Jake wanted a vest for the Renaissance Faire, but with an anime pop-culture flare. Very specific directives on the shape and poofy shoulders and collar on this garment.
I started with a basic men’s costume jerkin pattern and slimmed it way down. We didn’t need closures or room for bulky undergarments. Once the pattern for the main body of the vest was made, patterning the poofs became a real challenge. Thank goodness I was mocking everything in muslin or I would have wasted a lot of time and fabric. In the end I settled on tapered tubes with a gather-stitch on the seam which would be hidden by hand-stitching the poof to the main body of the vest. No easy task.
The body of the vest was made with a lovely brocade to match a hood already in Jake’s kit. Lined with a teal satin. The poofs have a chiffon shell, which is not sturdy enough to support the batting inside, so I had to line those as well with white cotton muslin. The specificity of this vest for which I did not have a suitable pattern was a bit of a headache, but we managed. Many compliments were received upon first wear at the Connecticut Renaissance Faire.
