SKULL VEST PATTERN

The Skull Vest pattern is finally out... and it's FREE! 

I highly recommend reading through the pattern notes below, as well as the pattern itself, before buying any fabric for it. Pick your own difficulty level: no-sew, beginner sewing, or advanced sewing version.

PATTERN NOTES

Ok, I’m going to be real. There have been so many iterations of this pattern and it's still far from perfect. Instead of investing more time and money into this project that has gone way beyond the original budget and timeframe, I figured the best course of action is to provide it for free. I'm also unable to provide tech support at the moment, so charging for it didn't feel right.

For this pattern, I decided to give novice pattern testers a chance to participate. I’m grateful for the folks who finished, but it was a REALLY small handful. Luckily, those few folks provided great feedback that helped identify some of the issues with the original pattern, so I was able to troubleshoot and update the pattern. Not to perfection, but it’s definitely better than the first version.

SIZES I & J

There were also issues with the pattern layout and fabric width. After receiving some feedback about this, I worked with my pattern drafter to make a version of sizes I & J that can be seamed together down the middle. After doing this, I realized that these sizes WILL actually fit as one piece on 60" wide fabric. Unfortunately, since we made some other changes to those sizes, I no longer have a one-piece version. However, you CAN make it as one piece. I included some instructions in the pattern for how you can do that.

SIZES B-H

I also didn't know that Sizes B-H would not fit on 45” wide fabric. So if you want to make sizes B-H, you have two options:

1.) Make it on 60" wide fabric

2.) Figure out how to add a seam allowance down the center so that you can sew the two sides together for 45" wide fabric

FOR ALL SIZES

Across the entire range of sizes, folks found that the vest either slipped off their shoulders or that it fit great. So, you may need to make alterations.

I recommend trying it out on cheap, scrappy fabric first so you can test the fit before you cut into any special or pricey fabric. Just remember that your fabric width and the drapiness of the fabric will be considerations when going from your mockup to your final fabric.

Please note that even though this pattern isn’t perfect, I’ve still put many, many hours and several hundred dollars into developing it. So if you do make this pattern, and it works for you, I would super appreciate even a $1 donation (through Buy Me A Coffee) that would help recoup my costs and bring you more fun projects I already have in the pipeline. 

INSPIRATION

Inspired by my experience navigating life with chronic health conditions, duality in perspective and interpretation is a repeating theme in my work. The Skull Vest does this by not looking like a skull until you take it off and turn it upside down. 

Thanks for being here. I hope you try it out! If you make it and post about it on social media, please tag me @thesweaterlibrary because I would love to see this project out in the world!