What I finished: 2023 #9 Yellow tweed vest (that originally wanted to be a jacket)
This vest took a long time to come to fruition (longer even than usual), and had a few stops along the way, but I'm super happy with how it came out and glad I took the time to make it right!
Pattern: Friday Pattern Company Heather Blazer
Pattern mods: We'll get into the details below, but officially the mods are that I cut out two sizes smaller than my measurements (because I didn't want it so oversized), shortened the sleeves by 1.5” (and maybe the hem?), and turned into a vest (left off the sleeves, scooped the armscyes a little lower).
Fabric: main fabric is a dead stock Derek Lam coating, and the lining is bemberg, both from Emma One Sock.
Date started/finished: 11/4/21 - 6/4/23
Notes: Buckle up, buttercup! Every stage of this project was long and drawn out. First up was the design phase - this fabric is so cool, and I didn't want to mess it up (but I'm working on actually using my previous fabrics!). I couldn't decide how best to use the fact that the fabric essentially had two good sides - black dominant and white dominant.
Original pattern I was thinking, but I switched over to the Heather Blazer when I cut it out.
After all that debate, I decided I liked the darker color on me better, so no color-blocking!
Next decision - sizing. I liked the style of the Heather Blazer, but the last time I made an oversized coat in the correct size, it swamped my petite frame, so I thought I would be clever and cut it out based on the finished measurements (xs instead of med). In theory, it would work, and seemed to be perfect right up until the time I tried it on and couldn't get my arms through the sleeves - oops! We'll get there though…
Pattern-wise, it is well designed and straightforward to sew, but I kept putting it aside to work on either more pressing or easier projects, so it took me about 6 months or so to finish it up in its jacket form.
After I finished it up and realized it didn't fit, I took a beat and didn't think about it for a few weeks. I originally thought about donating it, since it was perfectly wearable for someone who is actually an xs, but I loved the fabric so much I thought I should be able to salvage it. It occured to me that the body fit fine, it was just the sleeves that were an issue, so let's try a vest!
It turned out to be a quick fix - a little thread ripping and trimming, all ready for finishing. My original idea was to fold both the main fabric and lining inside and topstitch it closed, for a clean finish. The lining was slippery and tricky though, so instead I serged the two layers together, folded it inside and slip-stitched it, which worked great.
So here we are at the end of the saga and I just realized I don't have good photos of the final product! Luckily, I have worn it several times this summer, as it's turned out to be a pretty versatile top layer for both warm weather now and layering later in the fall/winter.