Unique Waistcoat Ref: 132 - size 10.

Unique Waistcoat Ref:  132 - Size 8.  

This is a such a cute waistcoat and it seems a shame that it rarely sees the light of day.   My friend was staying with me recently and I asked her to try it on.   It looked absolutely fabulous on her, so I took some photos.   Unfortunately the light was not good, so the accurate colours in this garment can be seen on the images that are not modelled.

The denim is jeans weight 14oz and has been colour discharged randomly to very pale effect.  I no longer practice this method as I do not like flushing lots of chemicals down the drain.  Does not do the environment any good.  Also, after many years of using household bleach it began to affect my eyes, and inhaling it made me feel quite poorly sometimes.  So bleaching denim is not recommended practice.      

Before rushing on, my observations using household bleach is that it varies greatly, depending on what brand used.  I once bought some bleach in a high street shop, when the cap was opened I had to stand back and close my eyes as the fumes were so strong. It was scary.  Different brands of bleach react differently by way of discharging, depending on how much used and how you cover fabric with it.   Some bleach brands are quite mild.  Best results occurred when the denim was washed in a washing machine immediately after bleaching.  I have not experimented with environmentally friendly bleaches.

I have in my possession samples that were bleached to this extent over 20 years ago.  The fabric does change, the bleach may weaken it after many washes.  The samples I have show little deterioration.  I cannot guarantee this will be the case for all though.   In my opinion if it frays a bit, then thats what denim does.  It frays. It looks good.



Getting back to Waistcoat 132:   The Indigo denim was bleached almost white, with some traces of blue visable in random places.   I used one of my constant designs, Robinia or Gum Tree leaves painted in lilac, along with a few random clematis leaves from the same pallette.   Some blue embroidery was introduced to balance the blue peeps of denim.

Using Husqvarna Lily embroidery stitches I created the almost symmetrical lapels.   Not creating lapels but sewing directly onto the denim.  No opportunity for mistakes on this occasion, as unpicking would be visible.  I enhanced the embroidery using a couching method and in my opinion it worked really well.

The image on the right has been scanned so colours are pretty accurate.

I tend to work in a random fashion.  Not planning, just painting, then sewing directly onto the prepared fabric.   Thinking too much about placement takes the edge of for me.   I know this method does not suit everyone.

Embroidered detail of lapel.

The waistcoat back has a tie belt.  For the back and the lining, I have used glazed cotton chintz.   The glaze may loose its lustre after time but I loved the colour so used it.

Further images of this garment can be seen following links from this blog.

This waistcoat is currently for sale £80.00 plus post and packing.  Please contact me for details.