It’s time I told you: I’m a pirate! No, not the kind with a parrot and an eye patch (the closest I’ve come to that is a pet lovebird in junior high) but the sewing kind- a swashbuckling member of the Patterns for Pirates Sewing Pattern Group.
I have many (as yet unblogged) versions of Patterns for Pirates awesome patterns. Some of my favorites are the Sweet Tee and Slim Fit Raglan, and I used the Pirate Playground Pants for my boys’ Christmas pajama photos. Princess also has a few Sugar Pie tees and Baby Bear Joggers in her drawer as well, and I’ve got some lovely stretch knit denim on the way from So Sew English for my first pair of SOS pants. I love how these patterns seem to fit just right on me out of the (digital) envelope without adjusting, and they seem to run true to size for my kids as well.
I’ve been hoping to pattern test for them someday, but with such a large following and so many talented seamstresses at their disposal, I figured it might be a while. So, imagine my excitement when they posted a tester call looking for some baby girl testers for a new cami pattern. I was honored to be chosen, and had the best time sewing up the first of many future Heartbreaker Cami’s for Princess.
First up, I made a tunic length, flutter sleeve version out of some custom fabric from Stardust and Moonbeam Textiles.
This is one my favorite custom knits that I’ve ordered, and I’ve been hoarding it for a special occasion. With the pattern title “Heartbreaker”, I knew it would be a great match! The faux sequin flutters sparkle in the sunlight, and the tunic length keeps baby girl’s belly covered as she moves around.
The binding on this takes a bit of practice to keep straight and even, but I really love the method of doing the “v” as it’s one I’ve noticed on some of my RTW shirts. It’s also useful that the top can be used with either the V or the scoop in front- that way there’s no confusion when daddy dresses the baby 😉
Again, my coverstitch was feeling uncooperative, so some of this was done on my sewing machine. The way the binding is sewn to the flutters is a little counterintuitive, but the pattern photos and instructions are excellent, and once you’ve figured it out, it comes easily. All told, these are quick little tanks to sew, and I can whip several up in an evening *if* everyone is sleeping well!
My second version was also tunic length with flutters, this time using some of the leftover double brushed poly from The Fab Clique (like I said, Dhee must cut generous yards, because I was able to get a Made for Mermaids Mama Ella AND a Heartbreaker Cami for Princess out of my one yard! Bindings were sewn from black cotton Lycra from the Purple Seamstress. I love having matching mama and me tops, and we got so many compliments on our outfits while we were out. Photos were taken on vacation, in Santa Cruz (don’t worry- the railroad tracks were decommissioned, but made for a fun backdrop).
The last Heartbreaker I made during testing was a crop top with a neck ruffle out of another custom knit from Cuddle Muffins Custom Printing. The sparkle knit for the straps and ruffle were a coordinate from Pink Zeppelin. I couldn’t resist making some Made for Mermaids Bonny shorties with a circle skirt for a Fun-in-the-sun outfit.
Unfortunately, it was a little chilly on the beach when we took these photos, but the novelty of all that sand! Was enough to distract Princess while we snapped a few photos. I honestly wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the cropped version on a baby- I don’t want her to look too grown up- but it turned out really cute and just makes me want to kiss her belly button. Her summer swimsuit will be made out of this pattern for sure.
I hope this post has inspired you to do some summer sewing- I’m off now to buy the women’s version of the pattern – and maybe even sew up a matching mommy and me swimsuit with some swim knit I have coming!
Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means if you choose to purchase a pattern from the link, at no cost to you, a small percentage of your purchase goes toward supporting my pattern/fabric reviews, so I can come back and share more with you!
