This is the Christmas Vest I made for my 2+ year old #1 Best in the WORLD Grandson! We bought him the little plaid shirt (no reason int he world to make that – at the price we bought it for! – Also bought navy pants…). Then, took him shopping for red fabric. What a chore/delight that was! He pulled down every bolt he could get his little hand on while riding in the cart! Gotta teach that child fabric shop manners… Anyway, we selected plain red Polar Fleece. I self-drafted the pattern from taking measurements of him, and using a little plain top. Worked fine, EXCEPT I kick myself for doing a high round neck on the vest rather than a V – which would have laid so much better with the shirt collar. Cole had a real fun time picking out the buttons – opting for the Dump Truck Buttons over snowmen! “Hammer” is our THING. Our best times together are going off in Nana’s Car to construction sites. Especially the earth-moving portion of construction. He loves it all – and even if the “Man not in it” on the trucks – meaning we’re there at a time the ‘Bobs’ aren’t working – that is no problem. Cole just loves to even LOOK at the piles of dirt and all the big trucks, etc. Cheap – Fun – and, really, much like sewing! I’m more and more and more intrigued with how it all goes together in a building, how everyone knows what to do, etc. etc. Anyway – back to the vest. I ‘finished’ the edges by cutting facings and a hem binding, and putting them on the OUTSIDE of the vest – topstitching with rows of straight stitching and zigzagging in Navy thread – kinda looking like ‘tire tracks’ in my mind! I did the stitching – THEN cut close with the rotary cutter on the outer edges. Quick vest – maybe 1.5 hours altogether. Oh – under the buttonholes – I inserted a strip of woven interfacing to stabilize. The buttonholes were then just straight stitched rectangles, carefully cut through the centers. Worked great. I was even a ‘cool’ Granny – letting him wear his shirt tail OUT, sticking out below the vest… Now, when MY son was small – that tail definitely would have been tucked in, belt on, etc! Still a hard look for me to ‘like’! 🙂
For Londa’s books, patterns, and supplies as described in her sewing escapades, please see Londa’s Creative Threads – http://www.londas-sewing.com
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