Black and White and Vest All Over

Hello Readers. Do you like vests? They come in handy sometimes when it's cold. They are an extra layer for warmth but the arms are still free to move around. Today's post is about such a vest.

I didn't start with a vest. I started with a quilted jacket. It had a very wild black and white paisley pattern with black trim. Don't stare at it too long, your eyes will cross and you'll get dizzy. The sleeves were too long on me. (The story of my life.) And the quilting made this jacket a little stiff. It didn't stretch at all and it didn't give me room to move freely.

When I looked closely, I saw that the trim was really just simple black bias tape.

It was really basic bias tape, just like I had in my sewing supplies. That means I could shorten or alter the sleeves of the jacket and add this bias tape. It would look like it was never altered at all.

I considered shortening the sleeves but I decided that the pattern was a little overwhelming and the sleeves were not really comfortable so I removed the sleeves completely.

I pinned some black bias tape around the arm holes. I knew that the quilting inside would want to come out of the bias tape so I used a lot of pins.

I tried to be extra careful and sew very slowly so I didn't lose control of all the layers.

It was easy enough to finish. I went to work just like this. And at work I realized there was a flaw in my design. No pockets. They gray jeans I was wearing didn't have real pockets either. It was annoying. I am out here adulting, I have to carry stuff, I need pockets.

I still had the sleeves. I had planned to make a couple little cosmetic bags out of them. What if I made pockets instead?

I did just that. Here is a picture of a pocket about to be sewn on the front of this vest.

The wild paisley pattern makes it hard to see the pocket.

Here is the truly finished vest with pockets. I attached them at an angle because it was easier than trying to make them perfectly horizontal and parallel to each other. It is also the direction my hands would naturally fit in the pockets.

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.