Indispensable advice for making a quilted vest
Having now officially made myself one (1) quilted vest, I feel uniquely qualified to share the hard-earned wisdom of piecing together a garment meant for a maximalist, despite my deep and unwavering commitment to minimalism.
If, like me, you have accumulated an alarming number of thrifted fabric scraps that you refuse to throw away, I hope you’ll read this. I’ve done my best to be both honest and deeply unhelpful.
Herewith, my very best unsolicited advice:
Begin with the illusion that this will be a quick and simple project, perhaps something you can casually whip up between breakfast and your afternoon existential crisis about fabric hoarding.
Be sure to choose a pattern that is already great as is, and then proceed to change everything about it.
Do not, under any circumstances, make a mock-up. This is for people who don’t believe in trusting their instincts, and you are not one of them.
Instead of neatly selecting coordinating fabrics, embrace chaos. Dump out your collection of thrifted cotton and leftover gift scraps. Lay them all out in a way that makes sense to no one, not even yourself. Assume that the perfect combination will simply reveal itself through sheer force of will.
When cutting your fabric, do not worry about precision. If some pieces are too big and others too small, remember: patchwork is a metaphor for life, and life is never perfect.
Choose to hand-finish all the bindings, because you enjoy suffering. Tell yourself it will be so satisfying to have a vest that looks as neat and tidy inside as it does out. Halfway through, question every decision you’ve ever made.
Make sure your oversized, cozy, super-warm vest turns out even larger than expected. Convince yourself that this is what you meant to do. It’s fashion. It’s intentional. It’s a layering piece.
Try on the finished vest and admire your work. Realize immediately that you need more vests. Begin contemplating knitting one, because apparently, you have not suffered enough.
Finally, take a photo of your new masterpiece, making sure to stand at an angle where it is impossible to tell whether the vest is genuinely stylish or if you are simply too committed to this aesthetic to turn back now.
Decide this quilted vest is, in fact, the best thing you’ve ever sew. Plan to wear it with everything. Wonder why you didn’t do this sooner.
Repeat.
Materials needed:
One template (for example this one) prepared and cut out in the appropriate size.
An 18 mm bias tape maker
A walking foot for your sewing machine
A marker or fabric pen
Safety pins
Other things:
