Indigo Hunting (Foraging) Vest, v.1

I've been wanting to try and make this style of hunting vest for about a year now, but just haven't had the time.  This one is a little different than the what I've seen online.

I want it to work as a functional urban foraging vest, so ample storage space is important. Without  looking "obvious".  Been seeing some pears, apples, and possibly some apricots(!) in the neighborhood recently, so I should be testing the functionality soon.

Ingredients:  12oz indigo chambray duck cloth, 8oz indigo linen/cotton chambray lining, corozo buttons.  Single-needle construction throughout with hand-felled seams

New things - a welt chest pocket, full lining (split in the middle to form a pocket), and a belly pocket (poacher pocket).  Probably go with a lighter material next time, this one's pretty stiff and the front band is a too thick were multiple layers overlap.  Maybe add more curve to the belly pocket opening too.

Historic North Carolina

Furniture making.  High Point, NC. Circa 1936. 

Corozo Buttons (vegetable ivory)

Corozo button order came in yesterday.  The buttons are made from the nut of a of a palm that grows in South America.  Pretty cool.

Black Chambray Shirt, single pocket, tab collar, 1920's-1930's style.

This is the same heavyweight chambray I used on a previous shirt.  Made for the special project that I've been working on with a person in Germany.  This is my first foray into making a shirt for someone else.  Really hope it fits!

Hand-felled seams and single-needle tailoring throughout.  Cats-eye buttons made from vegetable ivory (corozo).

 

Yellowroot

I transplanted some yellowroot, a native medicinal plant, into our little garden six weeks ago.  Thought it had died, but it's been sending up new growth!

Hippo included for scale.

Jacket/Coat v.2

Second version of the work jacket, for the special project.  This is sort of the test version - I probably should have made a muslin out of cheap fabric, but it just wouldn't drape the same.  The design is a sort of a combination of the French work jacket - the bleu de travail - and an American chore coat, with just a bit of military.

Ingredients: olive drab cotton duck cloth, unbleached sailcloth waist and cuff lining, vintage 1940's cats eye buttons.

Duck Cloth Vest, v. 4

 Fourth and probably final version of the duck cloth work vest for this particular project.  Simplified some things.

Currently completing another work shirt in black chambray.  It's a size large, like the vest below, so I don't really know how things will look on the wearer until I see pictures of it on him - it's been an interesting challenge in terms drafting a well fitting garment.  

Will be revising previous jacket pattern later this week; adding a few extra details and making the fit better.

After that I'll probably need to spend a week emailing and calling all the nice folks I've been neglecting while working on getting these sample out.