Remember the post about vests and my inspiration photo? I had already drafted my own pattern for a quilted vest in my size inspired by a screen grab I took from a historical drama. “All” that remained was cutting and sewing up the final version.

The historical drama featured Japanese migrant workers in Hawaii, and their costumes, layers of blue and white cotton, were beautiful and utilitarian.Months passed, and I lost the muslin/tester version of the vest I’d made. I searched everywhere, but it’s still missing. Instead of trying to salvage the paper pattern I’d made, which was also buried somewhere in my sewing area, I decided to start over.

This time, I began with my Luna Jacket pattern in XS. A kimono-inspired jacket, the shape and style were in keeping with what I was going for. I chose batik fabric I already had on hand for the outer layer. I love the mottled colors of batik fabric, as well as the quality cotton it’s typically made from.Batik fabric is made from a wax resist technique associated with Indonesia, where it developed into the fabric we think of today. You can find out more about it here. The patterns can be highly symbolic, but according to Wiki, these days people typically use patterns and colors based on personal preference.

The first change I made to the pattern was to redraft the pockets so that I could put my hands in from the side. I rotated the shoulder seam to the back of the pattern, 18th century-style. I used a pre-quilted poly/cotton blend for the lining, and liberally patched together the cotton batik for its outer layer. It’s such a busy print you have to look closely to see where it’s pieced.

I constructed the vest with the lining and the outer pieces wrong sides together, and sewed all the seams with the two layers together. The inside seams are flat felled by hand for a clean finish.

In initial fittings, the vest was bulky and bulged out at the bust and armcye in an unflattering way.

I had already removed a significant chunk from the armcye of the original pattern pieces. I had started by taking out a couple of inches, but ended up having to go back and slice out even more, especially in front, to give me full range of motion and to get a better fit.

I really liked the shape of the inspiration vest’s armcye and the way it covers the top of the shoulder. I tried to imitate the shape, but on my vest, maybe because of the added bulk of the batting, makes the effect pretty subtle.

To finish the sleeves, I cut the lining around the armcyes about .5 in. smaller than the outer fabric, and folded the outer fabric over 1/4 in. twice. I did the same for the hem.

I added an inverted box pleat stretching from the top of the center back to the waistline, releasing about 7.5 inches from the finished hem, giving me room for my hips. The box pleat removed 2 inches of ease. I whipped it down by hand on both sides on the inside to reduce bulk and keep it in place.The box pleat technique is another trick I learned from my 18th century sewing. It solved many of the fit problems with very little effort.

To correct the rest of the bulk in the upper half the vest, I added bust darts that  slanted slightly downward from the armhole.

I followed the instructions I remembered from Made By Rae about where a bust dart should fall, and used the basic size and shape of the dart from my Gemma Tank pattern.

I marked the apex of my bust on both sides of the vest while it was on and tied closed with the front panels overlapping. I drafted the dart to start half an inch back from that spot. The dart was 1 inch wide at the base of the triangle. (The pen I used disappears when ironed.)

I lined the collar with batting, and hand-sewed it to the lining on the inside.

Cotton batting sandwiched between a shot cotton lining and the outer batik layer of the pockets supplies extra warmth and gives the pockets the same padding as the vest. The shot cotton I used was a scrap from my 18th century Outlander petticoat.

I did some decorative sashiko stitching along the edges of the pockets to help keep the batting in place.When I made my first Luna Jacket, I used the tutorial for adding a lining. If you fully construct both layers before putting them together (the paper bag method), it changes the way you insert the ties into the side seams.  That first time, I didn’t know what to do with the side ties and just let both ends come out on the outside of the jacket with the center of the tie pinched into the side seam of the outside jacket layer. It took me two years to fix that mistake!The tie is supposed to go through the seam, so that half hangs outside the jacket, and half hangs inside. As a result, my other jacket didn’t allow me to tie one of the jacket flaps inside the jacket when it’s closed. That part always sagged down and looked a bit frumpy until I got around to fixing it. Since this vest is constructed with the lining and outer later sewn together, I was able to put the ties in the way they are intended. I got it right from the get-go, and the vest can be tied closed on the inside and outside in either direction. It naturally happened without much thought, and the process is what made me realize my mistake on the previous Luna Jacket. This project resulted a successful mashup of some of my favorite 18th century hand sewing and construction techniques, inspired and informed by Japanese migrant working class clothing of the early 1900’s.

The pants I’m wearing are my Free Range Slacks with sashiko stitching details and a contrasting hem. The top is a RTW cotton shirt, and on my head, a baker boy hat, ubiquitous among North American working class dudes (and sometimes ladies) of the early 1900’s. I was inspired to get one after reading the historical fiction work What the Wind Knows. In the top photo, I tied the front edge ties of the vest to the inside ties to keep the front open (see left).