Practices: Commercial Pattern | Fitting Alterations

Style/Era:  ~2010s

Having some down time in the middle of my Fall 2024 semester, and with Halloween approaching, I decided that I wanted to be Guillermo from the show What We Do In The Shadows as my costume but I did not own a black vest. Given the resources I had at my disposal, and my inclination to save my money, I found a commercial pattern I could utilize to create a black vest for my costume.  I altered the pattern a bit to fit in more with the neckline and buttons of the vest used in the show and made a mockup that I then fit on myself and with some aid pinned places I wanted to adjust so that it would also be able to serve as a fitted vest I could add to my wardrobe. I ended up favoring a tighter fit design that lacked a buckle in the back to cinch the vest, and having no pockets for time management.  I also opted to use a thicker fashion fabric so that in the Fall weather, I could afford to minimize the layers I wore on Halloween day.

Points in which I was challenged:

• Taking in the back and side seams to tailor the vest into a custom fit for myself while not having the fabric stretch oddly when worn or distort the hem of the vest as it sat on my body.

  • With some guidance I was able to create a curved seam along the back that would take in the vest and then readjust the side seams to balance out the aforementioned curved seam.

• Stitching in the front facing in sequence with stitching the lining to the fashion fabric.

  • I went about stitching in the lining in a bit of an unorthodox way because my mind was fixated on the idea of having it close similar to how one would alter a suit jacket's facing and lining. It worked out in the end, but in the future I believe I would approach attaching the facing to the lining first rather than last.