Rock the Stitch: BBC Vest pattern double flip

When I started planning family portrait outfits in my head I knew right away I wanted to use the BBC Vest pattern by Shwin Designs. It was part of the most recent collection, the Alphabet Collection, by Pattern Anthology. The great thing about all these patterns is that they unisex.

So, being that the BBC Vest can be made for boys or girls, I did a double flip. No, I am not a gymnast. I flipped this pattern as part of the series by Frances Suzanne; twice!

Excited? Oh, yeah!

(And because no post would be complete without a trip to the "gun show"...LOL)

The boy and girl looks are both very unique yet from the same pattern. *Love!*

I had fun playing with all the little details.

Now I'd like to show you the vests off the kids so we can look more closely at those details.

The changes I made to this vest for Jonas are mostly subtle.

First, I had to enlarge the pattern. The sizing goes up to an 8 but my big guy wears a 10/12 already. I also omitted the back belt and went with a slightly more fitted look.

Next, I made it reversible. There is houndstooth on one side for a more modern rockin' look, and a blue suiting on the opposite side for a more traditional look.

Then I made the collar thinner and brought the bottom center of the vest up a little.

And lastly, I added the guitar. That design took me a good ten layers to achieve! I used my Cricut to cut out the guitar on freezer paper. The freezer paper can be ironed to the fabric to create a stencil. The background of the guitar was made using dye and spraying it on, then splattering fabric paint over the top to give it more depth.

For Keilana's vest I, again, made it reversible.

Then I widened the collar and used lace to make a contrasting look. I just love how the lace complements both the houndstooth and the medalions!

Also, I shortened the bodice and tapered the sides giving it a more fitted look.

Then I added a longer circle peplum instead of the short pleated peplum.

And lastly, I made a princess seam on the bodice. This detail is subtle from afar, but I just love it dresses up the look! Do you see the pretty pearly button? It looks lovely with the lace. :)

I was swooning over this pattern from the moment I saw it, but I think I love it even more after making it! There is definitely going to be more of these in the future.