A women’s lined vest. The model has a fitted silhouette, a round neckline and a separating zipper with a placket. The front features a side panel and a bust dart, while the back has a center seam, darts and princess seams from the armhole. This tutorial is suitable for pattern 3244.
For this vest, it is recommended to use faux fur and eco-leather. The pattern is designed for dense non-stretch materials. For the lining, use a smooth medium-weight lining fabric. For interfacing, you will need fusible material, and for stabilizing certain edges, stay tape cut on the grain. To reduce bulk and secure seam allowances when working with eco-leather, it is convenient to use fusible web with a paper backing.
Required notions: separating zipper.
| Materials | 42 | 44 | 46 | 48 | 50 | 52 | 54 | 56 | 58 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main material (faux fur), 1.5 m width | 0.65* | 0.65* | 0.65* | 0.65* | 0.65* | 0.65* | 0.70* | 0.70* | 0.70* |
| Lining, 1.5 m width | 0.45* | 0.45* | 0.45* | 0.45* | 0.45* | 0.45* | 0.45* | 0.45* | 0.45* |
| Fusible interfacing, 1.5 m width | 0.60* | 0.60* | 0.60* | 0.65* | 0.65* | 0.65* | 0.65* | 0.70* | 0.70* |
| Trim material (eco-leather), 1.5 m width | 0.60* | 0.60* | 0.65* | 0.65* | 0.65* | 0.65* | 0.65* | 0.65* | 0.70* |
| Zipper, cm | 48 | 48.5 | 49 | 49.5 | 50 | 51 | 51.5 | 52 | 52.5 |
* material consumption is given without allowances for shrinkage, distortion, spacing and other technical losses.
Before cutting, check the materials for defects, pile direction and resistance to ironing. Faux fur is cut only in a single layer, meaning the right and left pieces are cut separately. The backing of the fur is cut with the tips of scissors or a craft knife without cutting the pile from the right side.
All eco-leather pieces are interfaced using rough-cut blanks first: first, interface a piece slightly larger than required, then cut the final exact detail. Stay tape cut on the grain is applied to the shoulder seams, back neckline and front neckline. If the fur backing is unstable, the armholes and hem may also be stabilized. Press the stay tape without steam, placing the iron on its edge, and always test the temperature on a sample first.
There are different seam allowances on the fur pieces: 0.3 cm on the darts, the center back seam and the shoulder seams; 1 cm on all other seams. To reduce bulk, trim the pile within the seam allowances by about 8 mm without damaging the backing. Prepare the seam allowances this way along the panel seams, armholes, placket seams and hem.
Before joining the hem and armholes, apply fusible web with paper backing to the eco-leather pieces: along the hem under the seam allowance and along the armholes, stepping back 1 cm from the edge. Remove the paper layer only during the following sewing steps.
Step 1. Cut out all pieces from faux fur, eco-leather, lining and fusible material. Cut all faux fur pieces in a single layer. Transfer notches, control marks and dart lines. Interface all eco-leather pieces using rough-cut blanks, and trim the pile within the seam allowances of the fur pieces by 8 mm.
Step 2. Prepare the fur pieces. Sew the front bust darts, back darts, center back seam and shoulder seams with a dense zigzag stitch using a 0.3 cm seam allowance. After sewing, gently brush the seams so the pile covers the stitching line.
Step 3. Place the center and side front pieces right sides together. Sew the front panel seams with a 1 cm seam allowance, matching the notches. Because the material is thick, turn the seam allowances toward the side panel and topstitch along the side panel at 0.1 cm to secure the allowances.
Step 4. Sew the center and side back pieces in the same way. Turn the seam allowances toward the side pieces or arrange them in the most convenient direction depending on the bulk, then secure them with a 0.1 cm topstitch.
Step 5. Place the eco-leather placket right sides together with the center front piece and sew with a 1 cm seam allowance. Turn the seam allowances toward the placket and topstitch along the placket at 0.1 cm. Finish the second front the same way.
Step 6. Sew in the separating zipper along the plackets. Leave the 1 cm seam allowances free at both the top and the bottom. If the zipper is longer than needed, shorten it, then fold the tape tail diagonally and secure it so the zipper teeth remain accessible for further work.
Step 7. Place the front and back pieces right sides together and sew the side seams with a 1 cm seam allowance. To open and flatten the bulky seam neatly, first fuse paper-backed fusible web to each seam allowance separately, then remove the paper, spread the seam allowances open and press them.
Step 8. Assemble the lining. Sew the center back seam of the lining and press the allowances. Sew the darts on the front lining and press them downward. Then sew the side pieces to the center front and center back lining pieces and press the panel seam allowances.
Step 9. Sew the front facings to the front lining pieces, and the back neckline facing to the back lining. Press the allowances toward the lining. If desired, stitch 0.1 cm along the facing and lining to help the parts lie flatter and stay in place during the following steps.
Step 10. Prepare the hem facings: sew the back hem facing and the front hem facings together at the side seams, then press the seam allowances. Before attaching them, check that the hem facing length matches the garment because bulky materials can easily absorb part of the seam allowance. Adjust the length at this stage if necessary.
Step 11. Sew the hem facing to the garment with a 1 cm seam allowance, turning the pile inward so it does not get caught in the seam. Then turn the seam allowances toward the facing and topstitch along the facing at 0.1 cm to secure the allowances.
Step 12. Sew the lining to the hem facing. Place the lining and facing right sides together and sew them with a 1 cm seam allowance only on the sections up to the panel seams, leaving a large turning opening at the hem for turning and for finishing the fur sections by hand later.
Step 13. Turn the facing toward the zipper, pull the seam toward the zipper side and sew the front facing in place, using the zipper insertion seam as a guide. Turn the seam allowances toward the front facing and, if this finish suits you, stitch 0.1 cm along the facing up to the hem facing seam. If you do not want a double line of stitching near the zipper, secure the facing with basting or fusible web instead.
Step 14. Place the outer garment and the lining right sides together and sew the facings to the armholes and neckline. Start and finish the stitching 5 cm away from the shoulder seam on each side. Near the zipper, first pull the seam allowances into the correct direction so the edge is clean. Sew the front armholes, back neckline and front neckline with a 1 cm seam allowance, leaving the shoulder sections open.
Step 15. Trim the corners and clip the curved seam allowances without cutting into the stitching. Wherever possible, understitch or secure the seam allowances to the facing. This is easiest on the open front sections and partly along the armhole. If needed, add a small pleat in the back lining for extra ease.
Step 16. Finish the shoulder seams. First, place the garment shoulder edges right sides together and sew them on the fur layer with a 0.3 cm seam allowance. Turn the work through the opening, free the shoulder seam allowances of the facings, place the facings right sides together and sew the facing shoulder seams with a 1 cm seam allowance. Turn the garment right side out again. Direct the fur shoulder seam allowances toward the back and sew fixing lines from the open sections on both sides.
Step 17. Sew the final topstitch along the placket edge and next to the zipper. To avoid extra bulk, it is better to place the backstitch not at the very corner, but about 1.5 cm higher inside the seam, then sew a short section and continue along the zipper edge.
Step 18. Finish the hem. Through the technical opening or through a specially left opening in the side seam, hand-secure the hem sections on the fur side where machine stitching or strong pressing is undesirable. First, sew the sections up to the panel seams, then secure the facing along the side seam allowances, and then finish the remaining hem sections. Wherever the machine can reach, sew the short straight sections up to the side seam, and close the remaining small openings by hand.
Step 19. Give the garment a final press from the eco-leather side along the hem, armholes, facings and plackets. Press carefully, without steam or at the lowest setting, after testing the material on a sample. Brush the fur seams so the pile covers the joins and the vest has a neat finished look.