Patterns for Pirates

P4P stylish, modern, wearable patterns

50K Fan Celebration :: PegLegs Update + Re-Release!

 

We are celebrating reaching 50K fans in our Facebook group!  To say the least, it is unbelievable that I have added so many ladies into the tiny group it started from.  I’m so honored to help each and every member learn a little more about sewing.  It makes my heart so happy to see posts about first time sews and the community answering questions with nothing but a kind heart.  I love the P4P group so much! So, we tried to think of something AMAZING to say thank you for supporting us!  To make it a party, our beloved PegLegs pattern just got an update AND some new add-ons.

The Peg Legs original pattern has  gotten more reviews and feedback than any other P4P pattern hands down!  So, naturally we took that feedback and tweaked them slightly.  We also updated them to include the newest features P4P offers: layers feature, as well as A0 and International print options.  Just like before, we have four different length options (ankle, capri, bike and shortie).  *If you already have the Peg Legs in your account you will simple need to redownload them to have the new updated files.

We’ve also added a different rise option, for those of you who like a little higher waist.  You can choose from high AND low/mid rises for your perfect leggings fit. The low/mid rise is the same as the original peg legs.

Now to really bring the celebration up a notch– the Add Ons! But what do the add-ons include?  So many things!
We are giving you color blocking options, pockets (in the waistband AND along the side panel), a contoured high waistband, and a gusset.  All extra options that you can mix-match to your heart’s content.

And, for all of you gorgeous pregnant mommas: a maternity add-on!  You can take the basic Peg Legs pattern and add an under belly, under belly v, or an over belly waistband for your new favorite maternity wear.

We also updated all the Freebies to NO CODES NEEDED.  We loved having everyone join the FB group and amazing community it has built, but we want them to be easy for everyone to get their hands on too! So, we hope everyone will still join the support group as well as enjoy the ease of grabbing the freebies with no codes 🙂

Before you go running to your machine to sew up your own leggings, make sure to read our PegLegs 101 blog post.  This way, you’ll have all the the information you’ll need to make the perfect pair before you even cut into your gorgeous fabric.

But wait, there’s more!  After any good party is an after-party.  We are taking it one step further and sharing some easy hacks that’ll bring even more flavor to your favorite leggings pattern!

We hope you check them out, make your new favorite pair of leggings, and know that we appreciate every single one of you amazing sewing guys and gals!

Here are our hacks / tutorials / latest tricks:

*****These will be made live as we post them throughout the next week! *****

Lace Waistband Alternative | Drawstring Waistband Tutorial
Exposed Elastic Waistband | Stirrup Pant Hack
Ruched Ankles Adjustment | Decorative Topstitching Tutorial
Ruched Side Panel Hack

Still want more?!?! Join us for our Peg Legs Sew-A-Long!

And of course one LAST thing to celebrate reaching 50.000 FB members is a SITE WIDE SALE! Enjoy 30%off your total purchase with coupon code: “50ksale” now through April 25th (ends 11:59PM the night of the 25th US Central Time Zone). *Bundle Discounts will not work with site wide sale code.

Thank you for giving this little work from home mama the chance to do what she loves! I hope each and everyone of you enjoys the updated pattern, the add ons, the hacks, the sew-a-long and the site wide sale 🙂

<3 Judy

Spring Mini Capsule Winners

Wow, we have LOVED seeing everyone’s mini capsules they made during the contest! It was amazing to see so many wonderful outfits. Plus doesn’t it feel great being ready for Spring?? If you haven’t finished your mini capsule yet, please continue to work on it and post when you can. We would still love to see what you create 🙂 We enjoyed it so much, we will be hosting another capsule contest in the Fall. Now on to the winners! Winners will be tagged on Instagram and/or Facebook and simply need to email patternsforpirates@gmail.com AND madeformermaids@live.com for their pattern prizes. Fabric and grand prizes just email M4M. Drumroll please…

5 Winners each get to choose 1 pattern of choice from EACH M4M & P4P:

Alicia Zylstra from our FB groups.

@faerieflings from Instagram.

Debbie Brennan‎‎ from our FB groups.

@sillybugzboutique from Instagram.

 

Sara Marie from our FB groups.

 

3 Winners each get to choose 3 patterns from EACH P4P & M4M:

@sewing4sanity on Instagram.

Alyssa Arthur from our FB groups.

Amanda Massicotte Jones from our FB groups.

1 Winner for a $50 store credit to Sincerely Rylee ‎‎Fabric Shop:

@songofgrace on Instagram.

1 Winner for a $50 store credit to Pretty Posh Prints:

Cherie Williamson from our FB groups.‎

1 Winner for a $100 store credit to Knitpop:

Abby Mercer Eason from our FB groups.

GRAND PRIZE WINNER with their choice of a Brother Coverstitch Machine or $100 Joann Fabric Gift Card:

Nicole Joyce from our FB groups. 

CONGRATS to all the winners!! Thank you so much again to our sponsors and everyone who participated! If you blogged about your capsule sewing, please leave a link in the comment section below so we can check it out.

Favorite Tee | Easy Pattern Hacks

 

Lace Up V-Neck:

As if  the Favorite Tee was not amazing enough, we have a few easy hacks for it that will make you want to sew even more of them. The first time I saw a lace up V-neck shirt on Pinterest I knew I had to make myself one so I will show you how easy it is to get the look by using the Favorite Tee pattern. You will need the pattern printed and cut in your size (use the V neck option), a little bit of interfacing, 10 grommets and some cord.

Favorite Tee dress option (lengthen 1.5″ in the front and unhemmed)

Start by adding some tricot or light weight interfacing to the V neck band. Cut 2 strips of interfacing about 7 inches long by the width of the band. Cut out the V at one end and iron the interfacing to the neckband.

Sew the shirt or dress as per the pattern tutorial. I chose the dress because you know…one can never have too many dresses. You can certainly do this neckline with either one of the shirt length too. You will now need to mark the grommets location.

You can measure about one inch up on each side of the V band starting with the front center seam. Mark that spot. Keep adding a mark every one inch up on each side. I used 5 grommets on each side.

There are different size and color eyelets that you can use. I went with a brown/copper-ish finish for mine because I liked how it looked against the marble fabric.

ohhh the choices 🙂

Follow the manufacture instructions for adding the eyelets. I know there are more expensive devices out there but I am very pleased with my $1.50 Dritz eyelet tool so that’s what I used.

For a more edgy look you can make a faux leather binding and thread it through the eyelets.

You are almost done. All you have to do now is lace up the neckband with a cord. You can use parachute cord, or faux suede cord like I used for my final pics or you can make your own. Tadah! You have just created your very own Pinterest worthy lace up Vneck shirt or dress.

Favorite Tee dress length (1.5″ longer in the front than the pattern and not hemmed)

Favorite Tee dress length (1.5″ longer in the front than the pattern and not hemmed)

Curved Hem Lace Insert:

Adding lace to your finished garments is a fun way to add some extra sweet details.  You can use a lace applique, or in this instance, I used a scalloped edge mesh lace.  I chose the curved hem but you could use the other side split hem options if you’d prefer.  Print, cut and assemble your pattern as usual.  I wanted the curved hem to start a little higher on my hip so adjusted the length of the side seam. I stopped about 6″ from the bottom of the side seam.

Since I stopped higher than the original side seam, my curve ended up looking a little funky, so I trimmed the edges to make a nice clean curve.

Hem using your fabric stretch stitch.  (Need some tips on hemming a curved hem?  Check out Alex’s post HERE)

Next, open up your side seam and place your applique right side up to the wrong side of your main fabric.  Position as you wish and top-stitch in place.  *Note – be sure to measure your pattern piece from the curved hem line to side seam and make the applique at it’s widest point a similar measurement (near the bottom hem). Otherwise, you may loose some ease at the hip.

 Trim the applique or fabric if needed.

High Side Split Hem:  

The side split hem for both shirt and tunic lengths is a fun detail on it’s own, but we thought we’d take it up a notch (no pun intended 😉 ) and make those slits sky high.  Ok,  so maybe not that high but we did take them up quite a bit.  Using the average 8″ side waist measurement (based on a 5’5″ frame), construct your pattern as instructed but stop your side seam stitch at 8″ below the armpit.  Finish the side split as noted in the pattern.  Easy Peasy and no added steps or items needed!

This pairs perfectly with our Cross my Heart Cami to show off those layers.

Or, leave it un-layered and open with a high waist Pirate Pencil Skirt or some skinnies. Either way, you’re sure to be on trend.

Convinced you need the pattern yet?  The Favorite Tee is loaded with options and these simple hacks/mods give you that little extra to start filling up your closet without the worry of having too many duplicates.  I know they’re our new Favorite Tee 😉

Favorite Tee | New Pattern Release!

After Judy teased you about a million times on Instagram with her pre-test versions of the Favorite Tee, we are finally going to give the people what they want.
No more teasers, it can be yours for keeps!  And guess what?  We made it in youth sizes too. Wahoo!

Here they are, your next most-sewn item: Favorite Tee (women’s) and Fav Tee (youth)

Both tees come packed full of options.  The women’s Favorite Tee is drafted for sizes XXS – Plus 3X.  There are a whopping FIVE hem options (shirt with side vent, tunic with side vent, banded knot tie hem, curved tunic length and curved dress length).  There are THREE sleeve lengths included (short, 3/4 and long) and even TWO options for neck finishes (scoop or vneck).

**Want to learn more about how to measure yourself for this pattern?  We’ve got you covered with an in-depth blog HERE.

The youth Fav Tee is drafted for sizes 3 months – 14 Youth.  It features nearly all of the same options as the women’s version with FOUR hem options (shirt with side vent, tunic with side vent, banded knot tie hem, and curved dress length), THREE sleeve lengths (short, 3/4 and long) and TWO neckline options (scoop and vneck).

Ready to see what those options look like?  Let’s do it!

THREE SLEEVE OPTIONS

SIDE VENT HEM

BANDED KNOT TIE HEM

CURVED TUNIC

CURVED DRESS

SCOOP NECK

VNECK

Ready to grab the patterns for yourself and start sewing?

Favorite Tee (women) | Fav Tee (youth) | Favorite Bundle (women + youth)

Need a little more inspiration?  Head over to our Facebook Group and check out the tester albums.  They are packed full of fabulous tester photos!
You can find the Favorite Tee album HERE, and the Fav Tee album HERE.

Happy Sewing!

Spring Mini Capsule

We’re rounding out our Spring Mini Capsule Contest that we partnered with Made for Mermaids and I’m here to show you the two I got finished! (I wanted to make four…two got completed 😉 )

Katy , Alex, and Roberta  all shared theirs as well!

I finished up my Little Guy’s spring capsule quick! This totally gave me false hope of  finishing all of them lol! I did mostly tees and shorts since our spring gets pretty hot here in the south. Here was my plan for him.  I ended up leaving the yo-ho henley off for another raglan and the Lumberjack for a muscle tank.  I also didn’t quite make it to any undies…but he really needed the shorts and tees more anyways!  I switched out the joggers for the Cpt. Comfort jeans after finding some adorable striped denim that needed to be used.

I did 3 pairs of Pirate Playground Pants in the shorts length option.

These are a french terry with inseam pockets. I added some top-stitching to the pockets as well.

  Another french terry pair here with inseam pockets and I added a little stripe down the side in the wrong side of the french terry.

And yet another french terry 😉 Can you tell my favorite fabric for the Pirate Playground Pants yet? These are the patch pocket option I added a little band to the pocket with the wrong side of the french terry.

One pair of Cpt. Comfort Jeans that I modified to a shorts length in a striped denim.

And one pair of Swashbuckler Swim Trunks.  I still need to find the perfect drawstring for these!

Tops I did a three Jolly Roger Raglans in short sleeves. Two basic tees in cotton jerseys and one in swim fabric as a rash guard!

I added a Wingman Shirt in a cotton spandex.

And a Muscle Tank too.

We had fun with the silhouette machine and added a few of his favorite things to the plain ones.  The graphic ones took Mama a LOOOOONG time to get drawn out, but Little Guy is over the moon with them so I guess the time was worth it 😉

They can mix and match a bit and now he’s ready for that warm weather! <3 I loved this little challenge and contest so much I told Megan we’ll need to do another in the Fall!

My Little Guy isn’t one for modeling much- so here are a few shots of them on a super silly boy!

 

I also snuck in another mini capsule for a baby shower gift! Hers didn’t mix and match quite as well as a traditional capsule should…but I still thought it was a great little set 🙂

For bottoms I used the Baby Bear Joggers with yoga waistband and cuff options. As well as some quickly drafted size 3 month leggings (as I called Megan complaining her Bonny’s didn’t go down to a small enough baby size 😉 )

I did 3 tops for her.

A Heart Breaker Cami in the plain option.

A Sugar Pie in short sleeves and curved tunic hem option.  I added a cute little vinyl as well.

And a tiny Me Hearties in short sleeve and peplum options. I finished all the edges with a little scallop elastic.

For her layering pieces I did two Butterfly Cardigans.

One in tunic length with tall bands in a ribbed knit.

And one is a very lightweight sweater knit in tunic length and short bands.

I added in two little headbands using M4M knit headband and a little tiny hat too 🙂

Although you can mix and match a bit I paired them together for a few photos of my favorite outfit pairings! <3

The teeny tiny capsule was oh so cute to make and I think mama to be enjoyed it too!

We have absolutely loved seeing everyone’s mini capsules for this contest.  I think it must go down as one of my very favorite contests we’ve done!  Don’t miss out on the rest of the capsules that were shared here: Katy  , Alex and Roberta.

We will be announcing the winner tomorrow!

Pumpkin Spice Dolman Cold Shoulder Hack

Cold shoulder tops are all the rage right now and it’s a quick and easy hack to add to your Pumpkin Spice Dolman.  The Pumpkin Spice Dolman is one of my very favorites and they are in constant rotation in my wardrobe, so as soon as I saw someone in the Patterns for Pirates Facebook Group ask about a hack, I knew I had to make one ASAP.  Let’s get started!

First you are going to cut out all your pieces, I choose to do the 3/4 sleeve with the long band for mine. Once your pieces are cut, we are going to line up our shoulders seams but instead of sewing the hole seam we are going to make a couple of marks.  I marked 1.5 inches down from the neck and placed a pin there and then 2.5 inches up from where the arm attaches. I am sewing a XXS and that is what worked for me but feel free to adjust those measurements to make it perfect for you.  Now we are going to sew from the edge to where we put our pin on the sewing machine.  It’s really important that you don’t use your serger for this step!

Now that our seams are sewn, we are going to press them open and continue pressing where we didn’t sew open as well. Measure to make sure that you are pressing exactly your 1/2 inch seam allowance.  Once you have it pressed open we are going to top stitch both sides of the seam allowance.  I’m using my coverstitch here, but you can use a twin needle or a single needle, whichever you prefer.  You just created your cold shoulder, easy right?!  You will now continue constructing your top just as the pattern says.

And don’t forget the Pumpkin Spice Dolman has a matching girls pattern the Spice Cake so you can also make the girls in your life a matching cold shoulder top- I know that my daughter is all about the cold shoulder and I plan on making her a couple too!

Don’t forget to show off your creations in the Facebook Group, we adore seeing all your creations – Angela

#allP4Ptoday winners

DECEMBER

And just like that, a new year is almost here. Hope you all had a fantastic holiday season! We couldn’t end the year without announcing our last 2017 #allP4Ptoday winner!

So without further ado…our December winner is:

Laura Van Niejenhuis

Laura has been rocking #allP4Ptoday every month since we started the contest. From casual to party attire, Laura has made them all and looks radiant in them.

Thank you all for a fantastic 2017!🎉 Keep posting your all P4P outfits next year too, we will be watching! 😉

NOVEMBER

Ahoy, pirates! We hope you had a wobbly gobbly Thanksgiving celebration! We saw some awesome P4P outfits being shown off this month. As always choosing only one winner was super hard.

Drumroll…. our latest #allP4Pwinner is Maggie Runyon!

Maggie’s post brought a smile to all the team’s face so we just had to pick her as our November winner. She looks adorable in her Wiggle dress … but little miss stole the show in her Fav tee dress. Congratulations, Maggie!!

We can’t wait to see your holiday all P4P outfits! Use the hashtag #allP4Ptoday so we can spot you!

OCTOBER

Boo! The trick or treating month has come and gone! We absolutely loved seeing you rock the Gone Batty shirt and incorporating P4P in your fall sewing.

Our October #allP4Ptoday winner is…. MAGDELYN GAMBLE !

Magdelyn rocked those Disneyland family outfits! She is definitely an inspiration, she chose the perfect P4P patterns ( Henley, Peg Legs and Sugar Pie) so that everyone was comfortable for the long walks while still being “park ready” and cool.

The Sweetheart  dress gets a lot of love from our October winner, she looks absolutley gorgeous in both the dress and the peplum top. Thank you, Magdelyn for sharing your creations with the P4P group.

I can’t wait to see your November entries and how you incorporate P4P in your Thanksgiving sewing. Don’t forget to add the #allP4Ptoday to your posts so we can see YOU when we search for our monthly winner.

 

SEPTEMBER

And just like that fall is here!!! I think most of you are just as excited as I am for some cooler weather and some pumpkin spice everything.

September P4P group wall was filled with amazing creations! We’ve seen lots of pegs, SOS and cocoons…clear sign of autumn’s arrival. So without further ado….our September #allP4Pwinner is…

JESSIE KILGER!

Jessie rocked her Pegs, SOS, Cocoon Cardigans and Favorite Tees like a boss! I loved how she shows the versatility of our patterns and look adorable doing it.

Keep posting those #allp4ptoday outfits in the P4P group! Maybe October’s winner will be YOU!

 

AUGUST

Ahoy, pirates! The month of August brought a lot of fantastic #allP4Ptoday outfits. We’ve seen kids going back to school and teachers ready for a brand new school year. One mom and teacher really stood out this month so let’s give a big “Congratulations!” to our August winner…

Britina Gilkey

 

Britina really brought her A game this past month…check out how many cool #allP4Poufits she posted!

From PSD to Peg legs, she’s done it all! We were just so happy to see all the great posts.

Happy sewing, pirates and remember to hash tag your #allP4Ptoday outfits.

 

JULY

Another summer month has come and gone. Have you guys started sewing for fall? Personally, I am not quite ready to give up on summer just yet…so when I was scrolling to all the amazing #allP4Ptoday photos one stood out for being what summer is all about.

Our July all P4P today winner is…..

Callie Zerby

Doesn’t Callie look stunning in her Hello Sailor and Siren Swim Top ? We hope you had an amazing birthday party, Callie!

If you’re wearing all P4P, snap a pic, post it in the group and tag it #allP4Ptoday…you may be our next lucky winner!

 

JUNE

Summer is officially on and so are the #allP4Ptoday outfits! We loved seeing all the light and breezy creations you posted this month and the occasional layered look from our friends down under. You guys were really rocking your P4P this month and we couldn’t be more proud.

Without further ado…the June winner is:…Beth Pannecoucke !

Beth has been showing off her baby bump comfy looks throughout the month so she caught the team’s eye. Just look how adorable she looks in her Favorite Tee and Palazzo short.

From the Cross my Heart Cami to FST and Cocoon Cardi, Beth has been rocking them all!

Don’t forget to hash tag your all P4P outfits post in August too. We look forward to seeing some of your Summer of Wovens creations too!

 

MAY

Can’t believe we are at the end of May already. Another month has passed and you have all outdone yourself. We’ve seen so many beautiful #allP4Ptoday outfits…you guys really like to make it hard on us to choose the monthly winner.

We’ve seen some spring outfits, some summer ones, even some special event ones. MeMadeMay was big in the Pirates land!

Drumroll….May’s winner is…. Susan Priddy – Fox! Susan has done a beautiful job making her and her daughter’s outfit for such a special event. Congratulations, Susan!

Don’t forget that the #allP4Ptoday contest is ongoing so keep those hashtags coming. You never know, next winner may be YOU!

 

 

APRIL

Once again you guys have not made our job easy, but that’s a good thing! We absolutely love seeing all of you rocking P4P outfits. April brought a lot of stunning Easter entries, I wish we could list them all.

Ok, Ok…I won’t make you wait any longer. Our April winner is Emily Merkel! Just look at this cool dude and tell me you can resist his smile. I couldn’t. He is just the cutest showing off his #allP4Ptoday outfit.

Keep those hash tags coming as there will be a winner every month. Happy sewing, pirates!

MARCH

Ohh wow! You guys have not made it easy for us to choose a March winner. We loved seeing you all rocking #allP4Ptoday and everyday.

Without further ado….our March winner is….. Lizzy Price! Lizzy just shines in all her pictures and since I couldn’t choose just one of them, here are a few that stood out. I think she might just be our SOS pants queen 😉

Thank you all who posted during March and don’t forget to keep showing off those P4P outfits. Use hashtag #allP4Ptoday so we can find them and who knows? Maybe YOU will be our April winner. You can read the contest details here.

Spring Women Capsule

As I was going though my closet a couple of weeks ago I realized that I barely have any solid color pieces. I made it a point to make more solid clothes so as soon as I learned of the P4P/M4M capsule collaboration plans I knew I have to step up my game and have a plan. I started with building just a start off, mini spring capsule. I chose the pieces based on what I feel most comfortable wearing and what will suit the hot Florida spring.

I made myself sew mostly solids…you have no idea how hard that is when you’re used to making only outfits in bold prints 🙂 . The best thing to  consider when building a mini capsule is how the pieces will mix and match together. Try to use solids that will visually complement one another.

If you do want to add print to your capsule, use prints that will include some of your colors in your solid line up. For example, I chose this dandelion Art Gallery cotton spandex for my M4M Chloe skirt because there is white and aqua in the print and the background color complements my capsule tops beautifully.

I highly recommend including a white or black top in your capsule. For my white option I chose the M4M Mama Ava because it’s relaxed fit will work with all my bottom pieces.

Layering pieces are a must when you plan out your capsule. I went with the Free Spirit Tank and a short sleeve Cocoon because I can easily transition them in summer.

The Cross My Heart Cami was a must because…just look how perfect it layers with the Pumpkin Spice Dolman and the Mama Isabel Dress.

I hope my mini capsule inspired you to try one for yourself too. I know now I am even more motivated to make a capsule for my boys. Their closet lacks solid basics pieces even more than mine…but that will change! 🙂

So there you have it…9 pieces…a lot of possibilities.

Don’t forget to check out the P4P/M4M capsule contest for a chance to win some amazing prizes!

Spring Mini Capsule Sewing & Contest

Alex

Sleeves and Their Wrinkles

I’ve scrolled past the question or remark about wrinkling around armpits a ton in sewing groups.  I’m here to talk about the #1 cause of armpit wrinkle on the sleeves.

It’s easier to understand why we have wrinkles around the armpit when we know how the sleeve was drafted.  Different sleeve types are drafted differently.

 

Dolman sleeves are also drafted so that there are no wrinkles when we have our arms lifted horiztonally.

Raglan sleeves are drafted so that there are little to no wrinkles when your arms are lifted.

Set in sleeves on knit tees are drafted so that there are no wrinkles when our arms are at a diagonal.

Okay, so what does that mean? When your arms are in other positions than the ones the sleeves are drafted for there will always be wrinkles/extra fabric/pulling.  Lets see a few real life picture examples!

Dolman: Shown here: The Sweet Tee Others we have in the shop are: The Pumpkin Spice Dolman and CoCoon Cardigan

Arms up (almost horizontal– I don’t stand with my arms straight out too much for pictures ;)): very little wrinkling or extra fabric and if my arm was up slightly more horizontal it would go away completely.

Arms Down: All the extra fabric is now “bunched”up under my arm when I put them down.

Arms Up:

Arms Down: in this more stable cotton spandex you can really see the difference!

 

 

Raglan: Shown here in the pink and grey: Slim Fit Raglan , Shown here in the black and leopard: Relaxed Raglan , and Shown here in youth: Jolly Roger Raglan

Arm Up: (almost horizontal).

Arms Down:

Arms Up: (again it was near impossible to find one all the way up/out but this is close!)

Arms Down:

Arms Raised: higher than horizontal. You can see the wrinkling move from under the arm to on top, it is being pulled since it is higher than the raglan sleeve is drafted at.

And another raglan set courtesy of my Little Guy 🙂

Arms Up: although it’s a close up, you can see his hands are on his hips-so not fully horizontal, but close!

Arms Down: (that look guys!  He’s a sassy one for sure…that doesn’t enjoy modeling for mama 😉 )

 

 

Set in Sleeves: Shown here: Sweetheart Dress , Shown here in youth: Henley , Shown here: fit picture from testing the upcoming youth tee 🙂 , and also in the shop we have Grandpa Cardigan , Wingman Shirt , Boundless Knit Dress , Buried Treasure Tunic , High Low Tide Top

Arms Diagonal:

One Arm Down and One Arm Extended Up: see the wrinkles are in different spots. My arm that is down creates wrinkle under the armpit area.  My arm that is extended all the way up creates them on top of the shoulder. (Also super crazy face I’m making because it was super windy 😉 ).

Arms Diagonal: the only wrinkling going on here is because I’m pulling my arm to the back (pointing my elbow backwards) unnaturally to try to show off the top.

Arms Down:

Here is a few youth examples of set in sleeves as well!

Arms Diagonal:

Arms Down:

Arms Diagonal:

Arms Down:

Arms Diagonal: (no wrinkling)

Arms Down: (wrinkling at under arm)

Arms Extended Up: (wrinkling above arm/shoulder)

If you’re realizing you have wrinkles at the bust, not sleeve we’ve also blogged about those here!

I hope this helps all you wonderful seamstresses out there creating knit garments and trying to make sure you’re getting the fit right 🙂

 

Heart Breaker Cami- Swim Top Hack

During testing we had a lot of ladies used swim knit as a swim top for their littles! I think the design looked like a great swim top!

So, I thought I would share the very simple mods I did to use the Heart Breaker Cami as a swim top for my Baby Girl!  I recommend adding swim elastic around all the edges.  This helps the suit stay put when wet. I used 3/8″ swim elastic so I didn’t have to change any measurements to the binding 🙂

*I know a lot of ladies will be asking if they can skip the elastic.  Technically yes, you can sew it with just swim knit and it will stand up to the water.  BUT, the elastic will make it a “real swim suit”.  What does that mean exactly?  The swim elastic is made to hold up to the water and chlorine and doesn’t stretch out when wet.  The swim fabric does  stretch out and get heavier when wet.  For me personally, if I’m going to give the time to sew up a swim suit, I want it to be a nice, stay put, last all summer one! So, I absolutely take the time to put in the elastic 🙂 I don’t want it to grow and fall down on her while we’re swimming or constantly be slipping off her shoulders if I skip it.

Follow the tutorial for the first step of attaching binding.  Then serge or stitch your swim elastic along the opposite edge of binding that has not been attached yet.  You want the edge of the swim elastic to be even along the edge of the binding. For the front curved neckline you will want to put slight tension on the elastic as you’re attaching, you don’t need to stretch much- just a touch- so that it hugs to your little one’s body.

Finish the binding exactly per the tutorial.  Repeat these steps for the rest of the binding- putting a small amount of tension on the elastic only around the curved areas (under arms).  For the shoulder straps and X back binding pieces you do not need to stretch the elastic at all- use a 1:1 ratio.

I also added some swim elastic into the bottom hem to keep it from riding up.  For the cropped version I slipped elastic into the band there at the bottom.

And now she’s ready for the summer!  I can’t wait to see her in it (especially since I found these perfect accessories to go with it!)

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