Lekala vest (waistcoat)

 

 So, I have been sewing for many years, and I have completed many complex projects. So I consider myself an advanced sewist.

But mostly I follow patterns. I recently started paying more attention to fit (in the last few years), and also have begun trying more advanced techniques.

And this is where it all starts to fall apart. Whereas I could make up a garment, using the basic techniques, and have it end up fine, I go and try new techniques and make a mess of things🤣

 

I decided to make the Lekala 2756 waistcoat. A colleague has been wearing waistcoats, and another Pattern Review member has reviewed them, and this one has a certain appeal - that assymetrical front made it seem like something I could wear. And I had the best fabric for it - offcuts from the Burda dress I made for Australia daughter; a lovely light wool pinstripe suting. 

I bought the pattern some time before I made it up. And possibly not based on the most accurate measurements. I made a rough muslin from a cotton bedsheet, and I was satisfied with the fit. (Note to self - be more critical of fit when you make a muslin!).

As I discovered previously, Lekala instructions are not detailed, and not easy to decipher. There are no illustrations, and the translation is sometimes iffy. But this pattern was so basic, I could wing it.

Welt pockets

Welt pocket

I could not make heads nor tails out of the instructions, and in spite of having made welt pockets before, I went searching online for a suitable method. And I found one. It is, I believe, unconventional, but excellent results. It is the palmer pletch method, video here.

Whereas other methods have you sew the welts and cut out the window in one step, this method has you prepare the window with the pocket bag, so you have an open window, then you do the welts, which are basted together to centre them perfectly. 

I was very proud of my welt pockets.

bound buttonholes

The Hubris before the fall? Maybe. I decided that, while I was at it, I should do BOUND BUTTONHOLES. These are basiscally very mini welts, without the pocket bag. Which brings us to ....

Misadventures

The first misadventure was that the centre front lines which I had tailor tacked were not meeting properly. When I lined them up it made other things not fit well....

checking alignment

However, with help from a friend, I decided on placement for the bound buttonholes; I tailortacked their placement.

The bottom one is way too close to the front seam which kind of got in the way.

The other problem is that I could not flip them so that they did not pucker (yet I had managed on my pockets), and getting those little tiny welt pieces to fold up and meet in the middle was a challenge.

However - they were done, and since this vest must be worn buttoned up, this might not matter!

Off piste change number 2

This vest was begging to be lined. (In retrospect I can't even imagine what the pockets would look like on the inside if it were not lined.... that's like seeing how the sausage is made, isn't it?). So I had to draft a lining.

I traced the front bodice, then traced out the front facing (like a jigsaw) then added a seam allowance. I decided that for the armhole facing and the neck facing I would just turn under the hem allowance and sew them to the lining, rather than cutting it out.

Fine, no problem.

Getting bigger than my britches fancy pants move number 2

While in Norway, I was introduced to a technique to sew in a facing which allows the main fabric to pull just a tad into the inside, thus hiding the seam line. The method is to offset the facing and main fabric slightly (1/8 inch) so that the seam allowance of the facing is a bit bigger (and thus the facing itself becomes a bit smaller than the main fabric.) In theory, this is not too difficult. I kind of eyeballed my offset amd sewed away.

it pulls

I am wondering ... if one is not precise, is that what causes it to pull just a bit too much? (There is some puckering along the 'neck' opening.

Further misadventure

When you do bound buttonholes and there is a facing, you must ALSO make some kind of hole in the facing, of course. I had the hardest time lining these up with the garment front. I would mark them, then check and they would be at the wrong place....

Eventually I marked them and went forward. Somewhere I had read that you could use silk organza for the snap buttonhole 'facing'. Dumb mobe. If I had used self fabric they would be less unsightly! Fortunately for me this is only visible to me (and to you in the photos!)

Showcasing how the sausage is made

not so pretty insides

I don't do any social media besides this blog and Pattern Review. I understand that the common MO is to only show the good of your life! Well, I will buck that trend, and show some of the parts of this vest that I am less proud of. This will encourage other sewists who sometimes also have less than pretty insides! And it will make those of you who have perfectly sewn insides feel great!

where should the buttons go

alignment close up