Let’s Alter a Reversible Vest!

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Do you have a piece of clothing that is just a tad too big? Is it new or have you had it in your closet and every time you put it on, you take it back off because it just doesn’t fit quite right?

This post is about a vest that I bought on a trip I took to California to visit my family. Now, I don’t consider myself a vest wearer. Over the years, I’ve had a couple of vests that were designed to be worn as a decorative piece of clothing. I do have a fleece vest that is very large, it must have been a gift for hubby back in the day, that I have worn once in a while. However, I’ve never purchased a vest to wear for warmth; until this one, that is!

We were at a flea market when this vest caught my eye! The burgundy color with the furry leopard interior was striking! I quickly put it on over my sweatshirt and loved it! It was even more appealing when the sales gal told me that it was reversible! The price of this new vest was great, too – a mere $20! My sister in law looked it over and said it seemed to be a bit big on me. She searched for a smaller one but there wasn’t one in the same design. I looked in the mirror and thought the vest would fit just right, even without my sweatshirt so I bought it. I was wrong in this naive assumption.

I wore the vest a couple of times while in California and didn’t notice that it was a bit big until I was back home and saw a picture of the vest from the back. It was obviously too roomy.

Well, now I have a choice, keep it like it is and wear it over bulky sweaters, send it to my mom to wear (she loved it too) or attempt to alter it to fit better. Hmmm, I love the vest too much to give it away already and I’m always game for a new sewing challenge, so I chose the latter of the 3 options. Below are the pictures I took before attempting to alter the vest.

Vest before alteration

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Since the vest is reversible, altering it by simply taking in the side seam wasn’t possible. My only option was to open the vest to get to the inside. I hope that makes sense. The side seams & shoulder seams on the nylon side of the vest have an elastic insert. The insert has a seam on either side. One of the seams is next to the pocket, so I planned to enlarge the seam that is attached to the back panel of the vest.

The inside material is plush so the seam is difficult to find so it can be opened easily. After looking over seams, I decided to open the seam along the back of the vest at the hemline where I could easily access the stitching.

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To open the hem, I used my seam ripper, being careful not to rip the fabric. But, isn’t that always the goal with a seam ripper? I opened the hem all along the back of the vest to give me plenty of room to access both the side seams and the shoulder seams. Once I had the vest turned inside out, I pinned along each of the side seams that connected the front of the vest to the back panel. Initially, I thought I would increase each seam by an inch but then decided to use the standard 5/8″ seam instead.

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After sewing the side seams, I took the same steps at the shoulder seams, enlarging them by 5/8″. When I finished with the sewing, I turned the vest right side out and tried it on. I was happy with the new size so it was time to trim the seams. Turning the vest inside out again, I used my Gingers to trim each seam that I had enlarged to reduce the bulk.

With the vest still inside out, I took the time to check the other seams to make sure the sewing was secure. I also enlarged the pockets. For some reason, the seam allowance on the pockets was in excess of an inch. Also, the stitching was a basting stitch which is not strong enough to keep a pocket from ripping out. I changed the stitching line so that it was closer to the edge of the pockets then removed the original stitching & trimmed the excess fabric.

The only step left is to close the hem line. Before turning the vest right side out again, I pinned the seam closed, leaving a 5″ opening. Sewing from side seam to opening on each side, most of the hem was now closed. At this point, I turned the vest right side out and then with needle and thread, closed the opening with a slip-stitch.

Vest after alteration

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If you have a vest (or any other piece of clothing for that matter), that you are not wearing because it is too large for you, I hope this post gives you the courage to alter it so you can wear it with comfort! Please leave a comment (the comment field is below) and let me know if you regularly alter your clothing or if you might do so now for the first time.

I’m excited to share more projects with you as well as tips/tricks/freebies! Just enter your email below to be one of my Blog Peeps!

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