News

Sewing a Super Quick Vest from our 126 Vests Pattern!

April 22, 2023 2 Comments on Sewing a Super Quick Vest from our 126 Vests Pattern!

by Victoria Watkins

I've had the 126 Vests of Greece and Poland pattern in my personal collection for a while now, just waiting to use it. Since it is this month's featured pattern, I decided now was the perfect time. I was totally shocked how quickly it worked up!

A woman with dark hair is wearing a handmade vest she has sewn. The vest has a dark but colorful floral fabric. She's wearing a green skirt and has her hands in her pockets while she looks to the side.

This was one of those projects that I had entirely planned out in my head before I started working. I had a cut of colorful floral print fabric in my stash that I felt would be perfect for a vest, and I knew I wanted a simple waist-length piece. After reviewing the two short vest options, I decided to go with the Polish vest, but gave it a twist.

I chose to make quite a few modifications to the pattern, but they all were in the name of simplicity. First, I chose to omit the bottom peplum/frill section and have just a plain hem. I also noticed that the fabric I chose had a beautifully contrasted back to it, so I planned to make the vest reversible. To do this, I had to leave off the lining and finish the edges with a binding.

A woman with dark hair is holding open a handmade vest to show off the inside. The vest is reversible, so the outside and inside have different colors to the pattern. She is wearing a white blouse under the vest and a green skirt.

The binding was the longest part of the process. If I had chosen to line the vest (without the peplum), then this project would've been done in two hours maximum. That's including cutting out the fabric and all. If you want a short afternoon project, you really can't beat this pattern!

I did assume that the vest would fit and didn't choose to make a muslin before sewing, and I really need to stop doing that. The vest did come together and mostly fit, but I sized up from my measurements thinking it would work better fro going over clothes. However, then the straps wanted to sit at the edges of my shoulders. I fixed this after sewing by tucking a sneaky little dart in the back of the neck. I think most people will have zero issues with fit, given how simple the design is. I was able to get everything sorted out in about 30 seconds after trying it on.

A woman with dark hair is facing away from the viewer, with her back to the camera. She has on a colorful handmade vest and a green skirt. She's wearing a white blouse underneath.

A woman with dark hair is facing to the left. She has on a colorful handmade vest and a green skirt. She's wearing a white blouse underneath.

All in all, I'm very excited for this vest. The pattern (126 Vests of Greece and Poland) is a great stash buster project because it uses such little fabric. I'm already considering making more from other miscellaneous bits from my fabric hoard. It is really perfect for using those special, fun pieces. Do you have fabric in your collection that would be good for this vest? Let us know!