While I had the goal of not buying any fabric for at least a month, I also had some nice, large pieces leftover from previous projects. And by the way, I didn’t buy anything for the month of January. But I had this really nice fabric left from the reversible coat I made in December (you can check it out here ). I decided to use it to make this vest from Butterick 5683.

This is another one of those patterns that I’ve had for a while. But the quilted coating was perfect for it. I also used the corduroy I had leftover that was the reverse side of the coat for the facings of the vest.

There was a time when I never would have even thought to use different materials that weren’t expressly stated on the back of the pattern envelope! But, as I’ve grown in confidence in my sewing, I’ve become very practical too. I can find a way to use up bits and pieces of fabric. And I always save those larger pieces of material since I never know when they might come in handy.

The only thing that I had to change, in part due to the structure of the fabric, is that I had to take in the side seams about 1″. Originally, this was very poufy when it was done and I thought I’d just consider it a miss. But, the pattern (due to the princess seams) was very easy to take in the sides and get the fit I wanted. This is the first time I’ve made this pattern, so I don’t know how it would fit me made in a different material. In other words, I’m not sure if it’s an issue of size even though based on measurements and finished garment size, this should fit.

But whatever the case, I like the vest I made and I think the pattern, with it’s variations, is terrific.