A few months ago, Marisa at Laela Jeyne Patterns released the Willa and Billie vests that are perfect for those chilly days when you are needing a little more than a shirt but a little less than a jacket. Well, the older gents were so taken with these vests that there was a call for a men's version, and man, did she deliver! The newly released William vest is ahh-mazing! My husband, who isn't really a vest type of guy, is asking for one even (he didn't get one during testing, and I think he was a little put out about it...).
Before I get too far ahead of myself, let's get some details out there about the pattern itself:
- Extensive size range: XS - 3X (my 14 year old nephew fits the size XS so this one is perfect for the younger guys too!)
- Optional welt pockets and chest pockets
- Optional snap on hood
- Optional zipper flap and snaps
- Optional shoulder accents
- Can be made reversible depending on the zipper you choose
- No trim pages (which makes pattern assembly so much quicker)
- Layered sizing (only print the one(s) you need)
For the test, I made an XS and a 3XL, and both vests turned out so perfect! My nephew is just now getting into men's sizing, and his measurements fell right into the XS. He's been talking for ages now about getting his hunting license so he can go hunting with his Dad so I opted for a camo print vest with a blindingly bright orange fleece lining so he could wear this when they are out waiting in the stand. For this one, I opted to leave off the zipper flap and added both the welt pockets and the chest pockets. The fleece was perfect because it wasn't too bulky for him but it added a layer of warmth for those EARLY mornings during hunting season. I didn't have to add any length to this one because he fell within the original draft height of 5'10". I'm pretty sure his favorite part was the pockets because he stuck his hands him them for every photo!
My 3XL model is 6'2" so I added 3" to his vest (about 80% of the difference between him and the draft height) and it fell just right on him. I kinda urgh'ed and argh'ed over what to do for his vest because he was so willing to help me out with this test so I seriously stalked his FB page to see what kinds of stuff he likes. He had posted a photo of a Cubs Christmas tree, and I realized that he is a HUGE Cubs fan so I made him a "Cubbie" vest. I opted for a heavier bottomweight for his vest and went with the fleece lining again. I also added the shoulder accents on this one to give it a little bit of a break on the blue, and well, they were just too awesome to pass up. On both of the vests, I chose to not quilt them, but I might do a quilted one in future. I would advise that you pay attention to how much length you add to the vest because you will need to add that much to the zipper length. I completely forgot to do this and at the point where I was attaching the zipper...Suprise!!! This one also had the zipper flap so you could fold it over and cover the white zipper if he wanted the front to be all blue and red. He's decided that he's adding male model to his resume the next time he needs to apply for a job! HA!
As I said, I put welt pockets on both of these vests, and I was a little leery of that whole process. However, Marisa's directions made the welts so simple to do, and I realized I had actually panicked myself into a tizzy for nothing at all. Given the pockets, zipper flaps, and lining, these vest did actually take me about 3-4 hours to complete. The time invested was absolutely worth it because I love love how both vests turned out. I definitely agree with the intermediate rating on this one. An adventurous beginner might be able to take this on, but with all of the different elements on this one, I would definitely recommend a little bit of experience first.
Alright, so guess what! This pattern is currently on sale for $6.50, but that price won't last long! After the release sale is over, the price goes up to $9.95 (still a steal for everything you get with this pattern!) You can grab the William Vest here by clicking here:
William Vest Pattern OR you can grab the Family Vest Bundle for $22. This bundle includes the William, the Willa, and the Billie so you can make vests for the entire family:
Family Vest Bundle. Thanks so much for hanging through this review with me; I really appreciate you! Now go grab you some patterns and sew up some vests for the loves in your life!
Blessings and Happy Sewing,
Kim
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