Super Easy Summer Vest

We are having a super duper heat wave here this week and I am loving it!!!  I love, love, love warm weather and am going to be so sad in about a month when it's just a distant memory, so I'm soaking it up as much as I can right now.  I'm telling you all this so that you'll understand later on when you wonder why I'm wearing a hat and sunglasses in all my photos, but that's what I was wearing all day on the beach and photos with hat head just wouldn't do.

Anyway, on to this week's crafty project.  I visited a great new clothing shop near my work last week and saw a beautiful vest that I fell in love with.  When I really looked at it though I confidently proclaimed to my friend that "I could make that!".  So I did!

Here's what you need:



Of course I forgot something....pins, you'll definitely need some pins~

Note: the fabric you see there is a very large scarf.  Mine measures about 1.9 metres (74") X 84cm (33").  A large square scarf would work well too.

Steps:
1) Before I started, I measured from the centre of my back to where I wanted the back edge of the armhole to land.  It was about 5 1/2" for me but it'll be different for everyone.  If you don't have a dress form get someone to help you with this... unless you're one of the amazing twisty people from Cirque du Soleil, then you're probably fine on your own.

2) Then I was going to try to devise some fancy pants way to figure out the armholes so that it would be easy to explain.  In the end I just draped my scarf, eyeballed it, and used pins to mark each side.

 

 3) When I was done pinning, I folded the fabric in half to make sure that the holes were symmetrical...they weren't.  So, I cut one and then just used that as a guide for the other side.  This way they were basically the same size, shape, and location.

4) Now, if you really hate sewing for some crazy reason or just don't have access to a machine and your fabric isn't something that will fray, then you could just leave it here and call it a day.  But as most of you know, raw edges drive me nuts.  So, be brave, carry on, and now attach some bias tape to your armhole openings.

If I were you I wouldn't even try just turning your edges and hemming.  The grainline in your fabric will not like the curves and you will probably end up with lots of little unsightly folds every few inches or so.  Play it safe and use the bias tape.

Just lay the tape on the OUTSIDE, face down, edges matching up and pin, overlapping your ends just a bit.

5) Stitch right in the little fold or ditch.

6) Once you've secured your bias tape, just fold it over to the inside along the seam line you just sewed.  It'll fold super easily.  Press and pin and then sew this down.

7) That's it!  You're done!  Now you have a super cool vest that you wear so many ways...

Pin It

Crossed over with a belt

 

Open, no belt



Open, with a belt

You can even wear it backwards!!


Backwards with ends tied in the front

When I first tried this on I had my doubts as to whether or not I would ever actually wear it but you know what...I really like it!  Maybe I'll even make one with a heavier scarf for fall.  I like that the scarf I used has a bit of a frayed edge but, you could always add some fringe or beading along the edge to really dress it up.  Have fun with it!

As usual, check out the linky party tab because that's where I'll be hanging out all week.  But make sure to come back here on Monday because I'm going to throw my own linky party!!!  Yay!  I can't wait to see what all of you have been working on.  Crafting, sewing,  even recipes!  You're all welcome to come and share.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!