Tuesday, March 23, 2021

more on the vest

 Last month, I cut a pattern for a vest I wanted to make for myself. The excuse was that I wanted a pocket for my cell phone, and I've purposely made a pocket specifically for it, but it's taken on another life, and now I like it as much because it's coming together well (as the bike jerseys mostly have not). 

I practiced making the pocket opening on some scrap fabric, and it went together just the way it was supposed to... so I went out and got some neutral-colored linen (the real stuff; less expensive, even in a bricks-and-mortar store, than I thought it would be). As I always do, I bought extra; I might have enough to make a whole 'nother one.

Below, the front panels. The one on the left is right-way-up showing the pocket opening. The one on the left is wrong-side up showing the extra-deep pocket for the cell phone. On the other, you can just about make out the shallower pocket; shallow enough that I can actually get my fingers to the bottom.


Then, below this, some other construction details. Men's vests often are made so that the back is just the lining fabric. In this case, I'm using lightweight cotton muslin, because coolness (of temperature, not of temperament) is a value. The back, sorely needing a pressing, is on the left.

On the right is one of the lining assemblies. This will go inside the piece on the left in the top photo. There's a large piece of muslin attached to a smaller piece of the linen, so that when it hangs open, the linen will be visible inside, as well.

 


Artificial fibers are usually cheaper, and sometimes longer-lived, than their natural counterparts, but artificial fibers are almost always poorer for ventilation. For this summer-weight vest, I wanted as much ventilation as I could get. Besides, in 2021, a linen/cotton vest is a marvellous* anachronism, and will add nicely to my resolution to increase and improve, slowly and regularly, my eccentricity.

(*The spell-check objects to my spelling of "marvellously" with two L's. Piffle.)

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