Cozy Wrap Sew Along – day 4

January 28, 2021

Welcome to day 4 of our Cozy Wrap Sew Along. Easy day today! All we have to do is add the neckband…the very long neckband. You should have two narrow long strips of fabric (do not mix them up with the tie pieces!) Sew them right sides together on one end so you have an even longer neckband.

Fold the band wrong sides together and give it a good press…just like we did yesterday! Unfold it and fold each end right sides together, sew and re fold wrong sides together. You should not have a neckband with no raw ends anymore. Time to pin it to the neckline and front raw edge. I recommend pinning the center seam to the center back of the neckline first. Proceed with pinning each front raw edge to the band, right sides together, without stretching the band. The only part of the neckband that will be slightly stretched to fit it’s between the two shoulder seams.

After you serge the neckband on, you need to finish the serger tails. I cover a few ways to do that in this P4P University blog.

You can see in today’s video how I attach the neckband to my tunic Cozy Wrap. When you finish adding the neckband, give it a good press and add a picture of your progress to the comments of Day 4 photo.

Cozy Wrap SAL day 1 | Cut fabric

Cozy Wrap SAL day 2 | Sew shoulder and side seams

Cozy Wrap SAL day 3 | Add bottom bands

Cozy Wrap SAL day 4 | Add neckband

Cozy Wrap SAL day 5 | Add sleeves

Cozy Wrap SAL day 6 | Add waist tie

Cozy Wrap SAL day 7 | Winners announcement

Cozy Wrap Sew Along – day 3

January 27, 2021

Good morning, pirates! What a wonderful start to the sew along it has been! Today we add the bottom bands. All Cozy Wrap lengths have the same bottom finish. The most important tip I can give you for today’s steps is to start by pressing all 3 bottom bands. Fold them wrong sides together along the length and give them a good steam press! This will help tremendously when you attach them to the bottom raw edge.

Unfold the back band and sew each side folded right sides together. Turn the band out! See how easy that was now that it was pressed. You’ll repeat this steps for the two front bands, except you will only be sewing on one of the sides for each, not both.

The bottom bands are cut at 1:1 ratio to the raw edge of the top so you will not be stretching them to fit. You can sew these steps with a sewing machine or a serger, just remember to keep a constant 1/2″ seam allowance. All you have left to do is give your stitches a good steam press to reduce any waviness from sewing.

You can see today’s steps in the video below. Remember to take a picture of your progress and post it in the comments of day 3 Cozy Wrap sew along album.

See you back here tomorrow!

Cozy Wrap SAL day 1 | Cut fabric

Cozy Wrap SAL day 2 | Sew shoulder and side seams

Cozy Wrap SAL day 3 | Add bottom bands

Cozy Wrap SAL day 4 | Add neckband

Cozy Wrap SAL day 5 | Add sleeves

Cozy Wrap SAL day 6 | Add waist tie

Cozy Wrap SAL day 7 | Winners announcement

Cozy Wrap Sew Along – day 2

January 26, 2021

Let’s start sewing! Today we stitch the shoulder seams and side seams. If you are making the midi length and your fabric has lots of vertical stretch I encourage you add clear elastic the shoulder seams. It will help prevent any stretching during wear. I am using a waffle knit with minimal vertical stretch for my tunic Cozy Wrap so there is no need for shoulder reinforcements.

Once the shoulder seams are done we sew the side seams. Yes! This Cozy Wrap pattern has the sleeves added in the round so we will do that in a couple of days. For the side seams you must use your sewing machine as well. Remember, the whole pattern can be sewn with a sewing machine (using stretch stitches). If you chose to use the serger, like I have, you do need to stitch part of the side seams with the sewing machine to ensure a nice clean finish. You can see in the video below achieved a beautiful side seams going between my two favorite machines.

Once you finish today’s steps, post a photo of your progress in the comments of the Day 2 photo of this sew along’s album. You can find the album (and lots of new sewing friends 😉) here, in the SAL group.

Cozy Wrap SAL day 1 | Cut fabric

Cozy Wrap SAL day 2 | Sew shoulder and side seams

Cozy Wrap SAL day 3 | Add bottom bands

Cozy Wrap SAL day 4 | Add neckband

Cozy Wrap SAL day 5 | Add sleeves

Cozy Wrap SAL day 6 | Add waist tie

Cozy Wrap SAL day 7 | Winners announcement

Cozy Wrap Sew Along – day 1

January 25, 2021

Welcome to the Cozy Wrap Sew Along!

Happy New Year! I’m so excited to start our 2021 sew alongs with the Cozy Wrap top. The pattern comes in Youth and Adult and you purchase the bundle and save. Don’t forget the Cozy Pants if you’re looking to pair your top with a new bottoms. If you are still undecided which style to make, our Round Up blog will give you an overview of all options included, from sleeve styles to top lengths. You can also use the Easy Hacks blog for added options.

Let’s start by taking the measurements needed for the best fit. P4P has an amazing blog that gives you tips for accurately taking your measurements. You can read all about it here. If your measurements put you in a different size for chest/waist/hips be sure to check out our P4P University blog and grade to achieve the perfect fit. Our most recent patterns include videos as well. On page 3 you will notice an active button that will take you to the video about adding or removing length. Please refer to it if you are taller or shorter than 5’5″.

Still debating which knit type will work best for your desired look? Take a look over our P4P University Knit Types blog. We also included a cheat sheet that you can print. If you are like me and sometime are just keen on using a specific print for a specific pattern, read our Different fabric, different fit blog post before you cut your fabric.

The Cozy Wrap patterns includes a shirt, tunic, knee and midi length as well as short sleeves, long hemmed sleeves and gathered sleeves. This pattern is drafted from light to medium weight fabrics with 20-30% stretch. The Cozy Wrap can be worn both as a wrap or as a cardigan. For my Cozy Wrap tunic I will be using January’s Fabric for Pirates. Fabric for Pirates is this sew along’s sponsor so our winner will get to enjoy their very own January box!

Day 1 video is posted below. I have used the projector file . Once you cut the fabric, post a picture of your pretty pile in the comments of DAY 1 photo of the Cozy Wrap album in the M4M & P4P Sew Along Group.

Cozy Wrap SAL day 1 | Cut fabric

Cozy Wrap SAL day 2 | Sew shoulder and side seams

Cozy Wrap SAL day 3 | Add bottom bands

Cozy Wrap SAL day 4 | Add neckband

Cozy Wrap SAL day 5 | Add sleeves

Cozy Wrap SAL day 6 | Add waist tie

Cozy Wrap SAL day 7 | Winners announcement

Runabout SAL – day 7 (winners announcement)

June 30, 2020

Good evening, pirates!! I know you have been waiting for the winners blog so I won’t keep you in suspense much longer. Allow me to express how proud I am of every single one of you. I have seen so many new participants as well as seasoned sewists, everyone being so encouraging and helpful. YOU ROCK!

Without further ado…. 🥁

Congratulations Ashley Haley! Ashley is our first winner, her prizes include a $20 gift card for Patterns for Pirates and a mystery Bamboo Lycra PFRE from Coordiknit Nonsense Fabrics (winner pays shipping).

Our second winner is Felisha Jones! Felisha won a $20 gift card to Made for Mermaids and a free yard of fabric from Coordiknit.

A big “thank you” to our sew along sponsor! You can check them out on Facebook and on their website.

Thank you so much for joining me this past week. I’m excited to see you all back in August. In the meantime, stay tuned for the mermaids’ announcement regarding our next sew along.

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 1 | Print pattern and cut fabric

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 2 | Add chest pocket, sew shoulder seams and add neckband

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 3 | Sew side seams and add tank armband/dolman sleeves

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 4 | Add pockets, side seam skirt or shorts/joggers and inseam

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 5 | Hem skirt/shorts or add cuffs to joggers

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 6 | Add waistband and show off your creations

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 7 | Winners announcements

Runabout SAL – day 6 (add waistband)

June 27, 2020

Ahoy, pirates! Last sewing day is here! Today we create the waistband and attach the bodice to the skirt, shorts or joggers. Start by adding the grommets to the center of the main front waistband. These are for the faux drawstring. This step is completely optional but it yields a very cute result. I wouldn’t skip it.

Tip: if you don’t have any grommets handy, you can make two big buttonholes instead.

Once you finish the decorative steps, sew the waistbands main and lining in a loop. You will notice that the waistband has 2 main pieces for sizes 2x and up. This is only to accommodate the most common width of fabrics. You will see in the video below how I create the elastic opening. You will proceed to pin together the waistband main and lining wrong sides together. Attach the waistband top to the bodice and bottom to the skirt/shorts/joggers, matching the center and side seams.

All you have left to do now is thread the elastic through. All done!!!

You can see the last sew along video here. Once you finish your outfit, snap a picture and post it in the comments of day 6 photo of the Runabout Romper and Dress. We will be picking our two winners on Monday evening and announcing them here on the blog. Great job, everyone!

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 1 | Print pattern and cut fabric

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 2 | Add chest pocket, sew shoulder seams and add neckband

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 3 | Sew side seams and add tank armband/dolman sleeves

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 4 | Add pockets, side seam skirt or shorts/joggers and inseam

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 5 | Hem skirt/shorts or add cuffs to joggers

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 6 | Add waistband and show off your creations

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 7 | Winners announcements

Runabout SAL – day 5 (hem skirt/shorts or add cuffs to joggers)

June 26, 2020

We made it to day 5 of the Runabout Romper Sew Along. Today is probably the easiest day. We are finishing the bottoms by hemming or adding the cuffs.

I opted for the dress do I will be hemming the curved edge. We have a P4P University blog with tips for hemming knits. You can read about it here. The most important thing about hemming knits with your coverstitch or sewing machine is to PRESS, press and press some more!

If you are sewing the joggers will will add ankle cuffs. Mark the quarters of the ankle opening and the cuffs. Stitch the cuffs on, matching the quarter point, making sure that you stretch the cuff but not the jogger.

Tomorrow we will be working on the waistband and finishing the project. Watch the video below and when you finished today’s steps, post a picture of your progress in the day 5 comments of the RRD album.See you soon!

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 1 | Print pattern and cut fabric

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 2 | Add chest pocket, sew shoulder seams and add neckband

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 3 | Sew side seams and add tank armband/dolman sleeves

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 4 | Add pockets, side seam skirt or shorts/joggers and inseam

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 5 | Hem skirt/shorts or add cuffs to joggers

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 6 | Add waistband and show off your creations

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 7 | Winners announcements

Runabout SAL – day 4 (add pockets, side seam skirt or shorts/joggers and inseam)

June 25, 2020

Welcome to day four of our sew along! Today we start working on the bottom part. Whether you are sewing the romper or the dress today you are adding the pockets and sewing the side seam. Additionally, you will also be stitching the inseam of the joggers and shorts.

Tip: double check that you cut the correct pockets before you start sewing. You might have noticed that there are two pockets and pocket lining patterns. One is for the skirts and shorts and one is for the joggers. You can’t switch them around.

If you are sewing the skirt you will be stitching the side seams with your serger or your sewing machine. Be mindful of the side split directions if you opted for the maxi style.

If you are creating joggers or shorts, you will be sewing each leg at a time. This will give your crotch seam the most strength.

The day 4 video is below. Once you get the steps done, post a picture in the comments of day 4 photo of the RRD album in the FB group. This will count as your check in for today. See you back here tomorrow !

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 1 | Print pattern and cut fabric

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 2 | Add chest pocket, sew shoulder seams and add neckband

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 3 | Sew side seams and add tank armband/dolman sleeves

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 4 | Add pockets, side seam skirt or shorts/joggers and inseam

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 5 | Hem skirt/shorts or add cuffs to joggers

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 6 | Add waistband and show off your creations

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 7 | Winners announcements

Runabout SAL – day 3 (side seams and tank bands/dolman sleeves)

June 24, 2020

Welcome to day 3 of our sew along! Today is a pretty easy day. We will finish the bodice by sewing the side seams and finishing the sleeves.

if you are creating the tank style, you will be adding the arm bands the exact way you added the neckband yesterday
if you are doing the short sleeve option, you will be be hemming the sleeve as I am
if you are getting ready for cooler temperatures and sewing the long sleeves, you will be adding cuffs. The tutorial shows you how to add the sleeves in the round.

The word of the day is PRESS! Press and steam all your hems and cuffs, you want to make sure it looks great! Plus, hemming is a lot easier if you pressed before, I promise you!

You can see in the video below how I am a sewing the side seams and hemming the short dolman sleeves. When you complete these steps add a picture of your progress to the comments of day 3 of the RRD sew along album.

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 1 | Print pattern and cut fabric

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 2 | Add chest pocket, sew shoulder seams and add neckband

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 3 | Sew side seams and add tank armband/dolman sleeves

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 4 | Add pockets, side seam skirt or shorts/joggers and inseam

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 5 | Hem skirt/shorts or add cuffs to joggers

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 6 | Add waistband and show off your creations

Runabout Romper & Dress SAL day 7 | Winners announcements

Runabout SAL – day 2 (chest pocket, shoulder seams and neckband)

June 23, 2020

Welcome to the second day of our sew along! Today we start working on the bodice. First we will tackle the chest pocket. This is a great opportunity to add an accent fabric or a pop of color to your Runabout romper or dress. The pattern features a simple rectangle pocket that you simply hem prior to attaching. You can see in today’s video I opted to line it instead.

Once this step is completed you will sew the shoulder seams right sides together, following a 1/2″ seam allowance.

Tip: Add clear elastic to the shoulder seams to strengthen them and make sure the shoulders don’t stretch throughout the day.

The last part for today’s progress is to add the neckband. You are basically following the same technique regardless of the style neckline you decided to do. If you are new to sewing with knits or simply would like a refresher, take a look over our P4P University Neckbands 101 blog post.

Once you finish today’s steps snap a picture of your progress and add it to the day 2 photo comments on the Runabout SAL album in the P4P & M4M group.