Showing posts with label vest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vest. Show all posts

Monday, April 8, 2013

Reversible Novelty Vest!

Here, is the finest example, yet, of my tailoring skills!




I'm actually so proud of this vest! I made is for a teacher friend of my mom's, who wears fun, kitschy vests when teaching his kindergarten class.  But the lady who used to make his vests for him retired. So he figured he'd ask me if I'd mind making this one. Of course, I said I would love to!

I had to draft the pattern from a vest he already had, which was a long process of tracing, and measuring, and marking. And taping together sheets of printer paper.

Then, when I cut out the pieces of green fabric,



I noticed that the colours on both right and wrong sides were equally as intense. So it was hard to tell the difference. Because of that, I accidentally sewed the back piece on backwards. The letters were backwards!  We can't have children learning backwards letters!  So I patched on new letters, the right way around.  I actually like the effect. Not all the letters have been patched over, and so it creates some really interesting, and subtle dimension.

Then I cut out the air plane fabric. The teacher originally gave me a lighter blue fabric with larger, more realistic planes on it. But, once again, I wasn't paying attention, and I cut out the front panels, with the planes upside down.  

So we bought new air plane fabric.




The planes go in all directions. So I can't mess it up. 

I sewed the two sides together, inside out, turned it right-way out, and then folded under the seam allowance at the opening, and top stitched it shut. I did the same to finish the arm holes. 

I even top stitched along the seams, to keep the allowances facing the right direction!

Again, like I said, REALLY proud of myself!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Rosie and Retro

So, a couple of summers ago, I learned to crochet. After making a baby blanket for a friend, I was looking for something more interesting to make.  I was looking through a crochet pattern book that my grandma gave  me.  This book is from the 1960's and there were a lot of cute, mod patterns.

A pattern I especially liked was one called "Chic Little Bolero", which is odd because it doesn't look at all like the modern definition of a "bolero".

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

What a Wonderful Waistcoat

Sorry. I kind of have a thing for alliteration.

But it is a wonderful waistcoat!


Another project from a couple years ago: I had finished everything else I was working on, and I was bored.