mattgoldey replied to your photoset “Favorite dapper looks 2017 (previous years)”
I love that green plaid jacket!
It’s such a favorite of mine! I get a ton of wear out of it this time of year. Thank you!
eliswen
replied to your photoset
“Favorite dapper looks 2017 (previous years)”
You have so many cute outfits dang!!! How much of this did you make yourself? I'm desperate for vests (vestperate) and don't know where to start. I'm like a 2xl up top, sometimes 3xl because of my hips :3
Thank you! Let’s see...I made both of the vests, the whole outfit with the white shirt and tartan skirt, and the floral/bird (William Morris) print top in the bottom left image (which I haven’t posted yet but will soon!).
For the vestperate (LOLOL), vests are actually a great place to start, because the shape is relatively simple and you can omit plenty of details (like pockets, back vents, or back cinchers) to make it easier to sew and it will still be functional.
The pattern I used is out of print, but there are other good options! I included a couple in my dapper sewing roundup for Autostraddle, but I’ve found even better options since then. Freesewing.org is a open-source, one-man-run website with free patterns generated to your size! They have one vest option, the Wahid Waistcoat, which looks great. I haven’t used freesewing yet, but I know that the creator has been working hard to make sure his patterns are usable by people with many different body shapes, despite originally being designed as “menswear.” I also like the Chelsea Vest from Stylearc, which goes to an AUS 30/US 26 (Chest 58″, hips 61″), which is one of the best size ranges for an indie pattern company out there. It’s very easy to grade between sizes -- basically you mark for yourself which sizes you should make on top and bottom based on your measurements, then draw a line that connects the two points and mimics the seam curve on each piece.
I post more in-depth descriptions of the alteration I make for each item over on my sewing blog as well. Good luck and happy sewing!
