Vice-Versa Vest by Viktorya

  (I've loved alliteration since I was a kid.  Remember: she sells sea shells by the seashore?)

Inspiration for this vest:  Threads magazine, January 2010 issue, by Nicole Smith, entitled Circular Vest, pages 69 - 71.

When I saw Nicole Smith's Circular Vest in Threads magazine, it went to the top of my 'want to make this' list!  However, having been a maker of Wearable Art for 24 years, it's almost impossible for me to follow a pattern.   I seem always to make adjustments in some form or fashion, creating at times, my own nightmare.
 
To follow are pics of and the how to notes about my Vice-Versa Vest by Viktorya.  This fits from size 10 - 14.

Cut a SQUARE of muslin 50 3/4", fold into QUARTERS, and cut off the edges to make a CIRCLE.
Mark the center of the circle.
Mark a 17" horizontal line and two 12" vertical lines on each end of the 17" line.
Use 1/4" to 1/2" seams.

Notes from my sketch pad:


Basically, that's it; however, because I altered the pattern, the measurement I wanted for the back between the armholes was 20" so I marked 10" on either side of that center mark.  I wanted the armhole measurement to be 14" so I measured up 7" and down 7 " from the end of each horizontal line.  I cut the 14" slits, and tried on the muslin.

The back measurement was too wide and the armhole was too big.
The back measurement I ended up with was 17" and the armhole length was 12".

In the fabric stash, I had a beautiful scrunched and sheer 52" wide green fabric that I wanted to use.  Mind you the pattern calls for a single layer of fabric that needs to be appealing on both sides —  both sides will show, plus it calls to be bound. 

Why can't I just follow directions?  I set myself up for a challenge that would make me sweat.  Anyhow, I needed a lining for that sheer green and all I could think of was to dye some white silk.  So that's what I did.  But again here's the rub - the dyed silk was 36" wide, so I calculated how much of the 36" yardage I would need in order to derive a circle that would be about 50" in diameter.  (I had to piece equal sizes on each side of the 36" plus add seam allowances.)



That being done, I dyed the silk using thalo green and pumpkin spice dye, using white vinegar to set it. 



It came out looking like lettuce. I was pretty happy with the color, knowing that the lettuce green would be toned down from the transparency of the fabric 'reading through' to the gray-green color of the scrunched fabric on the vice-versa side.



Oh, if that was the only challenge!  By lining the circle, now I wanted to be able to reverse the piece.  I also wanted a 'border-less' look - in other words, no binding.  As you can see from the above image, the scrunched fabric has one line of stitching that shows.  The dyed green silk, has two lines of stitching, and is 'border-less' - no binding.  This accomplishes a beautiful drape.



The armholes gave me fits; ultimately the look is quite lovely but it sure didn't look pretty until I applied a Greek key, machine embroidery design that gives a lacy appearance, and is not too stiff either.  The armhole edges will get a lot of wear so they need to be stable.  The machine embroidery was a good solution.

Because I increased the diameter measurements and used sheer fabrics, the drape is beautiful.  There's another plus - it covers the posterior of this senior citizen's back side. smile... 

Messing around with the piece, I discovered it could be worn in different ways, besides being reversible.  As I shared these versatile renditions at the Network for Wearable Art meeting Saturday 16, January 2010, Pam Mason, President of the group, modeled the vest.  While Pam wore it over-the-shoulder, Angela Willson suggested putting it on backwards, and that works like a charm too! 

To follow are pics of the Versa-Vest on a mannequin. In taking pictures at different angles, you can see color changes with how the light falls.

Over-The-Shoulder

Side View:  Over-The-Shoulder

As it was designed to be worn

Can have 'hoodie' look

Worn Backwards - Front View

Worn Backwards - Back View

And what I really dig is that all these looks can be worn Vice-Versa, with the silk side out.  Enjoy!  Viktorya