DIY Mulberry Sleeveless Vest

Nov 13

Nov 13 DIY Mulberry Sleeveless Vest

I had been dreaming about a long trench coat-like garment for a little bit so when the right fabric came along, it seemed like the perfect time to sew one up. If we are being honest, I won’t get much wear right now as winter quickly approaches but I will be ready come Spring and Summer time.

Pattern Details & Size Made

The Heather Blazer is described as an unstructured modern blazer with a slight oversized fit. This pattern also features a two-piece sleeve and is fully lined. It is available in size XS-7X (32” to 60” chest). The best part about this is that there is a video tutorial for making the entire blazer which was extremely helpful. Although the size chart body measurements put me at a size XL, I made a size L based on the finished garment measurements. My current measurements - Bust 41”, Waist 34.5”, Hips 44.5”

I already have a blog post with a review of the Heather Blazer, which you can read here. So I’ll skip straight to the adjustments I made for this version.

Fabric Details & Pattern Adjustments

For this version I used a mulberry colored lyocell twill gifted by Fabric Snob, located in Winnipeg Canada. This was their September Sew Essential subscription box fabric. The twill has a very smooth feel to it and the most gorgeous drape which would actually be perfect for a dress or top. Of course I chose to make a vest.

2 metres of the mulberry twill was not enough to make what I wanted so I used my leftover fabric as contrast. The contrast fabric is one of the twills from the Blackbird Fabric’s Fall/Winter exclusive print and it is called Watercolor leaves. I used it to make a dress earlier this Fall and had just enough left over to help me with this project!

In order to achieve this look with the Heather Blazer, I made the following adjustments:

Lengthened the pattern by 10 inches.
I made welt pockets with a flap instead of the patch pockets that come with the fabric.
I took an inch off the width of the shoulder since I wasn’t attaching sleeves.
I made belt loops and a belt so I can wear it tied if desired.
I added a hanging loop as well.

That’s it! It was a relatively easy make since I had already made this pattern once. I chose to rock a monochrome look and throw on the vest as the pop of color and I quite like it. As usual, I’ll be styling it countless ways over the coming months.