This Lonetree Vest feels like the most RTW garment I’ve made so far in my sewing career.

When I made my wish-list of garments I wanted to sew for fall, I craved some type of utility jacket with pockets and a drawstring, but nothing existed.  It was almost as if Allie Olson read my mind and released her very first sewing pattern at just the right time.

 

 

 

I didn’t set out to make a navy vest at first, I originally planned in making a black jacket.  However, I realized after cutting out the jacket from fabric I ordered that the quality of the fabric was absolute crap –  into the trashcan it went.  I then decided to switch gears and went on to make a navy twill jumper dress for Thanksgiving (to go with the striped shirt I’m wearing above), but I was sad to discover that I bought yardage for the tunic view of the sewing pattern, not the jumper view, and was short about a yard of what I needed!  I guess all of the above was a comedy of errors, and this navy twill was destined for a vest instead (and Abbey inspired me as well with her navy version!).

 

 

Hat’s off to Allie, this lady has some serious pattern-drafting chops.  Everything came together so smoothly and the directions really walk you through the steps in a clearly illustrated way, the vest looks more complicated than it really is.  The most time-consuming part of making this vest were the pockets and the top-stitching – lots and lots of top-stitching!!  I ran out of thread, which delayed my finished of this vest until right before Christmas.  After attaching the pockets to the front, the rest of the vest went together fairly easily.  I wish in retrospect I top-stitched a little closer to the pocket edges instead of 1/4″ away from the edge to get a bit of a cleaner look.

 

 

I also top-stitched the cording channel with two rows of stitching instead of just one row.  The fit is great, I like the snugger fit around the armholes and across the back.  If it wasn’t for the fit up top, the vest would end up looking a lot baggier and not as chic.

 

 

I wanted so very much to use a Hong Kong finish on the inside seam allowances with bias tape.  Being the lazy sewist I am, I ordered some pre-made from Etsy, but sadly I underestimated how much I needed and couldn’t use it for all of my seams.  Here’s a shot of a side seam, the bias tape is from Bessie Pearl Textiles and made out of the Cotton + Steel/Rifle Paper Les Fleurs collection.

 

 

It’s really the accents that make this look and feel RTW, so if you’re thinking about making the vest or jacket, I highly recommend seeking out some quality hardware.  Both the cord stops and cord ends are from Pacific Trimming, the buttons are from Joann Fabrics (shocker!  The button dept in my store is abysmal), and the zipper is from Zipper Stop on Etsy.

 

 

 

This is my first time taking blog photos inside!  It was 20 degrees outside when I took these photos on Sunday, and I wasn’t about to brave the weather in just a shirt, vest, and leggings (my husband didn’t want to go outside either and play photographer).  I got this backdrop for Christmas from one my brother-in-laws, used the DIY PVC backdrop frame from our wedding, and set up my tripod and umbrella lights in the living room.  Presto!  I just need to smooth out the fabric a little more at the top next time and steam out some more of those stubborn wrinkles.

 

Pattern: Lonetree Vest by Allie Olson
Fabric: Theory cotton twill from Mood Fabrics
Hardware: Pacific Trimming, Zipper Stop, Joann Fabrics
Shirt: Simplicity 1325
Legging Pants: Uniqlo

This post is part of the Indiesew Blogger Network – pattern or fabric may have been provided by Indiesew, however all thoughts and opinions are my own