Free Pattern Archives - Page 7 of 8

Peg Legs SAL: Day 5 – Sew Inseam and attach legs

April 30, 2017

Welcome to day 5 of the Peg Legs Sew Along! Today we will be sewing the inseam, hemming each leg and attaching them. Start by pinning (or clipping) the inseams on each leg, right sides together. You can either serger it or stitch it with your sewing machine. If you use your sewing machine for this step, make sure to use a stretch stitch!

If you’re using your serger, test the stitches on a scrap piece of fabric, preferably the same as the one you used for your pegs. Testing first will give you a chance to see if you need to make any adjustments to the tension or stitch length or width.

Once you’ve sewn the inseams you can either hem or sew the crotch curves. I prefer to hem first because I find it easier to maneuver if the legs are not attached together. When hemming your Peg Legs make sure you steam press before and after you stitch. You can use your coverstitch machine or your sewing machine for this step, just remember to use a stretch stitch.

Last step of the day is sewing the crotch curve. Pin or clip the curve right sides together, matching the inseam and the back and front rise. The easiest way to do this is to turn one of the legs inside out and place the other leg (right side out) inside.

You can see the day 5 video here !

When you’ve finished these steps, don’t forget to post a picture in the Peg Legs SAL Event and hashtag it #pegsalday5.

Peg Legs SAL: Day 4 – Sew add ons (pocket, color block, side strip etc)

April 29, 2017

Hello there! Day 4 is here and we’re starting to sew! Woohoo! Today we’ll be putting the leg pieces together. If you added a pocket, or a side strip, or color blocked the side strip, now is the time to put them together.

I love to work “assembly line style” so I pin…well clip…all pieces together first. Then sew/serge and then topstitch. If you are using a sewing machine make sure you use a stretch stitch like the “thunderbolt” , a triple stretch stitch or a very narrow zig zag. When top stitching with a sewing machine I highly recommend using twin needles. Check out the Twin Needles Blog for some tips and tricks!

For my SAL Peg Legs pair I stitched with my serger and topstitch with the coverstitch machine. You can see how I put together the add ons in the day 4 video here!

If you want to take it up a notch you can use decorative top stitching too. The Decorative stitching blog is an excellent source for all of you who would like to take the Peg Legs up a notch!

Once you’ve assembled your leg pieces post a picture in the Peg Legs SAL Event and hash tag it #pegsalday4. See you back here tomorrow!

Peg Legs SAL: Day 3 – Cutting the fabric

April 28, 2017

Welcome to day 3 of our Peg Leg sew along. So far we have picked the fabric(s) we will use, measured for accurate sizing and printed the pattern. Today we will be cutting the fabric so grab those sharp scissors or rotary cutter and let’s get started.

It is imperative that you cut your fabric following the grain/stretch recommendation. Do not cut your pegs against the grain even if you feel that it may save you some fabric. The final product will not look as nice and you will notice sagging and misshaping.

Don’t forget to cut MIRROR pieces for both your main part and the color block ones! The easiest way to make sure you cut all the fabric correctly is to fold the fabric and make only one cut instead of two mirrored ones. Check out day 3 video here!

TIP: Cut all pieces of the same fabric before cutting the pieces of the coordinating fabrics.

Once you cut your fabric post a picture of the pieces in the Peg Leg SAL Event and hashtag it #pegsalday3. See you back here tomorrow!

Peg Legs SAL: Day 2 – Printing and measuring

April 27, 2017

Today we will be printing the pattern in the size needed. In order to do that it is very important that you take your most accurate measurements. You will need your waist, hips and inseam measurements in order to choose the correct Peg Legs size. P4P has an amazing blog that gives you tip for accurately taking your measurements. You can read all about it here.

If you are like me you may need to grade between sizes. My hips put me in a larger size than my waist….or maybe I should say my waist puts me in a smaller size than my hips? 🙂 Worry not! We have a blog post for easy grading too!

Two things are very important to remember when grading the pattern.

Smooth transitions between sizes!
Grade both the front and the back of the legs.

Now that we established which size(s) we need it’s time to print the pattern. Did you see that the new updated Peg Legs and Add On pack feature layers now? How amazing is that? Save that ink and print just what you need. Haven’t used layers before? Check out this blog before you do so. If you need to grade between sizes you just need to select the sizes needed when you print. Easy peasy.

Day two will not require you to post any pictures in the Peg Leg SAL event. See you all back here tomorrow!

Thank you to our sponsors!

Peg Legs SAL: Day 1 – Choosing the fabric

April 26, 2017

Welcome to day 1 of our big 50K celebration Peg Legs Sew Along! With all the amazing things happening this week it was a given that we would sew together the new updated and FREE Peg Legs and add ons patterns.

Let’s get started by selecting the fabric. This step is very important as choosing the right fabric is extremely important ensure proper fit. Weather you choose, double brushed polyester, cotton spandex or performance knit, it is a must to check the vertical and horizontal stretch. The Peg Legs require the use of fabric with 50% horizontal AND vertical stretch. Typically fabric with 5% spandex or more will work.

Cotton Lycra/spandex (note- Lycra=spandex). Medium weight is usually 10oz or more
Rayon spandex. This is typically thinner so may not be opaque.
Nylon spandex / Supplex – great for performance wear. This usually has a higher content of spandex and will feel tighter, much like compression wear.
Polyester spandex – brushed polyester spandex is what many of the boutique leggings are made from however, it is a slightly harder to find the fabric in retail stores. Be sure to check the vertical stretch percentage as some may be less than the 50% require stretch.
Stretch Fleece – Fabrics such as Polartec Powerstretch are a 4 way stretch fleece. Regular fleece, like blizzard, anti-pill and cuddle fleece found in retail stores are NOT recommended.

Our Peg Leg 101 blog is full of useful information for first time Peg makers and not only so be sure to bookmark it.

Have you decided which add on will you be using? So many choices, right? I will be making the color block option with a pockets for this SAL. Make sure you also check out the awesome hacks we have been showing you this past week.

I decided to use a this Cosmic Thunder nylon spandex and accent it with Lime moisture wicking poly spandex (both from Made Whimsy fabric). If you would like to mix and match fabric types I recommend using fabrics with similar weights and stretch. Remember to always prewash your fabric before cutting it! If you’d like to know more about the various types of knit fabrics out there, be sure to check out Knit Types blog here.

Once you decided which fabric(s) you will be using post a picture of them in the Peg Leg SAL Event and hash tag it #pegsalday1

We could not end day 1’s blog without telling about the awesome prizes. Make sure you sew along with us this week and post your daily pictures in the Peg Legs SAL event because 5 lucky winners will be receiving P4P store credit and fabric from our sponsors.

Thank you:

Smoogie Fabric and Design

Sitka Fabrics

Star Dust and Moon Beam Textile Company

Levana Fabrics

Midnight Mountain Fabrics

Little Bear Fabric and Trim

Fabricmail Sweet N Charmed

Phat Quarters, Pretty Posh Prints

Little Ladybug Fabrics.

50K Fan Celebration :: Ruched Side Panel Hack

April 25, 2017

Hey guys, I have a super easy hack to the new Peg Leg Add Ons for you today!

You will need to cut your side panel piece from the Peg Leg Add Ons twice the length.

Gather along side seams. I used two rows of stitches on each side to help keep gathers even (it’s also a safeguard just in case one of them breaks along the way!).

Gather the ruched piece to original length. I like to clip in the middle of each piece and then the ends before I begin to pull the gathering strings. This will help to keep your gathers even throughout the piece.

Lastly, attach your pieces like normal!

So simple and gives you a whole different look!

We are celebrating reaching 50K fans in our Facebook group! To make it a party, our beloved PegLegs pattern just got an update AND some new add-ons. 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:

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

50K Fan Celebration :: Drawstring Waistband PegLegs Hack

April 21, 2017

Today I’m sharing a quick cute hack to your peg legs to add a drawstring to your waistband. I wear peglegs all year round and the drawstring changes up the look just a bit. Let’s get started.

First you sew your legs together as per the pattern.
Before we start the waistband we are going to make some markings. I am using a disappearing ink pen from my fabric store to mark mine. I folded my waistband in half to find the center and marked the center with my pen in a few spots. Next I found folded the fabric long sides together to mark where I wanted my buttonholes. I wanted my buttonholes in the middle of my waistband. Your waistband is 7 inchs wide so folded it is 3.5 inchs but the bottom .5 inch is your seam allowance therefore I measured 1.5 inchs down from the top fold and marked that as being the center right across the other mark that I had made. Now I have a little cross right marked.

3. Buttonholes can be a bit of a pain on knits so I added a little piece of interfacing on the back, I didn’t actually iron it on to my fabric I just wanted something to give it a bit of stability, a tear away stabilizer would also do the trick or you can iron on a piece of knit interfacing. I happened to have a bit of regular interfacing sitting here so that is what I used. I sewed the buttonholes on either side of my cross .25 inch from the center. I just did a really small buttonhole, it doesn’t need to be big cause you are just threading through some drawstring. Now for all those people that hate sewing buttonholes not to worry knits don’t fray so you can always just cut some little slits in the waistband if that is the option you choose make sure to iron on some knit interfacing thou, it would prevent the knit from stretching out while wearing them.

4. Once you have the buttonholes are done we are going to create a casing for your drawstring. First you are going to match the short sides of your waistband as the pattern directs and sew them together, fold the waist band in half and then your going to sew all the way around about .25 of an inch above the waistband and below the waistband. Now you can mark your lines here that you are going to sew but I’m a rebel and just went for it by sewing 1.25 inchs from my fold, for the second row of stitching I sewed .5 down from the first line I made. Once your casing is all done just attach the waistband to your legs as normal.

5. Now you just need to add your drawstring. I used 50 inchs of drawstring on the xxs size and I just tied off each end but you could certainly fold the ends over and hem the edges of your drawstring. I like to just put the drawstring around me and leave long tails and then insert it into my casing try it them on and you can always cut the drawstring shorter so start with a long piece and then cut them the length you like best. Remember you have to leave your drawstring fairly loose or you won’t be able to pull your leggings on! I figured this out while trying mine on! Another simple solution to use elastic for most of your drawstring, I would use 1/4 inch or 3/8 inch elastic. You could cut your elastic slightly shorter then your drawstring and then sew drawstring onto each end of your elastic and thread it through your casing, it would give you just a bit more give when pulling them on and off.

I hope you try adding some drawstring in your peglegs and don’t forget to show them off in our Facebook group! – Angela

Here are our hacks / tutorials / latest tricks:

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

50K Fan Celebration :: Decorative Topstitching PegLegs Hack

April 20, 2017

Are you guys loving this 50K celebration as much as we are? How many Peg Legs have you sewn already? Today on the blog I will show you how to take your Peg Legs up a notch with some decorative stitching. I will show you how to achieve the RTW look using your sewing machine, serger or coverstitch machine.

SEWING MACHINE

One way to add top stitching is by using your sewing machine and those stitches you never try 🙂 Most machines have at least a few decorative style stitches included. When you chose your favorite style, make sure that the density of the stitch is not too high and always lower the tension a bit. I used two different decorative stitches on the pockets so you can see how it would look.

I highly recommend placing a little bit of water soluble stabilizer between the back of the fabric and the dog feed. It will help prevent any fabric from being “eaten” by the machine.

Once you finished stitching simply tear away the stabilizer. Any residual will just disappear at the first contact with water.

COVERSTITCH MACHINE

My favorite way to add decorative stitching to athletic wear is by using a 3 needle reverse coverstitch. If you have a coverstitch machine that only has 2 needles you can certainly do that too. If you have wooly nylon or bulky nylon thread, use it in your looper!

Start by pressing and steaming your seams towards the outside of your middle colorblock. DO NOT SKIP this step! Pressing the seam before coverstitching AND after will yield the best looking decorative stitch.

In order to achieve the athletic wear topstitching you’ve seen in stores, place your fabric in the coverstich with the wrong side up. The right needle should be right in the ditch. Stitch slowly! If your coverstitch machine has a speed dial now is the best time to use it.

When you finish stitching give all your seams a good steam! Yes, I’ve said it before 🙂 but look how pretty it looks when you do.

SERGER

A third way to add decorative stitching is to use a flatlock stitch on your serger. I used a flat lock stitch to attach the waistband. Doing so not only makes the pegs look more like RTW ones but it also makes them feel nicer. As per its name the flat lock seam is flat so no bulky seam at the waistband.

Start by setting up your serger for a flat lock stitch. Make sure to read your manual because all machines are different. You will only be using your left needle. These are the settings I use but please make sure to always test out your machine with similar fabric as the one you’ll be using in your main project. The tension and stitch length will vary from fabric to fabric.

If you’d like to attach the waistband using this style stitch you can can put the waistband inside the pants this way the “back” will be showing or you can place the waistband outside the pants so the front will be showing.

I placed my waistband inside because I wanted the ladder stitch to show on the inside and the “zig zag” look on the outside.

There you have it..3 ways to add decorative stitching using your regular sewing machine or your serger or your coverstitch machine! I can’t wait to see your fabulous Peg Legs so be sure to post your creations in the group!

Here are our hacks / tutorials / latest tricks:

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

50K Fan Celebration :: Lace Waistband PegLegs Hack

April 19, 2017

Every once in awhile, our Facebook group gets hit with a picture of a trending item with the question “How can I make this?”. For a few months, a picture of a lace waistband was circulated and while we secretly worked on the Peg Legs update, we knew we had to add it to our hack lineup.

To achieve this look, we are going to eliminate the waistband piece, but in order to help keep them up, we will be increasing the rise and adding elastic at the top edge. You will also need wide stretch lace (we used lace between 5-6″ tall) and 1/4″-3/8″ elastic.

I wanted to keep the original mid-rise of the leggings but since we are eliminating the extra waistband piece, I cut on the high rise line and added about 0.25″ to accommodate the elastic. Once cut, assemble the legs as you normally would.

Cut your elastic the width of the waist of the Peg Legs. The Peg Legs already have negative ease (meaning, they are smaller than your body measurements and stretch to fit) so we do not need to cut the elastic smaller than the opening. This is just used as extra support to help keep them up.

Butt the ends of the elastic to one another, and using a zig-zag stitch, stitch, creating a circle. Stitch the elastic to the wrong side of the fabric using your favorite stretch stitch. If using a serger, do not cut any fabric off. The elastic should be measured at 1:1 with the top of the leggings so should not need to stretch to fit the opening.

To determine the size of the lace waistband, lay your lace on top of the leggings and cut them 1/2″ wider than the leggings on either side. Cut 2.

With right sides together, stitch each short end with a 1/2″ seam allowance to create a circle. Flip right side out.

With both right sides out, slip lace waistband over the leggings. I wanted to encase my elastic so chose to fold over the edge of the fabric as well. Top-stitch using your favorite stretch stitch around the top edge of the leggings. I did not stitch along the bottom edge of the lace. I used a brushed poly so the lace sort of “stuck” to the fabric when worn so found I did not need to stitch the bottom edge in place.

Here are our hacks / tutorials / latest tricks:

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

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

April 17, 2017

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

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