How to Make a Suit Vest
The suit vest, first called a "waistcoat" and introduced in the 15th century, has remained popular as part of men's formal wear. Suit vests are normally incorporated into three-piece suits, but can also be worn separately with dress pants or with jeans and a T-shirt. Vests are also often incorporated into women's fashion, usually shorter and with a tighter fit, or loose and slouchy. To make your own vest for formal attire or street fashion, all you need is a little sewing skill and a plain T-shirt.
Things You'll Need
- Oversized T-shirt
- Sewing equipment and supplies
- Outer fabric
- Lining fabric
- Fabric pencil
- Measuring tape
- Buttons
Instructions
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1
Cut off the sleeves from a slightly oversized T-shirt, and trim the length of the shirt to the length you would like your vest to be. Also cut the collar off of the shirt. Widen the armholes of the shirt a little by making a marking with the fabric pencil 1 inch down from the bottom of the armhole edge, then clipping that extra inch. Fold the T-shirt in half along the width, so that the sides match up.
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2
Lay the T-shirt on top of a double layer of your outer vest fabric, and trace around the outsides with a fabric pencil. Draw another outline 1/2 inch away from this one, so that you will have 1/2 inch seam allowances on all sides. Take away the T-shirt and draw a 1-inch-by-1-inch square at the bottom of the center back line. Cut along the outermost outline, and cut out the square to create your left and right back body pieces. Lay one of these pieces on a double layer of the lining fabric to use as a pattern piece, and cut two lining pieces.
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3
Take the folded T-shirt and make a marking halfway down the center front, and another marking 2 inches up from the hem. Draw a curved concave line from the inside edge of the shoulder seam to the top marking, and a curved convex line from the bottom marking to 2 inches in from the center front. Cut along both curved lines, then lay the folded shirt on a double layer of the outer vest fabric. Draw around the T-shirt, then draw again 1/2 inch away from that outline. Cut along the outermost lines to create the left and right front outer vest pieces. Lay one of the front pieces on a double layer of the lining fabric and cut around it to create the front lining pieces.
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4
Stitch the outer back pieces together at the center back edges, right sides together, leaving a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Press the seam allowance open and trim it short. Repeat this process on the lining pieces. Stitch the back pieces to the front pieces at the shoulder seams, then at the side seams on both the outer fabric and lining fabric. Press and trim the seam allowances.
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5
Lay the lining on top of the outer fabric, right sides together, and pin the front edges, bottom edge and sleeve edges together. Stitch them 1/2 inch away from the edges, then turn the vest right side out through the open neck edge. Fold the raw edges of the neck edge inside the waistcoat 1/2 inch and slipstitch them in place by hand. Press the entire waistcoat flat.
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6
Stitch buttonholes, using the buttonhole function on your sewing machine, along the left front edge of the vest below the neckline. Sew matching buttons to the right side of the front edge.
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