Knipmode Vest

This is a vest for my mom that's sort of a very, very delayed Christmas present.



I bought the red brocade material in December to make a skirt for her, but she said she doesn't really wear many skirts in the winter, so it's been sitting around while I tried to figure out what else to make with it. It's a bit stiff for a jacket, and I only had a little over a yard of it. Finally I stumbled over the fur lined vest in the November 2008 issue of Knipmode and realized it would be perfect. This is vest (they call it a bodywarmer) #17 from the 11/2008 issue.



I bought some velboa fake fur which is wonderful to sew with- no shedding, very easy to cut, and just slightly stretchy. And super soft!

Here is the lining (inside out for a lining) on my dressform:



The pattern has princess seams and a big collar. It's supposed to zip up, but my mom wanted it with no zipper or pockets so I left them off. Here's a back view:



Side view



Inside Out



Here's a view of the instruction sheet. I don't read a word of Dutch, but the pattern pieces were pretty straightforward to figure out. The layout definitely helped.




I assembled the inside front and back and attached the front facing to the front lining, then assembled the outside front and back. Then I made the upper collar, which has a bit of the fashion fabric sewn to the outer edges. I attached the upper collar to the lining and the lower collar to the outside. Then I pinned the lining to the outer pieces with right sides together, and stitched up the center front, around the outer edge of the collar, and down the center front again. Next I stitched up the arm holes, and pulled the fronts out through the back at the shoulders. Next I stitched up the sideseams, and then hemmed it. Marji has great details on sewing a lined sleeveless garment with this technique - this is my favorite method of attaching a lining because it's so easy to sew.