After making my friend a Dropje vest I was envious, but I had a sea of ideas involving quilting or interlining, and I couldn't come up with something that sounded manageable.
Finally I realised that what I so coveted was the fleecy vest interior! I felt overwhelmed at trying to quilt something, and I wanted the details of the vest to stand on their own. The tweed that I was thinking of for the outside just didn't seem right. So I decided to use the soft flannel (initially the lining) as the exterior instead, and picked up some thick black fleece in Chur for an absurd 30 franks per meter. Sewing with fleece had some unexpected perks...like cleaning my flat top to bottom three times to collect the Black-Plague of fleece particles that escaped and stuck to every surface...
I decided to make a size 36, instead of 38 according to the size chart, because the 34 fit me ok (taking into consideration that it was very stretchy fabric). I shortened the 36 about 2 inches and used the belt waistband piece from the 34 which was slightly shorter. To line it I: made two copies (excluding interior pockets) and then sewed the hood together, followed by the zipper, and this time I did sew the armholes together as well instead of using a facing. The hem facing covers up the lining and I top stitched that down. Unfortunately I got very excited during the process and so I didn't understitch the hood. I also naturally sewed the first armhole wrong and got a möbius strip that I had to undo.
As I mentioned with the first version of this vest, the instructions are truly a joy!
End result: I still feel like the shoulders are too narrow cut, and the front is baggy in a way that doesn't please me. To avoid the front bagginess I would have needed thinner materials and to cut a smaller size again. The vest is cozy as desired and leaves me with good range of motion.
Finally I realised that what I so coveted was the fleecy vest interior! I felt overwhelmed at trying to quilt something, and I wanted the details of the vest to stand on their own. The tweed that I was thinking of for the outside just didn't seem right. So I decided to use the soft flannel (initially the lining) as the exterior instead, and picked up some thick black fleece in Chur for an absurd 30 franks per meter. Sewing with fleece had some unexpected perks...like cleaning my flat top to bottom three times to collect the Black-Plague of fleece particles that escaped and stuck to every surface...
I decided to make a size 36, instead of 38 according to the size chart, because the 34 fit me ok (taking into consideration that it was very stretchy fabric). I shortened the 36 about 2 inches and used the belt waistband piece from the 34 which was slightly shorter. To line it I: made two copies (excluding interior pockets) and then sewed the hood together, followed by the zipper, and this time I did sew the armholes together as well instead of using a facing. The hem facing covers up the lining and I top stitched that down. Unfortunately I got very excited during the process and so I didn't understitch the hood. I also naturally sewed the first armhole wrong and got a möbius strip that I had to undo.
As I mentioned with the first version of this vest, the instructions are truly a joy!
End result: I still feel like the shoulders are too narrow cut, and the front is baggy in a way that doesn't please me. To avoid the front bagginess I would have needed thinner materials and to cut a smaller size again. The vest is cozy as desired and leaves me with good range of motion.
I just bought this pattern, and after seeing your review I'm glad I did. Yours turned out great.
ReplyDeleteThanks!! I put a lot of thought into it, and actually I'm planning another one this summer. My advice is that it's not very curvy, so pay attention to the length and to the actual hip width of the pattern pieces. I also recommend fabrics with just a bit of stretch, because the version I made for a friend in size 34 actually made me a bit happier than mine, despite the technically worse fit. Overall it's so much fun to make! Enjoy!
Delete