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Monday, February 17, 2014

Painted Wool Herringbone Pieces ~ The Vest

I haven't sewn a vest for myself in years.  The last one I made was pre-blogging days, so definitely awhile ago.  I made loads of vests for my daughters when they were little girls.  Vests that took an hour, an hour and a half at most ~ yes back when I was production sewing ~ pushing as many garments out of my sewing machine as fast as I could since I was clothing so many people with it.  So of course I went into making this piece thinking quick & easy and I'd be moving onto the next piece shortly.




Pattern~
Well that couldn't be further from the truth.  Even choosing a pattern took a couple of hours because I had to go into deep pattern stash to find a pattern. Let's not mention that I also touched a lot of patterns, pulled them to look at further and now have a sewing/inspiration list that's doubled in size. 

Here is the OOP Burda pattern that I started with...


...something conventional and fitted...what you think of when you hear the word ~ vest.

Notions~
satin lining which was also used in the skirt
fusible interfacing
black piping
3 - 1" brown buttons

Cutting and Construction ~
Of course when I went to lay the fabric out, I needed to get creative with the layout to make the pattern pieces fit on the small amount of fabric I had left...


Then because I don't muslin, I basted all the pieces together to see if they fit. Amazingly, there were only a few minor tweeks that the vest needed but it basically fit out of the envelope. The most important change was made to the vest center fronts where I shaved some of the extra fabric off the bustline curve making it less pronounced and a little more fitted.  

I have no specific measurements for this because I winged it. I should have changed the pattern pieces for the vest fronts and the lining pieces too but I'm not even sure I will make this vest again. The lining pieces were cut from the fabric front and back pieces.  This too is not the correct way to do this but I'm going with the flow and hope you will forgive me!

Now here is where the extra time came in...I decided that I wanted the vest to emulate the skirt. This means that the fabric placement was the same as the skirt's placement and black piping was added to the center front vest seam.


Also because I had a limited amount of fabric, I used some black wool crepe scraps from the collection for the facings.  Since the pattern called for the facings to be interfaced, I block fused the scraps prior to cutting out the pattern pieces.  I wanted to make sure that I didn't shrink the facings by applying the interfacing to the already cut pieces.



The other really important aspect of making this vest is how much time I spent pressing it ~ an hour and a half. It was a slow process because I pressed a section then used the clapper to set the pressed area. I tried to give each section one to two minutes before I moved the clapper and pressed the next section ~ see slow.

The pattern instructions were easy to follow and I used them since I hadn't made a vest in awhile. The instructions were very clear on how to insert the lining which went together smoothly.

A few pics of the vest worn with the skirt and a RTW black turtleneck...






I really like this outfit. It's not something I've worn in quite some time and it's portable...meaning that I can wear the vest and turtleneck over my jeans to work. Then I duck into the Ladies Room and change into my skirt...it makes my daily commute more comfortable...yet I look professional at work. Honestly, even though I've made several new pairs of pants this season they're my cold weather fall back. So I'm always looking for ways to wear dresses and skirts during the winter season.

If you want to make a vest like this and don't own my OOP Burda pattern, try McCalls 2260. The size range is from XS - XXL...



or KwikSew 3185 in sizes XS-XL ~ both patterns are currently in the online catalogue and are on sale now through February 20th.



Next up is the dress from this painted wool herringbone fabric...

...as always more later!




59 comments:

  1. Love this vest, it gives you shape and makes a very stylish outfit!

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  2. A great new look for the office and slimming, too!

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  3. I love the professional look of this outfit. You did a great job putting together.

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  4. Love this look on you Carolyn, very nice!

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  5. I too go to look for one pattern in my stash and end up with a dozen more plus grand plans to make them all! Love that you added the princess line piping and pattern blocking on the vest just like the skirt; it creates a beautifully fluid line in the outfit. You look fab!

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  6. Gorgeous. The outfit is very flattering. Thank you for sharing.

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  7. Beautiful!! I love it with the skirt which looks very professional. I also think it would look great with a pair of jeans for the weekend, maybe with a white shirt under and boots. Very pretty!

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  8. That outfit is great! Professional yet full of personal style all at the same time!

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  9. You do indeed look fabulous Carolyn! A lovely outfit and the pattern blocking is just beautiful.

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  10. Heyyyy, there it is!! I saw the pic on IG and was wondering how it looked. I love how you colourblocked it to match the skirt. The lines on this vest are also lovely, so curvy from front and sides. Love that! I actually really like vests/waistcoats. You can put them over anything to jazz an outfit up, but aren't restricted with being too hot or with arm movement. They are like the world's most comfortable blazer. Some of them you can even wear on their own as a top. I have a few patterns, I will have to dig them out and find some fabric as my current vests (all RTW) are in need of retirement.

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  11. Great vest with gorgeous fabric. Looks so professional with the skirt. Great look.

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  12. I like the whole look! The vest and skirt are beautiful together, and all the care you took in pressing makes the vest look so professional.

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  13. Very nice! I haven't sewn or worn a vest in years myself! Love how you matched the lines of the vest and skirt.

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  14. I love it - and I'm not generally a fan of vests. The whole outfit is so pulled together.

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  15. Gorgeous and very flattering. I don't tend to go for vests, but you have my wheels turning... Great look!

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  16. Awesome outfit-you look really nice in it!

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  17. Oh, this is to absolutely die for! It's almost enough to make me want to go back to the working world. My first thought when I saw the first picture was WOW-she lined up the vest seams and the skirt seams!

    It's always a treat to see what you've been up to. Thank you for sharing!

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  18. This is a great outfit. Well done.

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  19. Nice outfit! I love vests, but haven't made any in years. Maybe now . . . . .

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  20. That is a very, very flattering outfit. Don't you just love when that happens?!

    Norma

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  21. This is a great piece. I love it! I love the 'color-blocking' and added piping to line up with the skirt. I love how it pulls you in at the waist when you have it buttoned and how it still adds shape open. And frankly - I love that you used the 'pink' buttons! Do you have a rich pink you could make the turtleneck dress over? I'm guessing this would be fabulous over that.

    Question - why use the facing when you've fully lined the vest? g

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    1. Gay - I used the facings because the pattern called for them. I have to tell you that I did think about lining to the edge but I was concerned that the lining with buttonholes wouldn't be sturdy enough. BTW, wait until you see the knit dress. I've started it and changed it up from the pattern already. I'm pretty excited about it!

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  22. Another winner! I really like this one.

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    1. Thanks Melodye - glad to see you here! Hope all is well with you!!!

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  23. What a great outfit! Not something I would have ever thought of, but I love it.

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  24. A great vest and it looks great with the skirt. Can't wait to see the dress.

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  25. I love this outfit! I enjoy following your blog. You remind me to think creatively and you always add some special thing to your clothing. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  26. Piling on: after seeing the vest with the skirt, can't imagine the skirt without the vest (even though I know skirt came first). I love how you cut that!

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  27. I've never really been a fan of vests (or waistcoats as they're known this side of the pond!), but I LOVE this look with the matching colour-blocked (pattern-blocked?) vest and skirt! It looks so sharp and also slightly retro. Oh, and that colour looks gorgeous on you. Love, love, love!

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  28. Carolyn, as always, it looks great! Funny how the shortest project turn into the longest ones, right?

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  29. Very, very smart! Love how you have used both sides of the fabric. Vest works so well with the skirt.

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  30. First thing I noticed was the matched piping lines. Fabulous. I love the shaping of the vest and the whole outfit. Beautiful.

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  31. this is so great- I love the piping & the fabric contrasts. :)

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  32. beautiful, carolyn. i have nothing intelligent to add, just beautiful!

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  33. Carolyn, this is a great outfit. I am always intimidated by wearing vests, but you look lovely. The necklace really pulls it all together too - very smart.
    Rachel :-)

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  34. Great outfit--and what a slimming style!

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  35. Great look and wonderful sewing as always!

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  36. Love it. I heart vests. Yet I haven't made one yet. Hmmm.

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  37. Looks really nice on you! I made 100 vest once for our church school!!! OMG

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  38. Beautiful! Bonus! It's a two-fer. You can also mix that vest with pants or another skirt and the skirt with a different top.

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  39. Great looking outfit. I love how you use piping in your outfits. This is wonderful on you.

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  40. Your outfit is absolutely stunning!
    Marie

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  41. I love this outfit! It is one of my favorites on you.

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  42. I very much like the outfit especially wearing the vest open. The colour blocking is fabulous!

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  43. You have provided some inspiration!

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  44. That is really flattering! Not to mention beautifully sewn.

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  45. Oh how I LOVE this outfit! You should definitely be sewing more vests ... a nice option for another layer which gives you style and shape. Hmmm ... maybe *I* should be sewing some vests. :-)

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  46. That looks great! I have not been inspired to sew for myself for awhile, this has peaked my interest! Thanks for sharing.

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  47. The vest came out spectacular!!! Well done!

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