How to Make a Vest Reversible

Sewing a vest yourself can give you the option of lining it and making it reversible. By using a basic vest pattern with two pattern pieces, you can choose two different fabric designs, one for the outside and one for the lining. The finished vest can then be turned inside out, making the lining the outer fabric of the vest reversible. The front of this vest is left open, with no closure buttons or snaps. This is a wonderful project for a beginning sewing class or new sewer.

Things You'll Need

• Vest fabric, amount determined by size
• Lining fabric, amount determined by size
• Basic two-pattern-piece vest pattern
• Straight pins
• Scissors
• Sewing machine
• Iron
• Hand sewing needle and thread

Instructions

1. Place one layer of the vest fabric right side up on your sewing table. Lay one layer of lining fabric right side down on the vest fabric, matching the edges.

2. Place the back pattern piece on the fabric stack and pin. Place the front pattern piece on the fabric stack and pin. Cut the pieces out. Remove the front pattern piece and flip it for a mirror image. Lay it on the fabric stack again and pin. This will give you the other front side of the vest. Cut the pieces out.

3. Lay the vest fabric back piece on your sewing table with the right side up. Lay the left and right vest fabric front pieces, with the right sides down, on the vest back, matching the shoulder edges. Pin the shoulder edges. Sew the pinned edges using the suggested seam allowance for the pattern. Repeat with the lining pieces.

4. Open the sewn shoulder seams and iron them flat. Open the fabric vest to one layer and lay the length on your sewing table, right side up. Open the lining vest to one layer and place it on top of the fabric vest with the right side down. Match the edges and the seams. Pin the edges together at the armholes, the bottom back, bottom front, center fronts and neckline of the vest. Sew the pinned edges.

5. Turn the vest right side out through an open vest side. Iron the vest.

6. Lay the length of the vest on your sewing surface with the vest fabric side up. Fold the front side pieces over at the shoulder seams, lining them up with the vest back. Each side edge is unsewn with four layers of raw edges. The lining side edges are on the top and bottom and the vest side edges are sandwiched in between. Pin the vest side edges together, on both the left and right sides of the vest, by lifting the lining edges out of the way. Sew the pinned vest side edges together.

7. Iron the sewn side seams flat. Fold the lining side edges inside the vest, using the recommended seam allowance and iron. Pin the pressed lining edges together. Sew using a blindstitch.

References

• tutorials: blindstitch and catchstitch