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The "before" version... |
A little over a year ago, I cut into this never before worn sherpa fleece
duster vest that had been hanging at the back of my closet. I harvested a
big piece off the back and made a cozy
neck cowl
out of it.
While I generally like open "waterfall" style shrugs or jackets, this one
did not do it for me. For one thing, the big collar simply overwhelmed my
body. I also thought that the bulkiness of the material just did
not lend itself well to the style, which is best represented by something
light and airy.
But it was a gift from the other half, so I hesitated to pitch it into a
donation bag.
And now I'm really glad I didn't, years after the original gift. Because
finally, it's been reimagined and refashioned into something that I can
now wear.
Ta da!
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| The "after" version closed with a snap fastener... |
After having been pulled apart to make the neck cowl and then recently to
serve as
the lining for a pair of mittens, this previously unflattering long vest has been transformed into a
short and sporty version with hand warmer pockets.
I must admit that when I originally wrote I may ultimately rejig the rest of it to arrive at a short jacket, but that's a thought for another day (after making the neck cowl), I didn't have a lot of confidence that I would ever do so.
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Because I wanted to have the option of wearing the vest "closed", I considered adding a button. Upon second thought, I recalled how the stretchiness of the material made the buttonholes look not so great on the neck warmer, so my final decision was to go with a snap fastener.
I must admit that when I originally wrote I may ultimately rejig the rest of it to arrive at a short jacket, but that's a thought for another day (after making the neck cowl), I didn't have a lot of confidence that I would ever do so.
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| It now has a more traditional collar and "lapels"... |
Unless you're one of those afore-mentioned amazing
YouTubers, you simply have to have the right inspiration —
and the commitment to see it through — to attempt this sort of
project.
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| View of back... |
And maybe a bit of magic along the way. ;-)
When I saw what remained after cutting the pieces for my mitten
linings, I was finally able to visualize something that might
appeal to me. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture at that
precise moment — didn't want to stop and lose my mojo — but what I
did was 1) trim the two sides of the front opening to match, 2)
create a more traditional collar, and 3) even out the bottom.
To reduce any further bulk, I decided to zigzag stitch all of the
raw edges rather than sew a traditional hem. The result is a fun
and flirty lettuce edge.
Because I wanted to have the option of wearing the vest "closed", I considered adding a button. Upon second thought, I recalled how the stretchiness of the material made the buttonholes look not so great on the neck warmer, so my final decision was to go with a snap fastener.
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| Reinforced snap fastener... |
However, I made the mistake of installing the bottom half of the
snap fastener without any reinforcement. It popped out on me by
the end of the first evening.
If you check out the photo of the original at the top of this
post, you'll note that the vest came with a very long self belt
(and belt loops, which I removed). The next day, I cut a
circular piece of fabric from it, reinforced it with some
Decor Bond and then appliqued it on top of the hole that
resulted when the snap fastener piece came out. I then installed
a new snap fastener bottom on it and it's been holding up fine
since.
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| Preparing to make a pocket... |
Given that I'd already cut into the belt, I opened it up fully to
see how much fabric there was. Well, there was enough to cut four
15" sections, so I ended up sewing them in pairs to make a couple
of patch pockets.
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I topstitched along both sides of the half inch seam
allowance
and then folded the piece in half for each pocket... |
I stitched closed the two raw edges (creating a tube) and turned
it right side out. The final step was to "applique" it onto the
vest by zigzagging around three edges.
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| Pocket pinned and ready to sew... |
The result is a couple of roomy hand warmer pockets that can be
accessed from the side.
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From hanging at the back of my closet unloved to now hanging off the back of my chair for easy access, this vest has become a new favourite. It's super easy to throw on top of whatever I might be wearing and meets my needs for an extra bit of warmth on chilly days.
From hanging at the back of my closet unloved to now hanging off the back of my chair for easy access, this vest has become a new favourite. It's super easy to throw on top of whatever I might be wearing and meets my needs for an extra bit of warmth on chilly days.
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| The complete "ensemble" for indoor wear... |
It's also a stylish layering piece for outerwear.
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| Also works for going out... |
So happy I kept this away from the donation pile!
By the way, it was quite amusing to see my other half's reaction
when I was cutting into the vest for my mitten linings. Even
though he knew the back had already been sacrificed for my neck
cowl last year, it still seemed to him that I was destroying a
perfectly good garment.
After gently explaining yet again that I never liked how the
original looked on me, I managed to convince him that I was going
to turn it into something that I would wear. And yes, he
was truly impressed as he witnessed my progression to the finish
line.
Have you had success with a similar re-fashioning job?
'Til next...
'Til next...
Wow! This looks great! I have never done a refashion. I think I would always be scared to make the first cut and ruin it completely. Love how it looks on you.
ReplyDeleteKathleen - kakingsbury at verizon dot net