1″ for the seam allowance. Cut the 1″ swim elastic the length of the waistband elastic from the chart. Now cut the bra pieces, making sure that the under bust band is 3″ wide by the length of the elastic plus 1″ seam allowance. You will also need to enclose swim elastic in the bra straps so you will but binding strips that are 1.5″ wide by the length of the pattern straps pieces.

Sew the undies and side of the bra (and lining) as instructed in the tutorial. Now let’s make the waistband and the bra under bust band. Same technique…butt the ends of the elastic together and sew with a wide zig zag stitch. Overlap the band with the right sides together and sew it in a loop using 1/2″ seam allowance. Insert the elastic inside and put pins or clips at the quarter mark. Put the bands aside for now.

Hem the legs of the undies as in the pattern. The only difference will be that you will be using swim elastic for the briefs and thong, no elastic for the cheekies. Take your swim elastic and baste it to one edge of each of the bra straps.

Attach the bra straps binding as Lacy is showing you in the hack above.

All you have left to do is add the waistband and under bust band that you prepared earlier. Mark the 4 quarters of the undies waist and under bust opening. Add the respective band matching the quarter points. Sew them with your serger or a triple stretch stitch. Optionally, top stitch.

All done! You just added one more swim suit to your collection. You can use the same tips for both the youth and the adult pattern.

We hope you enjoyed these spins on the new Fierce Undies and Fierce Bra pattern. Don’t forget to share your creations in the Patterns for Pirates Facebook group or tag us on Instagram @patternsforpirates.

 

Witch Hat :: Free Sewing Pattern + Tutorial!

Something wicked this way comes!

It’s officially October, which means the kickoff of my favorite holiday ever.  The candy, the pumpkin everything, the creative costumes, the decorations…..I love it all!  We wanted to help you with your costume making this year, with a super quick and easy pattern for the witches, wizards and warlocks in need of some new headgear.  And the best part about this pattern?  It’s FREE!  Our Halloween treat for you!

Before we get started, here are some things you’ll need:

  • Free Witch Hat Pattern Pieces (found in the store HERE)
  • 2/3 yard Premium Felt

**I highly recommend the thickest felt you can find, to get the ultimate stiff point and brim on your hat!  I found mine on a 72″ wide bolt at JoAnn Fabrics, which left me a lot of extra fabric to make even more hats!

Step 1: With right sides together, fold the cone piece in half — aligning along the long, straight edges.  Using 1/4″ seam allowance, sew along long edge.

Step 2: Turn cone piece right side out and set aside.

Step 3: With right sides together, align brim pieces on top of each other.

Step 4: Sew around outer edge, using 1/4″ seam allowance.

Step 5: For cleaner curved edges, use pinking shears trim excess fabric (making sure to not cut through your stitches).

Step 6: Turn brim right sides out.  Press.  If desired, top stitch along outer brim edge.

Step 7: Fold brim piece to mark quarter points along inner, raw circle.

Step 8: Repeat with cone piece.

Step 9: With right sides together, match the quarter points on your brim and cone pieces.

Step 10: Ease the remainder of the raw edges together, and secure with pins/clips.  Sew using 1/4″ seam allowance.

Step 11: Flip the brim down, press if needed, and enjoy your wicked new hat!

As always, we love when you share what you’ve made with us.  Head over to the Patterns for Pirates Facebook group and show off the amazing pointy hats that you’ve managed to make from our free pattern!

Happy Halloween, Pirate Friends!

Twist Back Top :: New Pattern Release!

Hey there Pirates!  Have we got something incredibly fun in store for you today or what??  It’s a pattern release day and we are bringing you TWO brand new patterns that you’re just going to love.  I promise.  Let’s meet the Twist Back Tops, in both adult and youth sizes!

This pattern is quick and simple sew that will impress! It has a dropped dolman sleeve style with a loose, slouchy fit throughout the sleeves and body. It is semi-fitted through high hip. The tank option makes for a great work out or summery top. The Twist Back Top also includes a short sleeve dolman sleeve you can add a bit more coverage, but still keep cool in those warmer months. You can add long sleeves and create a super fun sweater or pull over for the colder months. The extra long sleeve length will make you feel like curling up and snuggling! The adult sizing has a tank neckline that is a classic crew and a wider neckline for the dolman sleeve options. This pattern includes a back shoulder strap to keep the shoulders where they should be, or you can leave it off and have an off the shoulder style with wider neckline on the sleeved options. The open back is perfect to throw on top a leotard, sports bra, or tank.

The youth pattern covers a size range from 3M – 14.  As for the adult version of the pattern?  We just extended our sizes even more!  You’ll find it drafted for XXS – Plus 5x now!  Please check the size charts, as there were slight adjustments made to accommodate the new size range.

**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!

TANK TOP

SHORT SLEEVE

LONG SLEEVE

LONG SLEEVE W/CUFFS

OPTIONAL BACK STRAP

Should we talk about fabric choices for the Twist Back Tops?  We recommend a fabric with a good drape to it.  While fabric bases like french terry and sweatshirt fleece will work, they’ll end up a bit more “boxier”.  So if you’re looking for that perfect slouchy, twisty top…we recommend fabrics like: Rayon Spandex, Double Brushed Polyester, and Sweater Knits.

RAYON SPANDEX

DOUBLE BRUSHED POLY

SWEATER KNIT

 

Another change you might notice on these new patterns is a little surprise for our overseas pirates who use metric measurements! We now will include BOTH imperial and metric measurements to help everyone understand the charts as quick and easily as possible! Yay!

 

Ready to dive right in and make your new favorite top?  Go grab the patterns now!

TWIST BACK TOP | TWIST BACK TOP – YOUTH | TWIST BACK TOP BUNDLE

Hoping for a little inspiration before you get to sewing?  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!

Twist Back Top Album | Twist Back Top – Youth Album

And if our pattern alone doesn’t provide enough options for you, we’ve also included a blog post that will help take the Twist Back Tops to the next level!  Go check out our Easy Hacks Post to see how to make some slight alterations to the original pattern, to customize it even further!

The release sale (no code needed) will be through Monday September 30th (11:59PM US Central Time Zone).

Happy Sewing, Pirates!

Boho Babydoll SAL day 7 (winners announcement)

Let me start this Winners Blog post by telling you that you are ALL winners in my book. We have seen so many stunning Boho Babydoll tops and dresses being created last week…once again you made our task hard.

Our first winner is Morgan Woolsey!  Morgan won a $20 gift card to Patterns for Pirates as well as a $30 shop credit to Hissy Fit Fabrics.

 

Congratulations Debby Dufresne Duke! She is our second winner! … won a $20 gift card to Made for Mermaids and a $30 shop credit to Hissy Fit Fabrics.

 

A big THANK YOU to our sew along sponsor. Make sure you check out Hissy Fit Fabrics on Facebook to keep up to date with their sales and presales.

Thank you for joining us this week and make sure you share your gorgeous creations in the P4P Facebook group too.

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 1 (print and cut pattern)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 2 (choose and cut fabric)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 3 (sew shoulder seams and sleeves)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 4 (Sew side seams, add neckband and armbands)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 5 (prepare skirt and attach it)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 6 (hem skirt and sleeves)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 7 (winners announcement)

Boho Babydoll SAL day 6 (hem skirt and sleeves)

Last day of the sewing part of the SAL is here! Today we hem the bottom of the skirt and the sleeves. You can do that using your sewing machine’s twin needles option or your coverstitch as I have. 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.

In the Day 6 video below I am showing you how easy it is to hem the curved dress option. Check it out and once you finish your day 6 steps, be sure to post a picture of your progress in the comments of the DAY 6 photo of the Boho SAL album in the sew along group. Can’t wait to see all your finished projects!

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 1 (print and cut pattern)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 2 (choose and cut fabric)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 3 (sew shoulder seams and sleeves)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 4 (Sew side seams, add neckband and armbands)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 5 (prepare skirt and attach it)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 6 (hem skirt and sleeves)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 7 (winners announcement)

Twist Back Top Easy Hacks

The Twist Back Top features a super fun back that inspired us to show you some easy hacks that will add some more options to the pattern. Let’ get started!

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Criss Cross Back Strap

 

Criss Cross Hack Twist Back

The new Twist Back top is so much fun to wear and style. While I love both the single strap and no strap options, adding a criss cross back strap is an easy and quick hack for another great look.

Begin by cutting and assembling your pattern according to the instructions for whichever sleeve length you choose. After your top is completely sewn together, take your Back Strap Pattern Piece and instead of cutting one, cut out two. I also like to add a little extra length here to play with while placing the straps. I added about an extra inch and a half to mine.

Sew the strap pieces and turn right sides out according to the pattern. Once you have two straps, begin placing them on your twist back top. I used the pattern’s back strap placement mark to place the top pieces of my criss-cross and moved around the straps until I liked how it looked. Be careful not to stretch your straps too much while placing, while also not having too much slack. You want the straps to lay flat while wearing. The best way to ensure the correct placement is to try on your top before sewing the straps in. I ended up moving mine around a little here and there before I was happy with the placement. In the end you can see my strap pieces are about 3 inches apart from each other.

Sew your straps in place and trim off any excess fabric. You now have a fun new criss cross back strap.

Shannon

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Bow Back

   

The Twist Back Top is already so much fun but if you want to add another little detail, I am here to show you how. Instead of the back shoulder strap, I added some ties to make a cute little bow and you can too with these simple steps!

You will start off just as the pattern instructs, with cutting your pieces. The only difference will be when it’s time to cut that back shoulder strap. You can use any length desired to make them longer or shorter but I used the included pattern piece as a guide for the youth version and it worked out perfectly.Instead of cutting one piece, I folded my fabric in half and cut two shoulder strap pieces on the fold. This gave me two pieces that were both double the size of the pattern piece. For the youth size 6, my  ties ended up being 11.5″. (I shortened them from this photo)You then fold the straps in half, with right sides together, and sew along the long edge and ONE short edge. Turn your straps right side out and press. Note that using this method, your seam will be along one edge as opposed to the middle like the original back shoulder strap. 

Find your shoulder strap marks and attach one tie to each side at the markings. Before you sew on, it is a good idea to clip or pin them in place, and check the length of your ties. Once they are sewn in place, continue on as the pattern instructs and then you will have your adorable new top!

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Banded Tank

The muscle tank look may not be for everyone and we get that so I’m going to show you how to do a super simple banded hack–it’s unbelievably easy!

Instructions:

Print, cut and assemble the pattern just like the directions advise to.

When you get to the part about hemming the armcyce, stop!

Measure the armcyce (front and back) and then multiply this number by 85%.

Cut bands from your fabric with a 2in height and whatever 85% of the armcyce is.

Add the bands to the arms and boom! You’re done!

Just that easy!

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Hemmed instead of banded

Last but not least I wanted to show how your Twist Back Top would look if you skipped the bands and simply hemmed the back and neckline. This is such an easy hack because it can be used for both tank and dolman and you do not need any new pieces.

Start by printing and cutting the pattern according to the style preference and sizes. I went with the tank option in a rayon french terry. Do not cut the two back band or the front neckline one. Mark the strap placement according to the pattern. For the mark, draw a line that is at least 3/4″ long.

Sew the shoulder seams. Press the back and neckline 1/2″. Optionally you can use pins or clips to hold it in place. For rayon french terry I found that I do not need pins along the back once pressed and steamed.

Using your coverstitch or a zig zag stitch (or twin needle) on your sewing machine hem along the pressed edge and iron it again.

All you have left to do is sew down the back strap using the markings you made earlier. I used a zig zag stitch for this step.

All done! All you have left to do is enjoy your new top and show it off.

Now that you have these additional options in your portofolio, start creating your unique Twist Back Top  and make sure to share them in the P4P Facebook group.

Boho Babydoll SAL day 5 (prepare and attach skirt)

Ahoy, pirates! Today we will add the skirt to to bodice we finished yesterday. Start by sewing the side seams of the skirt pieces, right sides together. Mark the center front of the skirt front and back and well as the bodice.

You will next start gathering the skirt. My suggestion for this pattern is to gather with two rows of stitching. Your first gathering row should be 1/4″ away from the raw edge and the second row will be about 5/8″ away from the raw edge. In doing so, you ensure that one of the stitches will be in the seam allowance and the second one will just outside of it.

Match the center points and side seams of the bodice and gathered skirt right sides together. Attach them with your serger making sure you that you follow the 1/2″ seam allowance. Optionally you can top stitch the seam allowance up on the bodice. I like using my coverstitch for that step but you can certainly use a zig zig stitch or twin needles for this step.

Below is the day 5 video. Once you completed today’s steps post a picture of your progress in the comments of day 5 photo of the Boho SAL album.

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 1 (print and cut pattern)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 2 (choose and cut fabric)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 3 (sew shoulder seams and sleeves)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 4 (Sew side seams, add neckband and armbands)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 5 (prepare skirt and attach it)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 6 (hem skirt and sleeves)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 7 (winners announcement)

Boho Babydoll SAL day 4 (side seam, neckband and armband )

We made it to the half way mark of our Boho Babydoll sew along! That was fast! Today we’ll be sewing the side seams and adding the neckband and armbands (if you picked the tank option).

When sewing the side seams, pin the front to the back of the shirt, right sides together. I like to pin the armpit first, then the end of the sleeve and the bottom and finally add a few pins or clips in between. Whether you are making the long sleeve, 3/4 or short sleeves (like I am) the technique is the same.

Whether you chose the high or the low scoop neckline, take a look over our P4P University Neckbands 101 before you start sewing.

In the video below I show you how to sew the side seams and add the neckband using a serger / coverstitch machine. When you finish these steps be sure to post a picture of your progress (finished bodice) in the comments of the Day 4 photo  (album is in the M4M & P4P Sew along group)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 1 (print and cut pattern)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 2 (choose and cut fabric)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 3 (sew shoulder seams and sleeves)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 4 (Sew side seams, add neckband and armbands)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 5 (prepare skirt and attach it)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 6 (hem skirt and sleeves)

Boho Babydoll Sew Along | Day 7 (winners announcement)

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