child's play vest Click image to enlarge Designer: Lisa Storms I have found it difficult to find cute dress-up clothes I like, especially for boys, to encourage imaginative play. So I decided I'd set out to make some of my own. Vests are great because they slip right on and can be one-size-fits-all for little kids. Reversible vests are even better because you have two options in one. I plan on making a set of vests covering a wide range of themes, from astronaut and robot to sports star and royalty. I love the thought of a colorful line of vests hanging on hooks in my little guy's room always ready for play. I put my Fiskars sewing tools to work, especially the 12-in-1 Sewing Multi-Tool while ripping out seams twice while experimenting, and the shape templates made it easy to embellish the costumes simply! Difficulty rating
Instructions (Print version)
Creating Vest Pattern: 1. Using rotary cutter and acrylic ruler on cutting mat, cut butcher paper (or other template material) into two 16" x 19" rectangles, one for front of vest and one for the back. 3. For back template, keep folded in half and trace neckline at top by placing 8.25" circle template lined up with center line approximately 7/8" tall and 2.5" wide. Trace and cut. This creates a slim semi-circle centered at back neckline 5" wide.
Embellishing Vests: 1. Cut out two sets of fabric, one for each side of vest by pinning on templates. To create sheriff, iron on fusible interfacing onto yellow and cow fabric. Add cow fabric to top of both front vest pieces and sew on fringed trim below. Trace star using shape template and sew onto right side. Hand sew buttons at each point.
To create fireman, iron on fusible interfacing onto yellow, gray, and brown fabric. Trim yellow fabric into strips and sew horizontally onto both front vest pieces. Cut off piece of fringed trim to create strip to hold axe. Trace flower template pieces to create axe using petal with middle scallop bypassed. Sew together and add Fray Check to edges. Feed into "holster". Glue or sew on felt letters.
Assembly: It is very important that these steps are followed in specific order. I learned this the hard way. 1. Take each set of fabric pieces separately and sew together at shoulders.
Supply List: Fiskars Brands: Shape Templates – Super Sized Circles Fiskars Brands: Shape Template – Flowers Fiskars Brands: Shape Template – Stars Fiskars Brands: 45 mm Comfort Grip Rotary Cutter Fiskars Brands: 12.5 x 12.5 Acrylic Ruler Fiskars Brands: 24 Inch x 36 Inch Mat Fiskars Brands: 12-in-1 Sewing Multi-Tool Fiskars Brands: Titanium Nitride No. 8 Bent Scissors Other: fabric, sewing machine/thread, fusible interfacing, fringed trim, pins, buttons, butcher paper |
