How to Make a Vest With a Loom

Make a lovely vest out of handwoven fabric.

Vests make excellent projects for weavers who want to try cutting and sewing their own handwoven fabric. They are easy to sew, and little handwoven fabric gets wasted when cutting out the vest. Also, depending on the threading draft, it's easy to weave decorative patterns into the vest. Vests can be woven so that the warp runs lengthwise from neck to hem, or sideways, with the selvedges at the top and bottom of the vest. This warp plan allows you to weave one vest vertically and one horizontally.

Things You'll Need

• Loom
• Yarn
• Two shuttles
• Vest pattern
• Sewing machine
• Bias tape

Instructions

1. Select a simple vest pattern from a sewing pattern book, or draft your own. Make a muslin to check the fit and transfer any alterations from the muslin to the pattern. Measure the back piece across at its widest point. Add some inches for shrinkage, perhaps 10 to 15 percent. This serves as the width of your warp. For a ladies size 16, use a width of approximately 26 inches. For two vests, wind four yards of warp.

2. Wind the warp, making a cross at one end, and tying the warp off at one yard intervals and at the ends of the warp. Remove the warp from the warping board and bring it to the loom. Pre-sley the warp in the reed, and set the reed in the beater. Wind the warp onto the back of the loom. Cut the front end of the warp and remove the beater and the reed. Thread the loom to a draft that allows you to do some patterning with a contrasting weft, such as Rose of Sharon. Sley the reed again at the desired sett, and tie the front of the warp to the apron rod.

3. Wind a bobbin with the same thread that you used for warp. Weave 4 1/2 inches of plain weave. Then, using a different color weft, weave 13 1/2 inches of patterning. Weave 11 1/2 inches more of plain weave, then two picks of a different weft for a cutting line. Again weave 4 1/2 inches of plain weave, followed by another 1 1/2 inches of patterning. Finish the first vest by weaving 23 1/2 inches of plain weave.

4. Weave two cutting picks, and then begin the second vest, woven horizontally. Weave 4 1/2 inches plain weave, then 1 3/4 inches pattern. Weave 11 inches plain weave, then another 1 3/4 inches pattern. Weave 4 1/2 inches plain weave and insert two cutting picks. Then weave 4 1/2 inches plain weave, another 1 3/4-inch band of patterning, and then 9 inches of plain weave. Weave the last 1 3/4 inches of patterning, and then the last 4 1/2 inches of plain weave, followed by two cutting picks. Weave the rest of the warp any way you wish to make a matching bag.

5. Cut the warp off the loom. Wash and dry the fabric gently; then cut apart at the cutting lines. Lay out the vest front pattern pieces on the first piece you wove with 13 inches of patterning. Pin and cut. Lay out the vest back pattern piece on the second piece; pin and cut. Do the same with the next two pieces. Sew the vest according to the directions that came with the pattern. You can finish the front, neck and arm holes with bias tape rather than cutting facings. Buttonholes and buttons are optional.

Tips & Warnings

• For your first vest, choose a simple pattern with uncomplicated lines, no darts, and only the two pattern pieces for the front and back.

• It's always advisable to weave a sample first using your chosen yarns, sett and threading. Wash and dry this sample in order to find out how much shrinkage to expect.

References

• "Handweaving with Robert and Roberta"; Ayotte;
• "Clothing from Hands That Weave"; Mayer; 1984
• "The Weaving, Spinning, and Dyeing Book"; Brown; 1978