Love Notions Oakley Vest

 Hello everyone!

Today I am back with an item I finished in January--the Love Notions Oakley vest.  I wanted to compile everything I sewed for the month in a post, but I just didn't have the heart to do it. So, I am posting things here and there with the hopes of having some garments to share for February.

Now, on to the Love Notions Oakley vest!

This vest has been on my list for many years.  I kept missing the "window of opportunity" to sew and wear it, so I would push it to the following year.  Once this year started I got into a rhythm of sewing vests, and this style popped into my queue immediately. I am so glad it did!

 Love Notions is quickly becoming a favorite Indie pattern company of mine.  I have found quite a few gems in their line, and I am sure there are still more to discover.  This particular vest pattern has three different views.  I made View B with patch pockets and collar.  There is also an option for a hood.  I would love to revisit this one for View A, a fully lined open vest designed for textured fabrics like faux furs.  

I made a size Small graded to Medium, and added my normal 1" for a longer torso.  The fabric is from Joanns, a quilted knit in red and black.  The stretch for this fabric is minimal, and the reverse side is a lovely quilted gray.  It is sturdy enough for this pattern, with just enough shaping for a comfortable fit.  While I was in Joann's the other day I noticed they have an entire line of beautiful quilted fabric in both solids and prints.  I highly recommend it for projects like these!

One of the things I loved was the binding of the patch pockets.  While this is a relatively simple pattern with only a few pieces, the bias binding was where all the real work was for me! I mean, come on!! LOL!  It is not hard to apply, only finicky. I purchased 1/2" double fold bias binding for this project in black, and it worked wonders. The only tricky part was navigating corners, but I found an amazing Youtube video that made it all clear.

Working with the plaid check also took a bit more time and attention on my part.  I have wanted to venture out with plaids, and have even started watching some Craftsy tutorials in order to continue to become more proficient in this area.  I am happy with how everything lined up at center front and side seams for this one!

A little trick I learned in the Craftsy class came in handy while cutting out the collar.  I originally tried to match it to the garment but kept running into issues.  I didn't have much fabric left (always buy more for plaids, ALWAYS), so I changed the orientation of the collar piece so that it was on the bias. I think it adds a nice detail to the collar, which I also ended up interfacing for stability.

For the zipper insertion I used a 27" plastic jacket zipper that I purchased from Wawak.  If you make the pattern as is, you would only need a 26" zipper, or less.  I wanted my zipper to come all the way up the vest because I planned on zipping it all the way up sometimes so 27" ended up being the perfect length for that.

The zipper is the last thing to be attached in the pattern, since all of the edges are bound at this point.  

I did tweak the fit of the shoulder seams and armholes a tiny bit.  When I tried the vest on, it was just a touch too long, so I trimmed off 1/4" before I applied the binding.  Other than that, this vest was worth all of the finagling I did to finish it!

I really appreciate the gentle curve of the hem, and I am wearing it with a black ribbed knit top made from Kwik Sew 3766.  Overall, I am so pleased with this pattern!  

Stay sew filled!