Make a Vest from a Half-Yard of Fabric

A Rectangle Vest

 Somewhere–probably Pinterest–I once saw a knitted wrap that was essentially a rectangle that could be worn multiple ways.  Nice…but same old, same old.

It’s a Shawl; It’s a Wrap; It’s a Vest.

What caught my attention is the unexpected way the rectangle is manipulated to form a vest–a Rectangle Vest.

Rectangle Vest Back

UFO Home

Was all set to whip out the knitting needles when I noticed the finished size was 18″X59″.  That gave me pause as, knowing myself as I do, I’d lose impetus halfway through.  And there would be another UFO in the knitting jar.

Sometime later, when browsing  Marcy Tilton’s online fabrics, I fell in love with a striking orange/brown/black/gold loosely woven fabric.  Daily visits didn’t prompt any garment ideas and eventually  only 1/2 yard  was left.  Then the knitted vest pattern popped up in my mind.  This fabric was 55″  wide and would be a perfect replacement for the knitted rectangle.

Making the Rectangle Vest

As with most great ideas, the vest is really simple.

Choose a loosely woven and/or stretch/knit fabric that will stretch a bit around the shoulders.  Or, you could knit, even crochet, a rectangle of similar size.

Fold rectangle in half and attach buttons to long edge at the selvage.

A reversible fabric will provide more options for a fold-back shawl collar.

Lap selvage ends for closure placement

• One half yard of at least a 55″” wide fabric.  The half yard  can be increased/decreased for various amounts of coverage.
• FYI:  45″ wide fabric will require a seam to produce a rectangle long enough to wrap around the body; longer than 55″ will make a longer vest.
• Buttons or snaps.

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