Question about bias cut tartan waistcoats.

[Todd Bradshaw]

Suggestions (worth what you paid for them, but maybe helpful)

- Once you have decided on a pattern, make one out of cheaper fabric before cutting into expensive tartan. Patterns seldom fit perfectly. If it works fine, you can wear the test vest with street clothing. If not, you will be able to see where your pattern needs to be modified for the tartan vest.

- When working with tartan garments, one of the most tricky parts is lining up the tartan pattern at places where two pieces meet. The resulting "joint" can look pretty decent, or pretty awkward. Much of this is determined early - before you even cut out the pieces, depending on how and where you position the pattern on the tartan. My wife always copies the pattern pieces onto clear plastic sheeting (Visqueen) so that she can clearly see the tartan through the pattern piece and make reference marks on the plastic for alignment with a Sharpie. It makes this rather tricky part of the process a bit easier.

- On that note, be aware that darts in tartan disrupt the tartan pattern. This can also look pretty acceptable, or pretty awkward, so lay the pieces out carefully with this in mind. It is certainly possible to build a vest which has no darts in the front panels and uses just the side seams to do the tapering to avoid this problem. I have wool vests both with and without the front darts and the differences in fit are not dramatic. for a tartan vest, I'd probably have her make it without them.

No darts on this one - still fits pretty well.



Good Argyll-style pocket flaps - and if you aren't in the mood, they hide inside the pockets. Imitation stag buttons from an eBay seller.

[Tarheel]

Good point on the darts with tartan Todd. The lower photo, with the dart in the tartan, is well placed and enhancing the entire look. Fine job.

Concave cuts in the side stitching may be a way to go in tapering a vest with a bias pattern and one center dart in the back where two panels meet. I imagine clothes more often than I sew fabric and can see the need to practice with other cloth before I committed to the final vest.

[Barb T]

REALLY NICE and terrific advice!!