Simplicity 8059 - A Blue Velvet Vest

When I was making the cardigans, the blue velvet was my favorite. I loved the look of it, the fabric and the ties, but the sleeves were just too tight. I tried to take some of the seam allowance out of the sleeves, knowing that the velvet holds the memory of stitches. Betting though that since the stitching was on the underarm I could get away with it. However, I didn't have enough space for comfort. So I removed the sleeves and made it a vest.

Otherwise this one was sewn just like the other cardigans...and I really like it as a vest. Also, because I used velvet as the base fabric, I used a navy ponte for the facings because velvet on velvet would be too much. To me the tassels are the detail that I love the most. 

I wanted to share a few details about how I made the tassels. From Joyce Trimmings, I bought a couple of velvet ribbons in shades of blue and the tassels to use as the ties for this version. 

How I put the ties together ~

Materials:
3 yards of turquoise 1/2" velvet ribbon
3 yards of navy 1/2" velvet ribbon
2 shades of blue beaded tassles
Steam a Seam 2

Cut the velvet strips out - 21" long

Added the Steam A Seam 2 to the back of the ribbon

Placed the tassel between the two strips 

Placed the second ribbon on top encasing the tassel

Finger pressed the two ribbons together

Pressed the ribbons using my needle board for the velvet ribbon

...and a silk organza pressing cloth on the top

To insure the ties wouldn't pull apart I added a line of 

stitching down the center of the ties

Finished ties before inserting them between the facing and vest fronts

Some construction details ~

All of the seams were pinned every 1/2" so that the two pieces of fabric wouldn't shift when sewn together.

I used a stitch length of 3 on my Janome 8900QCP and a #70 Schmetz Universal needle.

Each seam was started with the foot fully on the fabric and then I backstitched and sewed forward for each seam to prevent the bunching that can occur when sewing with velvet.
   
While this is a simple pattern to construct, I gave it a degree of difficulty by using a stretch velvet. It meant a lot of slow sewing, using my needleboard for pressing, a lot of steam and finally all hems were hand stitched down. However, the extra effort was worth it because it's such a luxurious piece. Truly this is why I sew!

A few more pictures of the vest in action ~

I've worn all of the cardigans and this vest to work and I love the ease of wear. They also feel like me. I wear them with jeans and leggings and a sweater or turtleneck. These pieces make me glad I sew!

Again, these photos were taken by me...the music was blasting and I was definitely getting silly but hey this is me! A silly sewist sometimes...*LOL*

...as always more later!