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Sunday, November 6, 2016

The Long Red Vest

The idea came to me months ago. The materials came to me about a year ago. It was a quick and easy project to get me back in the swing of sewing things after training camp. 


Last Thanksgiving my aunt gave me this dress to do something with. She'd bought it and decided against it but couldn't return it so she thought I might be able to use it for something. It has sat in my refashion bin for nearly a year now, waiting for that something.


The dress fit me great, it just wasn't my style at all.

Back in February, when my brother, mom, and I went to Indianapolis I saw a woman walking around downtown wearing a long, semi-fitted, vest. I loved it and immediately started considering what fabric I could used to make one. Then I remembered the red dress.
Thus, this project has been in the back of my mind for 8-ish months now.
Last week I decided I really wanted that vest so I pulled out the red dress and got started.



The original construction of the dress made this refashion really easy. There was a center front seam that ran uninterrupted from neck to hem. I pulled out my seam ripper and made short work of that seam. As a design feature that seam had been top stitched open so there was no hemming required! I just had to hand sew down the edges of the hem and neckline facing.


Now, after that little bit of hand sewing, my vest could have been done. It certainly looked done, but I decided it wasn't.


There had been a zipper down the back of the dress. My new vest had no need of a zipper, so I ripped it out and sewed up the back seam.


This was easy-peasy and gave the finished product a much more professional, less homemade, look.


In no time at all the vest was done and ready to be worn as part of my fall wardrobe!


Now if only fall temperatures would arrive to make layering comfortable!


Here we are at the beginning of November, most of the trees have lost their leaves, and we still haven't had a frost! Heck, some days the temp gets up into the 80's yet.


The mornings and evenings at least are distinctly fall-ish, making me very pleased to have this vest to throw on for a little extra insulation, and a lot of extra style!


Not at all baggy, but still a little flow-y. I'm thrilled to have finally turned this dress into something I enjoy wearing!


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