Basket Weave Denim Vest

Ever since I first saw this post on Pinterest from Laura (aka Trash to Couture) I've been wanting to make a vest like her's. This summer after my mom cleaned out her closet and found an old plain denim vest, I had the perfect opportunity to! I only made the back part a basket weave, instead of the entire vest like her's, but I really like the way it came out. It was super difficult to keep it all together, even with all the pinning, but I'm happy with the end result and glad that I finally got to make this idea that's been floating around in my head a reality.

Progress shots. Laying out, pinning, and cutting.

I had some left over fabric from a couple of jeans that I cut last summer that I used to make the back. I cut strips and weaved them into place, using the old backing as a guideline for the approximate shape (I made it shorter and more fitted than the original). After sewing around the edges to hold everything in place, I went across a couple of the rows with a single seam to reinforce the basket weave and keep it from shirting around too much when wearing. It sort of shifted things out of place a teeny bit, but it isn't too noticeable. I also went ahead and frayed the armholes and the bottom edge with some scissors and made the darts on the front bigger.

Front and back.

I'm still thinking the front is missing something, but I'm not quite sure what to do. I don't really feel like doing the basket weave for the entire vest, but I might change the buttons and/or add a pocket. I'm really loving the slight color variations from the different jeans that I used and the slight texture differences they add.

Edit/Update: I still haven't added anything to it (struggles of being in college and having no sewing machine), but this has seriously become one of my favorite pieces in my closet to play around with and try out new outfits with!