The Quest Vest is my third attempt at the “perfect” quilted vest. You can see my Kochi/Luna quilted vest hack here, and my reversible FibreMood Irma here. I was also inspired by this quilted vest Hinterland Dress hack, for its closer fit and its pretty, neutral palette.
There’s nothing wrong with my other versions, but because of their length and oversized fit, they only work with certain outfits (pants). I frequently wear harem pants, dresses, and skirts. In those outfits, I want to feel like I’m wearing a blanket without LOOKING like I’m wearing a blanket. I took my favorite features of each inspiration vest and made the Holy Grail of quilted vests – a more fitted version with a higher collar and a wrap front with tie closure.
I went to a Jane Austen birthday tea in December, and I didn’t quite have time to finish my outerwear, so after the tea I kept plugging away.
It’s time for the outer layers and accessories from my Jane Austen Tea 1790’s costume. Click through for pics including inspiration period fashion plates and extant garment photos. (You can see the underpinnings for this outfit here.)
I have been kind of quiet here lately, but I have been living my life behind the scenes, and one of the things I did was make a mid 1790’s outfit for a Birthday Tea for Jane Austen’s 249th Earthstrong.
It felt kind of serendipitous: I’d already bought some fabric and several period patterns and had just completed the first and arguably most intimidating piece, short stays, when I was invited to the tea.
It was just the motivation I needed for six weeks of paced sewing to create a look worthy of Jane Austen.
I used a combination of resources, which I link throughout, along with fitting and construction notes. And if you’re just here for the pictures, that’s fine, too.
Last fall, I made a quilted vest by hacking the former Kochi jacket pattern, now called the Luna Jacket, from Papercut Patterns. I made enough alterations that the collar was the only thing that looked like the original. I still wear it often, but for some reason, when I saw Geri In Stitches Fibre Mood Irma, it occurred to me that maybe I hadn’t achieved the holy grail of quilted vests yet.
