Simplicity 8054 – A vest for Mom

My mother is impossible to shop for. Like a lot of people of a certain age, she buys what she wants, and she doesn’t have enough space to bring anything new into her small house. When I was home in October she went on and on about a certain vest. I told her that I’d buy it for her for Christmas, but at about $Cdn 300 it was a bit pricey. Instead, I decided to hold my breath and actually sew something for someone else.

Pattern: Simplicity 8054

This pattern was selected because mom specifically wanted something of hip length, with collar and/or lapels, and pockets. Pockets are very important.

Fabric: Caviar Solid Microsuede (100% Polyester) for the body, Caviar Distressed Alova for lapels, Bemberg lining (all from JoAnn Fabric). All fabrics machine washable.

Adjustments: I was really throwing darts (I know, bad sewing pun) here because the intended wearer was 1,900 miles away. We have the same sized hips, but that’s about it. I took note of her bust and waist measurements and crossed my fingers. Cut a 16 for the bust and waist, grading to an 18 at the hips. Shaved off about half an inch in the shoulder width.

This fabric was very easy to cut and work with. I ironed the pattern pieces which really brought out the static electricity, so no pins were needed. Weights were barely necessary!

The solid microsuede was used for all exterior pieces except for the ‘welt’ and collar, which were constructed of the distressed microsuede. This made for a nice contrast.

Very helpful to have the dressmaker’s form. I dialed it down to approximate mom’s size.

I must have been feeling very competent when I finished the seams because they’re all serged. If it’s too small someone needs to go on a diet!

The back detail is hard to see on the black fabric, but the back has two pieces, so there is shaping at the waist. (This photo taken of the lining.)

The pattern instructions were quite easy to follow, however I had real difficulty with the ‘welt’ pocket. I was excited about this pattern because I have been wanting to work on my welt pocket making skills, but sadly this is really just a strip of fabric sewn into the seam – so not even a real faux welt.

Then either I made a mistake or the pattern instructions were bad, but the faux welt was sewn into the side back piece, not the side front piece. I topstitched the welt piece down, but in retrospect I wish I had not top stitched so there was a bit more dimension.

You will notice that the finished garment is much more fitted than the illustration and photo on the pattern envelope. I did select the size according to the measurements on the pattern, so apparently there isn’t as much wearing ease as the pattern photo suggests. I actually like my result better than the one on the pattern!

And off it went in the mail!

Total Time on Project:  About 12 hours. I cut the fabric on a Saturday evening, and the entire garment was done, including hand stitching the hem, the following Friday evening. That’s very quick for me 🙂

The Result

The package arrived in time and it fits! Mom said the first thing she checked for was pockets… if there hadn’t been pockets she probably would have taken it to the dressmaker to have those serged seams ripped open and pockets added!