No-Sew Jersey Vest

I bought this burn-out tonal zebra fabric a couple months ago with not much of an idea of its end result. It was $4.?? for just under a yard because I got the remnant price. Then I watched this YouTube video and decided to give it a try. She calls it a sleeveless cardigan but really, isn't that just a vest? Anyway, GiannyL has tons of video tutorials. I can't wait to try more of them. You can try them too even if you don't have a sewing machine. This one just requires scissors!

I laid out my slightly under a yard of fabric folded in half.

I measured my back, shoulder to shoulder (just under 16"). Then I marked 8 inches down and 8 inches over to see where I would cut the arm holes. Borrowing the lid to my cotton ball jar, I sliced around it with my rotary cutter (love that thing!)

You need a round object with at least 4 inches of diameter, I'd say. The arm holes will stretch out a bit, depending on your fabric.

And that's it! You don't need to finish the edges because stretch jersey won't unravel. I put it on over a black shirt and skinny jeans, that I'm unfortunately not looking so skinny in these days. :(

From the back

And with a belt

I put on the vest and John gave me the side eye. Admittedly, it did come down to my knees. "Do I look crazy?" I said. He didn't want to crush my dreams, I could tell, but he was having a lot of trouble coming up with something nice to say. I ended up folding it back in half and cutting about six inches off the ends to shorten it up.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I feel like it makes me look hippy. That's hippy as in "large hipped." According to the stores, the 70's are back. But, I can't help but remember a vest phase I already went through some time in the mid-90's. Yes, I was super cool. Though this is an updated, deconstructed vest, I'm having visions of a white waffleknit number I used to wear over a black turtleneck. I wore it to a 6th grade dance with earrings that looked like globes. I thought that was the most fashionable thing I had ever worn at the time.

The other day I told John I want to take more fashion risks. He looked frightened. I have a feeling he thinks his wife has gone off the deep end.

So, what do you think? Belted, unbelted, back in the scrap pile to be made into something else? You won't hurt my feelings, promise.