Patterns for Pirates

P4P stylish, modern, wearable patterns

New Pattern Release :: Notch Top & Dress

We are squeaking another set of pattern releases into January and we are pumped to share them with you!! The Notch Top & Dress and Notch Top & Dress – Youth are full of details and options that…dare we say….are TOP NOTCH. Let’s talk all about them!

The Notch Top & Dress features a fun notched neckline with amazingly versatile options.  You can create a swim top, workout top, bralette top, everyday crop, or dress all from this pattern. Choose from tank to long sleeves to fit any season. Choose to make it with built in bust support for a bra-free garment or skip if for a quick sew up. The waistband creates a great fitted silhouette for the crop or dress option.

The Notch Top & Dress features a scoop neckline with or without the notch detail.  You can choose from a traditional scoop or a lower one (on adult only- great for the bralette or swim options).  The tutorial will walk you through adding support for making it great for a bra-free top or dress.  Or you can skip all that for a very quick sew up.  It is very fitted through top and will give some support even without any of the extra support that is optional.  The tight fit works great for layering under things, but since this top is lined on both bodice and waistband it is a great top on it’s own as well. The lining gives you another layer, which can give comfort in a tight fit garment.   The dress fits tight through bodice and flares out at the skirt for a classic and flattering fit.

Pattern options for the Notch Top & Dress include:

  • Necklines: Notch Neckline/ Plain Scoop Neckline / Low Notch Neckline (adult only) / High Back Neckline / Low Back Neckline
  • Lengths: Crop / Dress
  • Sleeves: Tank / Short Sleeve / 3/4 Sleeves / Long Sleeves
  • Several Finishing Options for the Notch Neckline
  • Optional Inseam Pockets for Dress
  • Optional Bust Support (adult only).

The Notch Top & Dress Pattern is drafted for light-to-medium weight high stretch knit fabrics.  Recommended only 4 way stretch knits (especially important for adult pattern).

The youth sizes range from 3m – 14 and the adult sizes are for the full, newer size chart, extending from XXS – Plus 5X for the Adult Hourglass Figure.

  • *Want to learn more about how to measure yourself for these pattern?  We’ve got you covered with an in-depth blog HERE.  And for even more helpful fun, we have a free* printable that you can use to help record your measurements as you take them.
  • 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, A0 and projector sizes.
  • We’ve also got an excellent planning tool for you with our Coloring Pages. It’s a resource that is updated with every new pattern addition, this pattern included!

JUDY’S COPY GOES HERE

We’ve loaded in ::several:: videos, walking you through various steps of the Notch Top & Dress patterns! In case you needed a little hand holding with some of the construction, we’ve already got you covered! The links are all available in the pattern tutorials, or you can find them on our YouTube channel.

Alright, let’s take a closer look at the options available in the Notch Top patterns!

SLEEVE LENGTHS: TANK / SHORT / 3/4 / LONG

HEMLINES: CROP / DRESS

FRONT NECKLINES: HIGH NOTCH / LOW NOTCH (ADULT ONLY) / SCOOP

BACK NECKLINES: HIGH / LOW

 

BUT WAIT, there’s more! We also have an Easy Hacks Blog Post, showing you how to take these patterns one step further! Click on the image below to be led straight there!

We are so excited to see what you sew up with the new Notch Top & Dress patterns!  Head on over to the shop, grab yourself a copy, and get to sewing!  They are available on sale (no code needed) through 11:59pm CST, February 5, 2023.

Notch Top & Dress | Notch Top & Dress – Youth | Notch Top & Dress – Bundle

Hoping for a little inspiration before diving into some Notch Top & Dress sewing?  Journey over to our Facebook group where you can see tester albums full of amazing images!

Notch Top & Dress Adult Album | Notch Top & Dress Youth Album

Notch Top & Dress- Easy Hacks

We love sharing some simple hacks to help extend the versatility of our patterns even more! Here are two for the new Notch Top & Dress we hope you enjoy.

ADDING LENGTH TO CROP::

Loving the new Notch Top & Dress, but which the crop option was just a bit longer? I got ya 😉 Here is a super quick and easy hack to make more of a top length than a shorter crop.

I only added about 1″ to mine, but you can add however much you’d prefer.  Remember though is it fitted to the natural waist where you are your smallest, so if you’re lengthening quite a bit you might also want to grade out to a bigger size at the bottom where you’re adding.  This way it wont be too tight on your high hips (if you’re going that long).

You’ll cut out the bodice just as you would normally.  I did the tank top option here, so no sleeves…but you would cut those and sew them the same as normal as well.

We will start making our hack changing by cutting out JUST the main fabric waistband pieces– adding the length you’d like.

 

Sew up the bodice per the tutorial as normal. When you get to the waistband we will just be stitching on the one layer.  Still add in that underbust elastic for adults.

Last, just hem up the bottom edge of the waistband.

Ta-da… so quick and simple! I love this everyday top and know it will be in high rotation! I can’t wait to see yours!

Want to see this hack being sewn up in action? Here is a quick video of it too!

MATERNITY ::

It can be somewhat challenging to find a great dress that works for maternity, but we’re here to show you a super simple change to the Notch Top & Dress that will give you a lovely maternity friendly dress.

Simple skip the waistband completely (don’t skip the elastic in that seam though) and add the missing length to your skirt pieces. Attach the skirt straight to the bodice pieces for an empire style dress perfect for a bump.

New Pattern Release :: Friendly City Sweater

We are super excited to share that we are releasing our first pattern of the new year! Well — not just pattern (singular) but patterns…plural! The Friendly City Sweater + Friendly City Sweater – Youth are the newest designs to be added to the Patterns for Pirates catalogue and you’re going to want to hear all about it!

The youth sizes range from 3m – 14 and the adult sizes are for the full, newer size chart, extending from XXS – Plus 5X for the Adult Hourglass Figure.

  • *Want to learn more about how to measure yourself for these pattern?  We’ve got you covered with an in-depth blog HERE.  And for even more helpful fun, we have a free* printable that you can use to help record your measurements as you take them.
  • 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, A0 and projector sizes.
  • We’ve also got an excellent planning tool for you with our Coloring Pages. It’s a resource that is updated with every new pattern addition, this pattern included!

The Friendly City Sweaters are open-sided tops with a relaxed and easy-to-wear silhouette. The pattern features a dramatic, curved hemline in three lengths, all of which are finished with curved bands that nest neatly into the side seams. Designed with cozy fabrics in mind, this pattern is a fun twist on a basic sweater.

You’ll want to grab a Friendly City Sweater out of your closet on those chilly days, when you need something to help keep you warm and cozy. We included only long sleeves in the pattern, with the option of a hemmed or cuffed sleeve, and both sleeve versions fitting loosely at wrist. While there are three different hem lengths to choose from, the nested bands all meet at the same spot at your natural waist before opening up to a flattering curved bodice bottom. The crew neckline sits at a just-right height, the scooped neckline (available only on the adult pattern) gives you a slightly more open option, and the fold-over turtleneck is designed for that perfect level of coverage without being restrictive, even in thicker fabrics.

Pattern options for the Friendly City Sweaters include:

  • Necklines: Crew Neckline / Scoop Neckline (adult only) / Fold-Over Turtleneck
  • Hemlines: Crop / Top / Tunic Lengths
  • Sleeves: Cuffed / Hemmed Long Sleeves

The Friendly City Sweater Pattern is drafted for light-to-medium weight knit fabrics. Due to the design with open sides and oversized fit…the more drape the fabric has, the better. Stiffer fabrics will most likely “tent” off of your body, whereas fabrics with a softer drape will provide for the intended silhouette.

Specific Fabric Suggestions: Brushed Ribbed Knits, Ribbed Knits, Modal Knit Blends, DBP (Double Brushed Polyester Knit), Sweater Knits, Spandex French Terry Blends, Waffle/ Brushed Waffle Knits, etc.

The nested bands are the biggest feature of the Friendly City Sweater patterns — and also might be considered the trickiest part because the construction goes outside of your typical steps when sewing a top. Not to worry! We’ve got a video walking you through the ::entire:: sewing process, including how to wrap your brain around those amazing banded bottoms!

https://youtu.be/Y1h29SHzflkhttp://

Let’s take a look at some of the different options:

Hemlines (Crop / Top / Tunic)

Necklines (Crew / Scoop (Adult Only) / Turtleneck)

Sleeves (Cuffed / Hemmed)

We are so excited to see what you sew up with the new Friendly City Sweater patterns!  Head on over to the shop, grab yourself a copy, and get to sewing!  They are available on sale (no code needed) through 11:59pm CST, January 22, 2023.

Friendly City Sweater | Friendly City Sweater – Youth | Friendly City Sweater – Bundle

Hoping for a little inspiration before diving into some Friendly City Sweater sewing?  Journey over to our Facebook group where you can see tester albums full of amazing images!

Friendly City Sweater Album | Friendly City Sweater – Youth Album

 

#P4PFeatureMe

We LOVE to see what you’ve made with our pattern collection here at Patterns for Pirates! And even more so, we love showing you and your creations off to the rest of the P4P community…..to the world, really!

If you’ve made something with one of our patterns and would like to be featured on our social media sites (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc), click on the link below and upload your images + provide permission for us to do just that!
We’d love to see what you’ve made, and have the chance to share your talents with our followers!

**Clicking the link above will take you to a Google Form, where you can provide your information for and upload photos for our sharing purposes.

You can also use the tag #P4PFeatureMe on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok! By using the tag, we will be able to see your photos and re-share from there!

We can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

2022 A Year in Review

It’s always so much fun for us to look back on the year as it comes to a close and reflect on all that we did during that time!  Here’s a quick glance back at 2022 with Patterns for Pirates!

We released TWENTY (20) brand new patterns to the catalogue. 

The majority of them were designed and drafted by Judy Hale (our beloved Pirate Captain) and five of them were from our newest ::official:: designer, Katy McKinley!

Don’t forget that we offer youth + adult patterns in bundles, as well!

We shared SIX (6) super fun freebies with our sewing community!

They are our way of saying “thank you” for being such amazing members of our sewing family!

We delivered TWELVE (12) amazing fabrics to our subscribers!

Fabric for Pirates has been such an incredible journey for us and we’ve loved the excitement, creativity, and joy you all share with us as you receive your fabric each month!

Please join the fun and subscribe to Fabric for Pirates for the 2023 season!

We hosted TWO (2) fun sew-alongs!

The Lumberjack Patterns (Hourglass / V Figure / Youth) and Kelli’s Dress / Charli’s Dress were all showcased by Alex through sew-alongs that help you sew these patterns even more than our tutorials do! Our sew-alongs remain forever available on our blog and the YouTube videos are such a helpful resource!

Lumberjack Sew-along: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7

Kelli & Charli Sew-along: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7

You chose your MOST LOVED patterns of the year!

We always enjoy checking the stats and seeing what the most popular downloads were for the past year. This year was just as fun to check out, with these six patterns showing up the most in our customers’ carts.

We made some BIG announcements!

Patterns for Pirates hit a huge milestone in our Facebook group! We surpassed the 150,000 membership mark earlier this year and we are so thankful for it! The group has been the bread and butter of our sewing community for so many years now and we love having it as a platform to connect with sewists around the world.

Not only did our Facebook group grow to an incredible 150K members, we also launched a brand new fabric company in the Patterns for Pirates companies. Anchor Fabrics is place to head for all of your fabric needs! We’ve stocked it full of the highest-quality fabrics that are perfect for sewing up your favorite apparel pieces.

We also gave the P4P brand a bit of a facelift and you’ll see us all over the web, rocking our updated look!

We watched our social media GROW!

Thank you to all the new followers, members, etc and for everyone who was here already and stayed with us! We appreciate each and every single one of the follows, members, subscribers, etc! Not only are you learning from our patterns + posts, but you’re returning the favor by helping us learn and be inspired daily!

It has been a heck of a year and we look forward to sewing through 2023 with you!

2022 Holiday Freebies :: Merry Napkins

Happy Holidays, Pirate Friends!  We are excitedly back for another year and another round of holiday freebies to share with you!  Since 2016, we’ve compiled different tutorials and patterns that we think would make *perfect* gifts for your friends and family. Curious about what we’ve already released in the way of holiday freebies? Head right here to see all of them: Holiday Freebies Roundup.

Today, we are bringing you the: Merry Napkins!

The Merry Napkins are the cutest, most festive thing to show up at your dining room table!  My son and I are always watching videos during the holidays to learn new, fun napkin folding techniques and this year I saved us some time by adding these to our place settings!  These napkins are incredibly quick to make, you can mix-match fabrics and prints, personalize them if you’d like, and they’d make amazing gifts this holiday season!

Fabric Requirements / Recommendations: 1-1/8 Yard Main Fabric + 1-1/8 Yard Lining Fabric will make 8 Merry Napkins

  • Each napkin piece is 20″ in length before sewing.
  • You can fit 4 across the width of a typical quilting cotton fabric.

Grab Your Pattern Pieces Here: Merry Napkins pattern pieces

TUTORIAL: 

For each napkin you will need:

  • 1 main piece
  • 1 lining piece (cut in a mirror image)

Align the main and lining pieces against one another, with right sides together.

Using 1/2″ seam allowance, sew along entire outer edge.  Leave 2-3″ opening along straight edge for turning.

Trim down seam allowances, for smoother curves and sharper corners.

Turn right sides out, through opening.

Press and close opening, using your favorite method (blind stitch / top stitch / etc).

Optional (but recommended): top stitch along entire outer edge of napkin.

All finished! Now you just need to fold it into a tree shape.  Use the dotted lines of the pattern piece to guide you.

Align along straight edge of pattern piece.

Fold top corner down.

Make the second fold toward the back of napkin.

Make third fold toward the front of the napkin, completing your tree shape.

Slide pattern piece out and press, if desired.

Practice makes progress!  Fold them a few times using the pattern piece as a guide and you’ll be a pro in no time!

Now go make an entire set of napkins for your table this holiday season!

In case you consider yourself a more “visual learner” here’s a video tutorial that walks you through the entire tutorial, start-to-finish.  The video also demonstrates the folding process a few times, if you want to see it in live action form.

Before you go, take a look at what our super testers made using the Merry Napkin pattern!!

I la-la-love when you share your photos with me!  Head over to the Patterns for Pirates Facebook Group and show us what you’ve made!

Happy Holidays, Pirates!

 

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