Vests come in all sizes, and long is lovely
Try Vests, They Come in All Sizes
I've always liked vests and blazers, but as I get a bit older and rounder, the vests that end above my waist just accent the inner tube effect. After someone gave me a long jacket, I realized how slimming it looked. I found a second hand long vest, and felt like I'd finally found a style that really looks right for my body type. The pattern shown to the left, McCalls 7407, I purchased on eBay.com in a lot of some 40 patterns. It's a multiple size pattern with multiple style options. I made style E from the cover.
Summer Vest Wearing
I have two winter weight long vests, so I wanted a summer weight vest. By "long", I mean below my hips. The semi-fitted princess style seams give a feminine look without being overly tight. I chose a cotton blend gauze crinkle fabric, and only lined the front and front side sections of the vest.
To finish the armholes, since I wasn't lining the whole vest, I used a contrasting bias tape. I already had a black crinkle tier skirt and a black blouse, so I wanted to contrast the pale purple with black. I made a narrow hem on the bottom and used the bias tape on the back neck edge also. That's a lot of improvising, if you've never made a vest before. If that sounds confusing, follow the directions for a lined vest. I just really needed something for hot weather.
Matching Accessory Snood (of course!)
To finish off my new wardrobe piece, I made a matching snood with contrasting black lycra head band and "tail" strap. I'm quite happy with how it looks, plus the cotton blend gauze is very light weight for summer wear.
I'm bidding on more vest patterns on eBay, so I can keep expanding my wardrobe. Vests don't take a lot of fabric, and you can finish them pretty quickly. That's an extra plus when you've got a busy life outside of your sewing area! You can find vest patterns on eBay:
