Citrus-esque Vest

Continuing the patchwork adventures with the die cutter and the scrap bins, this time with the goal of making a vest front.

I've made two versions of New Look 6514 using woven cotton patches made from 2" squares that I cut by hand, choosing to cut the squares at 2" because I have a ruler that width.  I later made Simplicity 9630 from heavier fabric patches, cut at a larger size.  Now that I have the die cutter, I wanted to try...smaller.

I chose the 35mm square die, with the idea that the finished squares would be around 1".  Roughly.

I had spent time (happily) poking through the scrap bins and sorting out groups of coordinating fabrics.  This one was built around some Very 1970s green and orange prints, contrasted with black and white.  I originally assumed I would use it for doll clothes, but this project required more fabric.  A lot more.

I pulled some from other scrap assortments, the small yardage stash, and a little bit from the large yardage, too.  I don't generally have a lot of orange or yellow, so that need, plus a variety of black and white, meant I called in a few Halloween prints.  There are no pumpkins, so the Halloween touches may be subtle.  It's fine either way.

The Quick & The Vest

I have the fabric and pattern picked out for this year's Halloween Patchwork Project, but I don't quite have the drive to start working on it yet, so I decided I'd do something fast and easy yesterday.

I was initially going to use the purple sequin fabric to make a cardigan, but I didn't like any of the rib knits I had in combination with it.  By the time I admitted the cardigan wasn't going to happen, I was committed to using some of the odd areas of the purple sequin, and settled on a vest.  I got a lovely reddish purple lining fabric last time I visited the craft thrift store, but I was already starting to feel ambivalent about this project and didn't want to use part of a larger piece.  I poked around my lining fabric stash and found a small amount of thrifted dark wine...acetate?  It did have a bit of that distinct acetate smell (along with a lingering hint of cigarette.)  I had thought of using it for a vest years ago that never got made, so it seemed right to use it for this vest that was going to get made, whether I wanted it or not.

Patchwork Vest: This Time the Theme is Wool

In 2022, I made a patchwork vest from Halloween print cottons, and in 2023 I made the same pattern from a variety of not-exactly-Valentines-Day cottons.  When I was clearing out the bulky wool scraps and remnants from the small yardage drawer--much of which went into the skirt I made last week--I sorted some into a pile of black and white blends.  I knew there wasn't enough to make another skirt, of any length, but I figured there would be enough for the front of a vest.  I didn't want to use New Look 6514 again, though, because I didn't think the princess seams would be appropriate. Simplicity 9630 is a much simpler design, especially if I leave out the front darts.

Started this before I knew

When I was working on the doll dress from the last project, I noticed that I seemed to be having allergies triggered by all the fiber particles created by ripping the fabric.  When I made doll clothes more often, I ripped fabric all the time but never had itchy ears or sneezing because of it; I figured, meh, I just hadn't exposed myself to it for a while, so I simply wasn't used to it anymore.

Nope! Covid!

(very probably from someone where Husband works--someone who knew they had been exposed to it but decided it was nothing to concern themselves about and so went to work anyway.  The way it manifested in Husband was more classic covid, and I really did think I just had allergies, but tested anyway since he had it.  Not allergies! Covid! This is the first time we've had covid.  I'm just waiting for my tonsils to stop hurting when I swallow reflexively while I'm trying to sleep.)

So, back when I thought I just had allergies (the trees behind the house are setting buds already! Allergies are happening! But not for me!), I decided to do another Teen Me Would Have Loved This Simplicity 9630 'tapestry' vest.  This time, the project would involve finally figuring out if there was enough of the longer end of the irregularly cut jacquard 'tapestry' fabric I'd gotten from the craft thrift store in summer of 2022 to cut the full vest fronts. Folding and cutting normally: no.  Offsetting the placement of the pattern piece for each side and tossing out all hope of pattern matching: yes.

And even in the full size medium.

Idyllic Vest

 The last visit to the craft thrift store netted a few upholstery samples from the free bins, that I grabbed entirely with the idea of making vests very much like I wore in the early 1990s.  I may not necessarily wear them now, but Simplicity 9630 from 1990 is an easy pattern, and it's fun to make vests with it that would have thrilled young me.

I had already made one vest from one of the free upholstery samples, and just finished a second

And, yes, Teen Me would have loved it.

Another Vest for Teen Me

 Five days ago, I went to the craft thrift store again, and ended up grabbing these jacquard 'tapestry' samples out of the free bins

I was hoping there would be enough of each of them to use as the front of a Very Early 1990s style vest.  And there is!

 

Is a Nineties Vest, Is Not a Nineties Fit

 

Vest

Dress

Unlike the last two outfit photos, I actually wore this for most of the day  (it did eventually get too warm for layers)

Throwback Vest

 In the previous vest post, I concluded by mentioning that I might make a 1990s-style vest someday.

And here we are