My mother was a very prolific embroiderer, sewist, weaver, knitter -- you get the picture. And she was a real perfectionist. I was lucky enough to be a regular recipient of her varied works in the form of decorated vests of one sort or another. That's me in the sidebar to your left (age 17!) wearing the very first vest she made. It's not a decorated one, though.
Back in the late 70s and early 80s, art-to-wear vests like this were popular among people who wanted to try different handwork techniques. The small size and unstructured style of most vests provide a nice canvas for such work. My mother made a bunch of these for me and here's one I brought out to show you.
Back in the late 70s and early 80s, art-to-wear vests like this were popular among people who wanted to try different handwork techniques. The small size and unstructured style of most vests provide a nice canvas for such work. My mother made a bunch of these for me and here's one I brought out to show you.
This is in a crazy quilt style in cotton velveteen. Other than the construction of the vest itself, none of this is machine-made. All the piecing was done by hand.
In real life, the colors are more jewel-tone and vibrant and the lining is purple!
Here are a couple of close-ups of the lovely embroidery. It's very playful, isn't it?
Note the black satin ribbon between each piece.
