Winter Waistcoat
I have been wanting to make a little waistcoat for winter for a year now. I put this New Craft House Everyday Waistcoat it in my winter capsule wardrobe plans in my last blog post and I’m so please I’ve actually followed through on my plans and made this.
The idea was first formulated when I went to the Knitting and Stitching show in Harrogate with my mum last November. We saw a lovely quilted wool from Cool Crafting and my mum said it would be lovely as a little jerkin to wear under a coat as an extra layer.
I didn’t buy the fabric on the day, but I did order it this summer when I remembered that it will be getting cold again and my winter wardrobe is seriously lacking.
The fabric was cheap because it is slightly off grain. I tried the best I could to line up the pattern vertically and horizontally, but as you can see the finished waistcoat is inevitably wonky looking.
However, I’m telling myself that this adds to the charm of the finished garment. Please back me up on this!
The fabric is 100% wool, with a polyester backing that is pre-quilted to the wool. It isn’t lined, so I did need to line the waistcoat. For the lining I used a sherpa fleece from my stash (actually bought at another previous knitting and stitching show).
The result is a thick and cosy little waistcoat (or jerkin if we are using my mum’s terminology).
The edges of the waistcoat are all bias bound. I used some pre-made bias binding - mainly because it was in my stash and I HATE HATE HATE making bias binding. I always just burn my fingers ironing it and it seems one of those tiresome and time consuming thankless tasks.
On a different note, I really fancy one of those Simplicity bias binding makers, think I will add it to my Christmas wish list.
I attached the bias binding to the sherpa / lining side first. Then I trimmed down the seam allowance, folded the binding round to the right side and topstitched from he right side. This method is sort of back-to-front, but I find it quicker and neater overall.
The other small change I made was to line the pockets with a black viscose lining. The quilted wool seemed too thick to be able to press under those pocket curves neatly. Lining the pockets meant that I could just sew the pieces right sides together, leave a turning gap and turn through to the right side before attaching. It also means that the pockets are smooth on the inside and I don’t have the polyester wadding as the inside of my pocket.
The finishing touch is a little leather label on the inside. My partner recently bought a laser cutter and made some of these lovely labels for me. I bought a load of leather offcuts from an upholstery business and I love that these labels are effectively made from waste product, but are a really beautiful addition to my handmade clothes.
I’m thinking about making some to sell, so if anyone is interested please let me know and I’ll send you some :)
It’s getting very chilly now in Yorkshire, so I’m glad I have this useful layering piece of clothing. I’m trying not to turn the heating on in our house, but I don’t know if I’ll last much longer!
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