This vest is a gift, that was supposed to be a surprise, but no longer is, so you guys get to see it while it comes together.  It is going to be a double-breasted, fully reversible vest with fabric painting on it and some pseudo-military embellishments.  I’m planning to have it finished before November 15.

The pattern is an adaptation of several plates from the Handbook of Practical Cutting on the Centre Point System 1866, a book which is apparently now out of print and very expensive.  If you are interested in making Mens’ Victorian clothing and can afford this book, I highly recommend it.  It is a modern edit of a Victorian text describing how to draft and make tailored clothing, first published in 1866 and 1868.  Most of the plates are of Men’s clothing, but there are also some women’s fashions and children’s fashions.

At any rate, the primary plate I referenced is on p. 43, figure 4 and figure 5.  I widened the overlap of the double-breast from ~2″ to ~4″.  I also split the back panel into two pieces, referencing some of the basic coat patterns for a proper curve to give a fine tailored shape to the back of the vest.  The basic size is perfect for the fellow who will be receiving the vest, so I did not have to make any alterations to the dimensions.

As of this evening I have sewn together the body of the vest, each layer still separate.  The blue layer is actually more of a blue-green peacock color, in dupioni silk.  The brown layer is cotton duck.  I am going to add many of the embellishments and paint on each while they are in this state and can lay mostly flat.