The vest is a versatile part of everyone's wardrobe. It is a layer that adds comfort and style. When made from soft, felted wool it helps adapt your own body temperature to the outside environment in all of our Northern seasons. Men and women can make these vests - a handsome and flexible garment to wear over a shirt or under a jacket. In this class you will create a vest pattern to your own specifications - long or short, slim or loose fitting. Then you will design and create your own felted panels for each of the pattern pieces for your vest. You will be making the felt for your vest by hand so each panel of your vest becomes a 'painter's canvas' for your own choices of pattern and color. The designs on your felt can be quite simple or detailed, and sewing your vest can be very easy or more detailed depending on your sewing level. Custom design possibilities include asymmetrical button front, standing collar, or pockets placed for your necessities. This is a brand new class at North House developed as a collaboration by instructors passionate about felting and garment making. Some sewing experience will be helpful for students in this class and some felting experience will be needed, enough so you know how to lay out, wet down, and make a piece of felt on your own.

You will need the following tools for this class:

Sewing Machines- Please bring a personal sewing machine in good working order plus bobbins, extra needles, and owner's manual (if you have it). The school has some machines, but you might be more comfortable using your own, if you can transport it. If you cannot bring a sewing machine, let the instructors know. A machine that does straight stitch and/or zig zag is fine for making the felted vest. 

Sewing Kit - Each student should prepare a sewing kit including items on the attached list. If you have favorite sewing tools not on the list, bring them along.

Tools and Sewing Supplies for Sewing Kit:

• Sewing machine with two empty bobbins. Try out your machine to make sure it currently works, and know how to use the basic controls. 
• Pins
• Needles - Sewing machine needles to fit your machine – for medium and heavy weight fabrics
• Needles - Handsewing needles, various sizes
• Thimble that fits your middle finger, if you use one for handsewing 
• Seamstress or Tailor’s Awl – an example is Clover® Straight Tailor's Awl (this is optional)
• C-Thru plastic ruler – The 18” x 2” size ruler is very useful when marking and adjusting patterns, or similar rulers used by quilters are fine. 
• Flexible measuring tape.
• Scissors - Sturdy sharp scissors for cutting fabric
• Scissors - Smaller sharp scissors for trimming fabric
• Scissors - Paper scissors for cutting paper patterns
• Lead pencil and eraser for pattern-making 
• Paper and pencil/pen for taking notes
• Seam ripper
• Thread - Machine sewing thread – You will need thread to match your felted fabric, and also bring some white thread for basting and thread marking. Thread is also available in Grand Marais, so you can match your felted fabric once it is made.
• Marking materials you can bring - Fabric marking pencils and sharpener, chalk, wax, or other marking system that you like. 

Marking materials provided in class - Carol will bring needle tracing wheels and large-sheet tracing paper mounted on foam core for you to use, as this professional system for marking sewing lines is new to many garment makers. Mark-B-Gone blue markers will also be provided in class for your use. 

Tools for Felting:

• two bath towels
• apron (can be nice to wipe wet hands while felting)

I provide all of the materials needed to make felt, and some graph paper and colored pencils to help in the design process. Students are welcome to bring their favorite felting tools from home.

Optional Tools:  Some sewers have preferences for sewing room aids such as magnifying lenses, rotary cutters to use instead of scissors, cutting mats, etc. The school has task lights, some rotary cutters and cutting mats, or you can bring your own. All these are welcome if you wish to bring them.