DIY Winter Waistcoats -- 1st real sewing projects

**crash** · 17th November 12, 06:14 PM

Looking sharp. Well done Paul. Makes me think about trying it myself.

**sydnie7** · 18th November 12, 09:25 AM

Really like that second pair of hose! And your two vests look very nice, my own stash of fabrics is calling. . .

If you make that vest pattern again, you might look at shortening the shoulder seam just slightly. From the pix, it seems to extend outward past the shoulder seam of your shirts. Gives a kind of "jerkin" look worn solo, which isn't bad, but might bunch up if you tried to put a jacket over them.

That's the kind of thing that can be adjusted beforehand if you make the pattern up first in a muslin or other inexpensive cloth -- just sew the major pieces together and mark them for fitting, length, neckline adjustments, etc. It's a good time investment if you are going to use a new pattern with pricey or one-off material!

**brewerpaul** · 18th November 12, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by sydnie7

Really like that second pair of hose! And your two vests look very nice, my own stash of fabrics is calling. . .

Thanks Sydnie for the compliment on the vests. The kilt hose, or rather shooting socks, came from The Sporting Lodge out of the UK. They have Ebay and web site presence. I really like the hose too and have them in the copper brown shown in the photo, red marl and olive green and a brown tweed with blue stripe. They really are nice and of good quality 80% wool. For the times I do wear pants I wear knickers and hunting breeks so the socks work well there too.

**Nottawayblue** · 18th November 12, 03:35 PM

Brilliant work. I've been contemplating these exact projects as I just can't find a good vest. This may be the final bit of inspiration I needed!

**bonnie heather** · 20th November 12, 03:45 AM

Wow! Your waistcoats are very, very nice! You did a beautiful job and I'm so impressed!

**brewerpaul** · 20th November 12, 07:01 AM

Originally Posted by bonnie heather

Wow! Your waistcoats are very, very nice! You did a beautiful job and I'm so impressed!

Thank you Bonnie, Im looking forward to finishing two shirts first then taking on a kilt jacket in the Herringbone Tweed.

Originally Posted by Nottawayblue

Brilliant work. I've been contemplating these exact projects as I just can't find a good vest. This may be the final bit of inspiration I needed!

No time like the present to get started. I dont know your sewing experience but mine is advanced beginner at best. I found a few things invaluable:

1) Jennifer, my girlfriend's help
2)Readers DIgest New Complete Guide to Sewing. This book has great reviews and is filled with tons of information on sewing.
3) Sewingista Gallery, This young lady is a delight to listen to and has tons of free videos on sewing technique. I used her video on welt pocket making to make the "real welt pockets" in my vest.
http://www.facebook.com/FashionSewingBlog
4) my years as a wood worker. This actually gives me the ability to look at patterns and visualize what I am making as well as work with measurements and sew a straight line with a machine.
5) And very important is the encouragement, input and help of everyone here on XMarks.

All I can say is go for it, there are plenty of vest patterns out there and most are similar so it is just a matter of picking one. I would encourage making real pockets as opposed to just the decorative welt on the front. Enjoy

**Llama** · 20th November 12, 08:10 AM

Any of suggestions for someone looking to purchase a sewing machine? I know my way around one, so I'm not a complete novice, but I don't know how many of the bells and whistles are worth it.

**sydnie7** · 20th November 12, 08:44 AM

Originally Posted by Llama

Any of suggestions for someone looking to purchase a sewing machine? I know my way around one, so I'm not a complete novice, but I don't know how many of the bells and whistles are worth it.

Bit of a derail here, but we've had several discussions about sewing machines, mostly in the context of kilt-making but everything said holds true for the accessories such as vests.

Post 5 and beyond

And your exact question

Any more than that, and you really should start a fresh thread.

**Kennedy** · 25th November 12, 10:36 AM

As to purchasing a machine for sewing any project: Go for quality, not for bells and whistles. The machines that you find at chain stores that sell all sorts of crafting stuff or the chain stores that sell fabric - don't. Go to a store that sells quilting fabric and have them show you their quality basic models. If you want to go higher in price, then do so. Bells and whistles don't do you any good unless you actually want and need them. Better quality machines have metal parts and will last you a lifetime if you have them serviced regularly. (And they will last more lifetimes as well.*) Cheaper machines may seem to be a good buy at first, but sooner or later, you will regret your decision. Sometimes you will find a place that sells vaccuum cleaners and sewing machines. Many of them sell many brands. The machines they sell are good quality, but the sell so many brands that they don't know any one of the brands all that well. A shop that sells quilting fabric and only one or two brands of machines will know their machines better than a place that sells many brands. Kiltmaking may be best done by hand, but a waistcoat can easily be stitched on a machine. If you are using a tartan, you will have to match the plaids, but that can be done without too much difficulty if you have matched the plaid up in the cutting out process. In any case, it would be advisable to begin with a simple pattern and a fabric that does not have to be matched up such as a simple tweed. Sometime I am going to have to take a picture of a waistcoat I made for myself way back when in Kennedy modern colors. (I still have the vest; unfortunately, after all these years it no longer fits.)

*Old Singer sewing machines from the 19th century are still in use. I know one woman that collects and repairs sewing machines. She likes her 1890s Singer the best of the many machines that she has. Singer used to be one of the best brands around. However, the new ones are not the quality of the old machines.

**brewerpaul** · 15th December 12, 08:20 PM

Vest number three here. Decided to just add on here and not start another thread. This is a very nice houndstooth wool I found on EBay. The seller said it was fabric used at a Ralph Lauren factory when it was located in Massachusetts. Got two yards of it and made this vest for my dad. I bought a tailors form so I could size it better. Sent it to him this weekend so waiting to hear how it fits.

Front of Vest...

Back of vest

I also found a place in the UK that has nice little 1 inch buckles for the back of vests. I ordered a dozen and got them in about a week. Here is the URL.

http://www.venacavadesign.co.uk/Prod...ml?q=waistcoat

And here is a link to my XMarks thread on my tailors form (dummy)

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...rs-form-77217/

There was a question and some diversion on this thread about sewing machines, well here is my trusty circa 1950's Goodwill buy.