Blog - Patterns for Pirates

Blanket Scarf

December 16, 2016

Have you been following our 2016 Holiday Freebies? You can see our Free Adult Mittens HERE and our Free Adult Slouchie Beanie HERE! Today I’m here to show you how to make a Blanket Scarf!

Blanket scarfs are a great, easy item you can whip up for yourself or others during those colder months!

You can pair them with a top or dress for a touch of color and finish off your outfit with the perfect trendy touch.

You’ll need:

Flannel- 1.5-2 yards

Scissors

Optional: Sewing Machine and matching thread

You’ll want your scarf anywhere from 1.5-2 yards long. A few factors that you can consider when deciding on the length are how tall are you? The more petite you are the less you’ll need. How thick is your flannel? The thicker the fabric the less you’ll need.

I cut mine into a square. Since my flannel was about 56″ wide. I squared it up at 55″ x 55″. You don’t have to have a perfect square either, if your fabric is thinner or you’re taller you might want to keep the width and make your length a bit longer (up to about 2 yards).

You can finish the edges anyway you’d like. You can leave them raw (they will fray with wear and washing).

You can stitch around the edge with a finishing stitch of your choice. (zigzag, overlock, ect.) Pictured here with a zigzag, which will still fray up to the stitch if you’re not right on the edge.

You can do a narrow hem, folding 1/4″ and another 1/4″ enclosing the raw edge for a cleaner finish.

You can also stitch around the inside where you’d like the fray to stop. You can fray the edges up to the stitch line by pulling the cross grain threads up to the stitch line.

Now you’re ready to style it!

***I’m sorry, but my camera man (aka my husband) wasn’t very interested in all the different ways you could style a blanket scarf, and he often cuts my head off! You will also hear my kiddos (you can even catch Little Guy being super naughty…) in the background. But, hopefully they are helpful still 🙂

You can wear it bandera style by folding it in half at a 45 degree angle creating a large triangle, then wrapping it around the back of your neck and tucking tails under.

You can wear it shawl style.

You can wear it like a traditional scarf wrapped about your neck.

You can to the tie front, wrapping it back around your neck and tying in the front.

You can wear it like an infinity scarf.

Drape it over your shoulders. You can wear a belt over to hold it in place as well.

You can fold in half lengthwise wrap around back of neck and pull ends through the fold.

You can wear it over your head and wrap one end around to the back.

You can wrap around the back and criss cross through the front.

Still with me? 😉 Don’t miss our other 2016 Holiday Freebies here:

Free Fleece Mittens

and

Free Slouchy Beanie

They all pair perfectly together for some great cozy finishing touches!

2016 Holiday Freebies :: Slouchy Hat Pattern (4 Sizes!)

December 13, 2016

Ready for our second holiday present to you this year? This one is for the entire family!

This slouchy hat pattern comes in four sizes, which should cover the heads of the majority of your family!

XSmall (fits 17″ – 18″ head circumference) – Toddler
Small (fits 19″ – 20″ head circumference) – Child
Medium (fits 21″ – 22″ head circumference) – Teen/Adult
Large (fits 23″ – 24″ head circumference) – Adult

Grab your free pattern pieces here. If you need help putting the pattern together, pop over to the First Time Users Tips page or ask in our facebook group .

Recommended fabrics: Ponte, sweater knits, liverpool, brushed poly, rayon blends, tshirt knits, upcycled sweaters, etc. Anything with a decent amount of drape to it works best, otherwise the “slouch” won’t happen as well. I suggest washing your fabric before you begin to pre-shrink & help prevent color bleeding in the future.
Cuff piece: Any knits with at least a 20% stretch.

Supplies needed:

Main Fabric: 1/3 yard
Cuff: less than 1/4 yard required

Step 1: Assemble your pattern and cut your pieces out. You will need two of the main hat, cut on the fold. And one cuff piece, cut on the fold.

Step 2: Lay two mirror images, right sides together. Using 1/2″ seam allowance, sew around the two outer edges. Make sure to leave the bottom and the top “v” open.

Step 3: Open up the hat and fold it (right sides still remaining together) so the “v” lays flat, and the two side seams are meeting in the middle. Stitch the top opening shut.

The top of your hat should now look like this. You’ll have an X of one long seam (going from bottom edge to bottom edge) and one short seam.

Step 4: Fold your cuff piece, right sides together, meeting the shorter ends together.

Step 5: Stitch (using 1/2″ seam allowance) short ends together.

Step 6: With wrong sides together, fold the raw edges together to meet each other.

Step 7: On both your hat body and cuff pieces, mark raw edges into halves. (The hat body will be the two seams. The cuff will be one seam and the halfway point on the opposite side.)

Step 8: Slide the cuff over the hat body, aligning the raw edges and matching the half-marked points. Note: The cuff is slightly smaller than the hat body. Stretching the cuff only, stitch through all three layers of raw edges.

Step 13: Flip cuff down. You’re finished!

Need some inspiration? Take a look at the fabulous hats that our gorgeous testers made!

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 fabulous mittens you’ve managed to make from our freebie pattern!

2016 Holiday Freebies: Fleece Mittens Pattern!

December 8, 2016

The Pirate Crew is here to bring a little more “yo ho ho” into your holiday with some freebies! Today is the first of three patterns we are releasing, for FREE! In case you were stumped on Christmas sewing ideas, here is the first of our scrap-busting, super quick, free patterns.

These mittens are a one-size fits most. We’ve also provided a cuff and a non-cuff version, so you can mix other fabrics into these easily if you’d like. The pattern is written for a basic fleece fabric, though some of our testers have had success with sweater knits and other various fabrics.

Grab your free pattern pieces here. If you need help putting the pattern together, pop over to the First Time Users Tips page or ask in our facebook group .

Note: I use my sewing machine for the construction of the mitten body, because the thumb area can be really tricky if you’re using a serger. When using fleece, it helps to use a walking foot in your machine to help reduce pulling. It also makes feeding the fleece through your machine a more even process.

Recommended fabrics: Fleece, cuddle/minky, sweatshirt fleece, upcycled sweaters, etc. I suggest washing your fabric before you begin to pre-shrink & help prevent color bleeding in the future.
(Optional cuff) Any knits with at least a 20% stretch.

Supplies needed:

1/3 yard Fleece fabric
(optional cuff) less than 1/4 yard required

Step 1: Assemble your pattern and cut your pieces out. You will need two sets of mirror images of the main body pieces.

Step 2: Lay two mirror images, right sides together. Using 1/2″ seam allowance, sew around the entire outside of the mitten body. Make sure to leave the bottom open.

Step 3: Clip the corner between the thumb and fingers, making sure not to cut into your stitching, but getting as close as you can to it. This step is super important, otherwise the mitten will fit really strange in the thumb and it’ll be super uncomfortable.

Step 4: [If doing the cuff version, skip to step 6] Turn the opening up 1″ and hem. (Optional: turn 1/2″ and then another 1/2″ to enclose raw edge.)

Step 5: Turn mitten right-side-out. Repeat with second mitten.

Step 6: CUFF VERSION ONLY Complete steps 1-3. Also cut 2 cuff pieces, one for each mitten.

Step 7: Fold your cuff piece, right sides together, meeting the shorter ends together.

Step 8: Stitch (using 1/2″ seam allowance) short ends together.

Step 9: With wrong sides together, fold the raw edges together to meet each other.

Step 10: On both your mitten body and cuff pieces, mark raw edges into halves. (The mitten body will be the two seams. The cuff will be one seam and the halfway point on the opposite side.)

Step 11: Slide the cuff over the mitten body, aligning the raw edges and matching the half-marked points. Note: The cuff is slightly smaller than the mitten body.

Step 12: Stretching the cuff only, stitch through all three layers of raw edges.

Step 13: Flip cuffs down. Repeat with other mitten.

Step 14: Sit back long enough to admire your handiwork, and then go sew a million more pairs of these comfy mittens!

Check out the adorable mittens that our gorgeous testers made! (And check back with us next week, because we’ve got more freebies coming your way!)

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 fabulous mittens you’ve managed to make from our freebie pattern!

Cocoon Cardigan :: New Pattern Release!

December 1, 2016

Lately, we seem to tease you a lot with patterns in-the-making. Tease. It’s what we do. The Cocoon Cardigan was a long, drawn out tease, with multiple appearances in our Instagram feed. But guess what? It’s here! The wait is over! No more teasing, we promise.

Oh boy, you are going to LOVE this cardigan. It’s like wearing a hug. A hug that is full of customizable options, that is!

The pattern is drafted for sizes XXS – Plus 3X. It’s a dolman style sleeve, so it’s looser fitted and insanely fast to put together. There are THREE sleeve lengths (short, 3/4 and long — each with multiple band options), TWO hem lengths (cropped or tunic length), TWO neckband options (short or tall), and optional pockets (patch or inseam)! On top of all of that, we have also included a PDF layers feature for printing.

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

The three different sleeve length options will take you from one season to the next. Choose between short sleeve, 3/4 length, and long sleeves and transition between all four seasons.

With two different hem lengths, you’ve got all of your bases covered. Get more coverage with a booty-covering tunic…

…or take it a little shorter and a whole lot sassier with a cropped length!

And ladies. Have we talked pockets yets? POCKETS! Doesn’t that make literally every outfit better? We have included both in-seam and patch options. So you can go wild! (As wild as one could go with pockets on a cardigan, haha.)

Were you wondering if the Cocoon Cardigan would work for maternity wear? Yes, yes, a million times yes! It’s perfect, no alterations required!

Not quite convinced yet? Go check out all of the rest of the gorgeous tester images in our Facebook group HERE and get inspired!

Can’t take it any longer and need the pattern right now?! Go grab your very own copy of the Cocoon Cardigan and get to sewing!

Tips for working with sweater knits

November 25, 2016

Have you seen the sneak peek Judy posted on Instagram? Check it out if you haven’t already. If you did you might have noticed that soon you will be sewing those pretty sweater knits you’ve been saving. In the blog today I will give you some of my tips and tricks to work with this kind of fabric.

1.Grab the lint roller! No, I have not lost my mind…believe me, you will want the lint roller close by when you cut sweater knit. Whether it’s a open weave or a dense one, sweater knits tend to leave a lot of residue when being cut.

TIP: Use the lint roller to not only clean your cutting mat but also the edges of the fabric pieces you just cut. That will help keep your sewing machine cleaner.

2. If cutting with a rotary cutter, use a new or very sharp blade. I find sweater knits to be more prone to getting a run in the fabric if the cutter or scissors is not very sharp.

3. Water soluble stabilizer is not just for embroidery! When working with sweater knits on your sewing machine I highly recommend placing a piece of WSS under your fabric. This will not only make sewing it easier but it will also prevent puckering and even more important it will stop your machine from “eating” your fabric. Sweater knits, especially open weave ones have a lot of “holes” so your machine is basically sewing through air.

Tear away the excess, the remaining water soluble stabilizer will disappear when you first wash the garment. I prefer transparent WSS but opaque ones work just as well.

4. You can sew sweater knit entirely with your sewing machine however a serger will make the process faster and easier. You might need to adjust your settings a bit to accommodate this type of fabric. My favorite serger stitch when sewing sweater knits is the FLATLOCK stitch. Check your serger user manual to make the proper settings for a flatlock stitch, they will vary from model to model. Here is an example of how a white thread flatlock stitch looks like on a black piece of fabric.

A narrower flat lock stitch

A wider flat lock stitch

I use this type of serger stitch when I make sweater knit bands and hems. Use a matching thread so the stitch will blend in with the fabric.

5. Just as with all knits, always use a ball point needle in your sewing machine and serger. You’ll also need to lower the pressure foot tension of your sewing machine.

6. The markings on open weave sweater knits will need to be added with chalk/ a tailor pen or by adding tailor tacks. Notches are impossible to see on sweater knits.

I hope you find these tips helpful when you will be sewing the new Cocoon pattern releases soon. I will leave you with another sneak peek of this amazing cardigan. Now get the sweater knits stash out and as always post your creations in the group so we can all ohh and ahhh over them.

Alex

Sew, what do I wear? Holiday Edition

November 19, 2016

We teamed up with the Made for Mermaids ladies and have been sharing some great inspiration pieces to add to your holiday wardrobe; whether it be for family photos, dinners, or parties. You can usually find me in some SOS Pants and a Sweet Tee or Mama Bear Joggers and a Boyfriend Tee but we have some fun holiday parties and a trip to Las Vegas coming up so decided to go all out and use some sparkly and luxurious fabrics. My three little ones keep me pretty busy and if you’re anything like me, I tend to wait until the very last minute to sew up my items and am left running out the door, trimming my last thread. So, with that, here’s my take on our ever famous Peg Legs and Pumpkin Spice Dolman, two of the quickest and most beginner friendly patterns, to make them party worthy.

First, let’s talk about Peg Legs. If you haven’t heard what Pegs legs are…Check out this blog post: Peg Leg 101. My drawer is full of basic pegs, but I didn’t want just any old pair so I decided to use stretch velvet. While the fabric does meet the minimum stretch requirements, I opted to take a slightly smaller seam allowance just to ensure that they wouldn’t end up a little sheer at the booty and looking more like tights. I also used supplex for my waistband since I wasn’t sure if the velvet would cause the waistband to slip too much. Changing the type and texture of the fabric took my “mom-iform” pants to luxurious!

Now on to my top. I’ve recently made a few Off -the-Shoulder Raglans using our raglan hack from a few weeks ago and am really liking the look so I thought it would be a perfect addition to the Pumpkin Spice Dolman to take it up a notch. I was also limited on my fabric and ended up using two front pattern pieces so I could use it for both the front and back. The back pattern piece of the PSD is wider since naturally our curves (our booty and shoulders) need the extra ease but I was ok with slightly slimmer fit through the hip that I would end up with by using the same pattern piece for the front and back.

To create the off the shoulder look, I widened the neckline at the shoulder seam by removing 2″. I also turned the edge 1/4″ and hemmed it rather than adding a neckband.

I hemmed the bottom and sleeves as well. To be honest, my serger hated the sequins and I ended up having to do most of the construction on my sewing machine. The blade was able to handle them, but with the combination of the speed, my needles kept breaking. So just as a cautionary tale, if you decide to use sequins, go slow! Even with my serger issues though, I was still able to complete my entire outfit in just over an hour…yes, you read that right; an hour! Now, run and grab all the sparkly fabric you can find and shine straight into the New Year!

Don’t forget to check out all the amazing ladies and their makes, if you haven’t already! There is sure to be something that inspires you! Have you joined in on the fun and made a P4P or M4M holiday outfit? Join the Facebook Group and share away. We’d love to your creations.

Nov 14 – Wild & Wanderful/ What Does She Do All Day?/ My Creative Room

Nov 15 – Sew A Piece of Joy / Red Stitch Blue Stitch/ Sewn Of A Stitch

Nov 16 – MaMoose / Rebel & Malice / On Wednesdays We Sew

Nov 17 – It’s Liesel / Stitching and Making / The Kisses Co

Nov 18 – SewSophieLynn/ I’m Just Like Mommy/ Lady and the Gents / The Crunchy Mommy

Sew, what do I wear? Planning and Sewing for Family Pictures

November 19, 2016

I, along with a lot of apparel seamstresses LOVE to sew up something special for family pictures! We get our family pictures done every fall. And each year I like to think I get a little bit better at my part, which is coordinating/sewing the outfits. Or most of them!

I think the most important “rule” is to have solid back ups. I like to pick out a true back-up plan with clothes we already have. I’m a last minute kind of girl, but nothing is worse than really being under pressure to finish something right before you need to look happy in front of a camera! And, you never know when a project decides to be a “doomed project”… you know it happens from time to time that it just isn’t meant to be… everything that could go wrong goes wrong! So… have a REAL back-up… something you will genuinely be happy with and have picked out and ready just in case. It will take off pressure, stress and be there in case you need it 🙂 This year we slipped into someone’s “spot” after they cancelled… so I only had about 24 hours to get ready. I made Little Guy a Deep Sea VNeck and he wore a pair of Cpt Comfort Jeans I had already made him. Hubs and I both wore all store bought. And I still love the pictures 🙂 and I’m glad we could slip in with this photographer that I love! This year we did navy, green and cream/khaki and my undershirt had a little tiny bit of pink.

On to the next… I don’t ever try to sew every single piece of clothing in the picture. That’s a lot to take on, especially if your family is growing and has lots of bodies to clothe! I like to pick the most important to me and make those extra special. That way I have time and energy to make those “show stoppers” and leave the rest to store bought or something that was made a few months ago! My poor husband pretty much never gets anything made for him…maybe next year 😉 Last year when I was at the end of my pregnancy I only made my shirt (a Layer Me Up )! I wore some SOS skinny pants I had and my Little Guy wore a Yo Ho Henley I had also made previously. I paired a sweater that was my Granny’s (so still a special to me piece) and the rest was store bought we had on hand. I had set out to make a cardigan and pants for Little Guy, but those back ups came in handy when I couldn’t muster up the energy!

When picking colors I love to pick colors that I think compliment both our skin tones and my house! I print the pictures and have them in our living room every year… so I don’t want some crazy colors that aren’t going to go well with all my other decor. We happen to all be very fair skined, so it’s easy to compliment all our skin tones with the same cooler tones. If your family has different skin tones, no biggie! You can mix in cooler and warmer tones with different shades and colors. When I’m deciding I love to search Pinterest for family photo in the colors I’m deciding between. I can’t pull off brighter warmer tones like yellow and orange, so we usually do cooler greens and blues. I did do a bold lip color this year, but I don’t think I’ll be repeating that 🙂

I like to pick only a couple colors to use in our pictures and just add neutrals to fill it in. I almost always go for navy as a base. It’s super easy to use because you can find it so easily in male and female clothes, jeans and chambray are great and easy neutrals to work with navy/blue as well. I also always add in white/cream as another neutral. It helps balance the picture having a dark, mid and lighter tone color. Then I pick a midtone color or two to work in. This year we did navy, cream and darker khaki/caramel for the neutrals and teal for the color and I added in a tiny pop of pink since it was our first family pictures with Baby Girl and thought it needed that pop of pink to celebrate! Don’t worry about making everything the same exact shade either, adding different shades of the same color help give some dimension.

Next is finding a good mix of texture, solids, prints in your outfits. This can be tricky and honestly a bit time consuming. But, I really cherish these pictures forever and I don’t mind sitting and staring at a mix of fabric and clothes for a day for them! I like to use jean, knit, plaid, stripes, prints, sweater, ect to make us have some depth. I like a lot of solids or near solids as well though, because in the end I really want our faces to be the highlight of the picture not our clothes (as hard as that is for a seamstress ;)). Adding things like buttons and trim to a solid can be the best of both worlds! A little trim can really make your solid apparel look extra special without being distracting at all like a loud print can become. I usually like to do the kids in the bolder prints or colors but I have mixed it up where I wear a floral, like when I was a million months pregnant last year…. everyone was looking at the belly, so I thought I’d go ahead and highlight it! And I put Little Guy with a pop of a brighter mustard color to bring some attention to him too. Here we did navy, cream and olive with his pop of mustard and my floral brought in a bit of pink.

Layering is a great way to add some more depth and texture. But, if you’re finding it hard to pair that many items together don’t worry. It doesn’t make or break your photos if you’re not layered! We did our first year in the summer months in Texas— no one was going to layer anything! Again we’re in navy, white as neutrals and added that pop of red. I put Little Guy in the boldest and we’re both in a more subtle print.

But, you know… if your personality is loud print, then go for it! It’s all about outfitting your family to show them off… put them in something that reflects who you guys are!

I do think it’s important to be comfortable enough that you and your kiddos can sit, stand, walk, and move around without having to adjust your clothes every time. Otherwise you will spend more time in your session fixing clothing than taking pictures and no one wants that! Or even worse you get them back and you look uncomfortable! You don’t want to wear something you feel like you need to stand a certain way to be flattering…so suck in the whole time! (This is also wear layers can help mamas cover areas they might be more self conscious of!)

Even though I was super pregnant and merely standing was pretty uncomfortable, I just had on stretchy SOS pants, a super soft rayon spandex Layer Me Up and sweater. So I could sit, squat without worrying about my clothes at all! (A little secret though, I pulled my hamstring muscle squatting down for this picture, lol!)

I almost always let my Little Guy wear some kind of t-shirt. It’s what he always wears day to day and I want him to look like him! I want him to look and feel comfortable while we take the pictures as well. This Deep Sea V Neck is in a sweater knit. So the fabric choice dressed it up a bit while he was still very comfy!

For this year I used the Timeless Tunic for myself. I did a solid teal rayon jersey in the dress length. I did size down to a small since I used a very stretchy and drapey knit rather than a woven it’s drafted for. I also drafted out the bust darts since it was knit. I used the sleeve split hack that Angela had shared when it released and used a little crochet trim along the split. I thought it gave the solid a little more umph! I also love to put us in trendy clothes, which is sometimes a “no-no” for family photos. But, since we do them every year I love the idea and I can’t wait to look back through the fashion! I paired it with a long necklace and wedge booties. I was comfortable in the knit and the skirt wasn’t so tight that I felt like I needed spanx or to “suck in” the whole time. The split sleeve was something I had to be aware of while taking pictures though and how they were laying.

For Little Guy I made him a plain grey Jolly Roger Raglan in a heathered cotton jersey. The heathering gave it a tiny bit of texture/interest even though it was a solid. I also made him a Lumberjack out of a flannel (the poor baby was so hot! It was in the higher 90’s when we took these!). I did the hood option and added quick knit bands in place of the cuffs. I also didn’t have time to actually make the button holes if you look closely! But, I bet no one else will ever notice…I hope! He wore some store bought jeans with it.

Baby Girl wore a High Low Tide Top in a french terry. She was the only one is what I’d consider a more bold print. Since she’s so little I thought it was a great way to drawl your eyes to her. She also had the pop of pink within the color scheme in the floral. A nice soft knit for her too so she would be comfortable and I wouldn’t have to worry about it getting all wrinkled everything I held her or she plopped down walking a few steps. I added a little of the crochet trim and the buttons on Little Guys’s Lumberjack to her leggings (I used the Bonny Leggings by M4M). Just a tiny detail that no one else will probably notice coordinates and matches but me.

Husband wore all store bought–sorry honey! Darker khakis, a button up and a sweater (he was also VERY hot— but he looks great right? 😉 Gotta love a man who will wear layers on a hot TX day for you!)

I love seeing the family pictures pop up in the Patterns for Pirates Facebook Group! And I see the questions for help from time to time too! So I hope this helps you get your family pictures planned and sewn up for next time!

Blue and Red- Photos by Crystal Ingle Photography, Green, Navy and Blue, Floral- Photos by Colleen Hauth Photography, and this years teal- Photos by Contemporary Portaits.

Nov 14 – Wild & Wanderful/ What Does She Do All Day?/ My Creative Room

Nov 15 – Sew A Piece of Joy / Red Stitch Blue Stitch/ Sewn Of A Stitch

Nov 16 – MaMoose / Rebel & Malice / On Wednesdays We Sew

Nov 17 – It’s Liesel / Stitching and Making / The Kisses Co

Nov 18 – SewSophieLynn/ I’m Just Like Mommy/ Lady and the Gents / The Crunchy Mommy

P4P Professional Looks

November 18, 2016

“How can I make this look more professional?” “Is this okay to wear for an interview?” These are just a few of the questions that we see asked all the time about P4P patterns. Well, Angela and I are here to help give you some ways of how you can make and wear Patterns for Pirates a part of your professional wardrobe- and trust us, it’s possible. Angela works in the insurance world and I am a teacher and both of us admit to wearing P4P almost everyday! So here are a few tips and tricks from to help make you the envy of your office!

Fabric Content Choice
Every pattern will have a different look depending on which type of fabric you use. Some of our favorite contents for workwear are liverpool, ity, sweater knit, ponte de roma and brushed poly. It is important to be aware of the pattern you are using, as each fabric has a different drape and some are more suitable for different patterns. Liverpool is a more structured, textured fabric with great stretch. It is wonderful for patterns such as the Sweetheart, Sweet Tee, and SOS Knit Pants. Ity fabric is a very soft fabric with amazing drape and a smooth, soft texture. It comes in a variety of patterns and is great for making tops look more “dressy” and its a great choice for dresses like the Boundless Dress. Sweater knit is a very easy way to make patterns such as the Pumpkin Spice Dolman and the Grandpa Cardigan look professional for work. It can be found in a variety of weaves (loose to tight), textures, and weight. Another great option is ponte de roma, it is a nice weight and again is more structured so works well for the Pirate Pencil Skirt and bottoms like the SOS Knit Pants, Palazzo Pants and it really dresses up the Mama Bear Jogger shown below with a sweater knit Slim Fit Raglan with the cowl from the Add on Pack. Another great fabric that seems to be popping up everywhere is brushed poly and it can be used for so much more than peglegs! Brushed poly comes in various weights and can be single or double brushed and it has a great drape to it so it works well for tops and dresses. Rayon spandex and bamboo spandex blends are another great choice for tops and dresses.

Fabric Pattern Choice
In the professional world, it is very easy to play it safe with neutral colors. Neutral colors can be a great base for any outfit- as you can see with most of ours. We both tend to have a solid color somewhere in an outfit and then will pair this with something more bold. For example, I used the Sweetheart skirt hack to create a circle skirt in a solid gray. I then paired this with a polka dot Essential Tank and a cardi. I have also paired the Mama Bear Joggers in a floral french terry with a solid top. And Angela has paired a solid black ponte de roma Pirate Pencil Skirt with a patterned brush poly Sweetheart Peplum.

Adding Details
Adding details such as lace, trims, even a belt can help elevate a pattern to the next level. Lace is one of my favorite things to add to make an outfit look more professional. As you can see below, I used the Sweet Tee in the dress length, however added a lace trim to the hem. Angela added a belt to the Everyday Elegance to dress it up a bit. Or even just adding some jewelry like a necklace on a Pumpkin Spice Dolman. What shoes or boots your wear also can make such a difference on making your outfit look casual or office appropriate.

Every office is going to be a bit different in what they allow and don’t allow. Some office will allow Peg Legs where as other office won’t allow any type of leggings, some won’t allow a skinny pant where as others will. Patterns for Pirates have all your bases covered. Both Erinn and I get away with peg legs at the office but you will notice in pictures you see of us in our work attire we stick to solids for leggings. A lot of these looks would also pair nicely with a blazer for a more corporate look or try adding a Grandpa or Carefree Cardigan if your office is cold. I know both of us have plans to sew a lot of the new Cocoon Cardigans for work as well.

And now that you’ve read some of the basics for becoming a “Professional Pirate”, here are a few more pictures for some inspiration! And you know getting photo’s of your office attire isn’t easy so I’ve included some bathroom selfies cause I know that you all love seeing bathroom selfies 😉 Happy sewing and make sure to share your professional looks in the P4P Facebook group! ~ Erinn and Angela

a cool way to add reinforced knees to the Captain Comfort Jeans

November 15, 2016

As a mom of young kids I am always looking to make them cool clothes that are not only on trend but can withstand their active lifestyle. In today’s blog I will show you how to take the already cool Captain Comfort Jeans to the next level and reinforce the knees in a modern new way. If you’re looking at the Cpt. Comfort and need some tips on sewing jeans we’ve done a blog post all about it here!

Start by printing the pattern and cutting your fabric. I used an old pair of jeans I had saved for upcyling. (Here is a blog post about using an old pair of jeans for this pattern!) I find denim fabric by the yard to be pretty costly so I save all usable jeans pairs that my husband and I don’t wear anymore. You can make any style Comfort jeans with this hack, including the lined version.

Take your front piece pattern and measure 4 inches down from the top of the inseam, mark it on the pattern. Now measure and mark 6 inches from the bottom of the hemmed option cut line. I made a size 5 but I think these measurements would work well for sized 4-6. You will need to mark higher or lower depending on the size you need and how big you want the knee patch.

Draw a horizontal line from the two markings. Using a blank paper trace the knee patch between the two lines you just drew. Now you will draw another line parallel to these two 1/2 inch above the top line and 1/2″ bellow the bottom one. You just made the patch pattern piece.

Cut two jeans patches using the pattern piece you just created. Don’t forget to mirror the pieces!! Measure the inner and outer leg part of the patch and divide it by 3. Grab your fabric marker or chalk and draw a one inch line perpendicular to the sides of the patch at the markings.

Using a your sewing machine and denim needles sew a small dart that starts 1/4 inch away from the marking. Repeat the process for the remaining 7 small darts on the two patches .

Press the top dart up and the bottom darts down. Top stitch them in place. I love jeans thread for topstitching, It adds a nice touch to the finished look. Take your patches to the ironing board and press the top and bottom edges 1/2″ wrong sides together. Stitch in place 3/8 inch from the fold.

Place the patched on the front pieces (wrong side of the patch to the right side of the leg piece) making sure to match the right leg patch to the right patch and the left leg patch to the left leg. Sew the patches on about 1/8 inch away from the folded edge.

There you go! You just added cool knee patches to the Cpt Comfort Jeans. Continue sewing the pants according to the pattern and don’t forget to show them off in our group.

Happy sewing, pirates!

Alex

Easy Bear Jogger Hacks

November 11, 2016

The Mama Bear Joggers were just released and are packed with options. I have already made myself a few pairs so I was browsing Pinterest for styling ideas (don’t we all?). I came across a cute pair of joggers that had a tuxedo stripe on the side so I just had to make myself a pair like that. In today’s blog I’ll show you how I did the tuxedo stripe and an accent slat pocket band.

Start by printing and cutting the pattern in your size. (I grade mine in for the waist that’s why you’ll see two lines instead of one). Don’t cut the fabric just yet. If you’d like to do just the accent pocket band you’ll nee to place the pocket lining over your front piece and remove 1 inch from the curve. That can be done easily if using a French Curve.

Now take your measuring tape and measure the new pocket opening. You will be cutting your accent band to be 2″ by 95% of the opening.

Fold the band wrong sides together and give it a good press. Sandwich the folded band between the right side of the front of the pants and the right side of the pocket lining. You will be stretching JUST the band slightly. Sew the 4 layers together.

Turn the pocket over so its wrong side is on the wrong side of the front leg. You can now top stitch along the curve. Tadah! You’ve added a decorative band to the slat pocket. If you do not add the side strip proceed with sewing the joggers according to the pattern tutorial.

If you add the stripe, we will be making some pattern alteration prior to cutting the fabric. Place your pocket lining and back on top of the front of the pants matching the top and side lines. We will be removing 1.5 inches from the side of the front of the pants. Following the side curve draw a line parallel to the side, 1.5″ away.

Cut along the new line. Now grab the back of your pants and repeat the process on the side. You now have 4 new pattern pieces, front and back, pocket and pocket lining. We will measure the new side length with a measuring tape because it’s flexible. The tuxedo stripe will be 3″ by the new measured side. See? That wasn’t so bad.

Add the pocket according to the tutorial. We will now sew RST the front piece with one side of the strip. Then attach the other side of the strip to the back of the leg, right sides together. Repeat with the the other leg.

That’s it! Those are the only changes we made to the pattern. You can now finish your joggers according to the tutorial. You can add the strip to either one of the leg options, cuffs, elastic or rolled.

Get creative with all these joggers hacks and as always post your pretties in the group.

Alex

Let’s face it- everyone loves a jogger and the Patterns for Pirates Joggers are perfect! One of the things that I love about joggers is that there are so many different ways to style them. One of my favorite looks is the addition of a moto patch. This simple detail can add an extra bit of edge and flair to your joggers and help take an already awesome look to the next level! So let’s get started…

Creating Patch Piece

To start with, you will need to determine how far down to attach the patch. You will want to measure from your inseam to the top of where you want to attach the patch. As you can see in the picture below, mine measured 9.5″. Draw a line across your pattern piece at this measurement. Next, you will draw the bottom line for your patch- your next line should be 7″ down from this line (your finished patch will be at total of 6″). Using tracing paper, copy this section of your pattern to create your moto-patch.

Quilting the Patch
You will need to cut out two mirror image pieces. Next, you will trace your quilting lines on each piece (make sure to do mirror images!). Begin by marking both the horizontal and vertical centers of your piece (if you don’t have a quilters ruler- this mod is a GREAT excuse to go purchase one!!). After marking centers, draw lines every 2 inches in both directions. The final markings will be on the diagonals- connecting your squares. Repeat on the other patch.

After completing your markings, stitch across all of the diagonal marks only. Then, take a few minutes and admire all of the hard work you just did— Ok! Moment over, because now you get to repeat all of that beautiful stitching on the other patch!

Finishing and Attaching Patch
Press both the top and bottom of your patch, using a 0.5″ allowance to create a finished edge. Taking your front leg piece, place patch piece 0.5″ lower than original line (to account for your pressed seam… ex. Mine was at 9.5″ and I placed the patch at 10″ down) and pin in place.
Using a 0.25″ seam allowance, stitch the top and bottom into place. Then stitch over the horizontal lines only to finish creating your quilted look. You can now complete your Joggers by following the pattern directions.

And if you needed a few other ideas for you patches, you could also…

Cut your patches at angles
Place patches on thighs
Mix and match fabric patterns
Use fabrics that are already quilted (Yes- They exist and would be a huge time saver for this!)

I can’t wait to see how your patches (and joggers!) turn out. Make sure to share all of your creations on the P4P Facebook page!

~Erinn

I have been eying up all the adorable woven joggers that seem to be everywear this season and as soon as I saw the new P4P joggers I thought hmm, I wonder if then could be done in woven and guess what, they work great in woven for the baby bear joggers! I sewed up this pair for my daughter in a rayon challis remenant that I found and they are just too cute on her and super trendy right now! I didn’t alter anything while sewing but if your child has thicker calfs or ankles you may want to grade out one size to give a bit more room or take a smaller seam allowance from the calf down. These have the elastic waistband but as I had some 1 1/4 elastic in my stash Idecided to use it instead of doing the 3 rows of elastic. I inserted my elastic into the waistband and then basted the seam allowance before attaching the waistband to the pants. I did the elastic casing cuff which worked great the rolled cuff may be a touch to tight thou for wovens. No other changes to these and my girl has adorable woven joggers! I can’t wait till spring to make her a pile more!

I love the little shorties or bloomers look for my Baby Girl. Show off those rolls on her legs that I love so much! It’s very simple to use the new Baby Bear Joggers to create this cute, trendy look!

I determined the inseam by estimating how wide I would need it to cover her diaper. I made hers about 1″ before bands…they could’ve used another 1/2″ really though. I marked this on the inseam of back and front pieces. The side seam length I determined by thinking about how long I needed it to cover the diaper. I curved the bottom hem up towards the outer leg seam by about 2″ on both the back and front pieces.

I sewed the pattern up per the directions. To finish the bottom hem I added thick bands. I made them finish 1.5″ matching the waistband thickness. So, I cut 4″ by slightly shorter than my leg opening. You want to stretch the bands to fit the leg openings so that your bands are snug to their thighs.

Fold the bands in half width wise with right sides together (I wanted the “wrong side” to show on my bands.

Fold the band in half lengthwise with wrong sides together.

Align raw edges with raw edges of shorts and stitch, stretching band only as you sew all three layers together. Then flip band down with seam inside shorts.

I think they’re so precious! My Baby Girl has been sick and wasn’t really up for pictures, but we snapped just a couple to show them a bit.

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