How to Make a Simple Fleece Vest
Polar fleece will keep you warm in style with its snazzy colors and fuzzy feel. If you possess just basic sewing skills and a piece of fleece fabric, you can easily make a simple fleece vest without a pattern and with basic sewing notions.
Things You'll Need
- Polar fleece (1 yard)
- Scissors
- Disappearing fabric marker
- Tape measure
- Novelty buttons
- Needle and thread
Instructions
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1
Measure the distance between each of your shoulders, making sure to position the tape measure at the outermost point on one shoulder and continuing it to the same outermost point on the other shoulder. Write this number down.
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2
Fold the fleece fabric with the selvage edges toward you and the folded edge furthest away.
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3
Draw a rounded isosceles triangle onto a piece of paper to create a pattern for the neck opening. Make the base of the triangle approximately one-quarter of the distance you measured in step one. Make the other two sides and the top point as large as you desire to create the front neck opening. Cut out the neck-opening pattern.
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4
Position the neck-opening pattern onto the folded fleece fabric with the triangle base approximately 1 inch above the fold. Center the pattern between the two side edges. Pin the pattern to the fleece and then trace around the entire pattern onto the fleece using the disappearing fabric marker. You will need to unfold the fleece fabric to trace around the top side of the triangle. Unpin the neck pattern and set it aside. Keep the fleece fabric unfolded.
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5
Stitch a line of top stitching ½-inch away from both selvage edges. Trim the fleece fabric off very close to your topstitching.
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6
Measure the center of the fleece fabric along the selvage edge closest to you. Cut a straight line from this center point up to the bottom point of the neck opening shape you traced in step four. Cut around the neck opening shape along the line you drew.
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7
Stitch a line of top stitching ½-inch away from each edge of the center cut you just made and around the edge of the neck opening.
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8
Trim the fleece fabric off very close to your top stitching.
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9
Fold the fleece again, this time with the right sides facing each other, and matching all edges and corners. Determine how large you wish to make the armholes of the vest (vests often have larger armholes than shirts and jackets). Pin the two side edges together up the point where you will stop stitching to create the armholes. Make sure the armholes on each side edge are equal.
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10
Stitch the two side edges to the point where you determined the armholes will begin using a ½-inch seam allowance. Stop stitching when you reach the armhole point.
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11
Turn the vest right side out.
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12
Sew the three or four novelty buttons to the front inner edge of the vest (spacing them evenly), if you desire. The buttons do not need buttonholes--they are decorative.
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