Create a Lovely, Lacy Shabby Chic Vest from hand-crocheted doilies!


Stitch a charming vest from dainty, crocheted doilies!
Each vest made out of doilies will be different according to the doilies you have, natch.
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Wherever I go, I’m on the lookout for more doilies to add to my ongoing collection of the sweet, crocheted dainties, used on such projects as this skirt. These are the ones I used on this project (left).
Of course, if you can buy them inexpensively, whatever you make out of them will cost you less.
Bear in mind that you’ll usually want to use several-to-many doilies per garment you are making. Again, a Goodwill Outlet is the best place I’ve found, ’cause you pay per pound…and doilies weigh very little. Antiques shops nearly always have a few, but they want dollars per, instead of pennies per.
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dsc_0250-vest-2To start:
For this one, I started out with a fairly large rectangular doily. When I found it, I immediately thought it should be the back of something. I thought about replacing the back of a blouse or top with it—that’s also a good idea for large doilies.
But, then, when I considered a vest, well…I just HAD to make a vest!! I love vests, anyway! ❤
Figure out your arrangement of doilies:
I laid out the large rectangular back piece and tried out different doilies from my stash till I liked the arrangement.
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I photographed the completed vest on a black T-shirt so you could see it better (above and right).
EPSON scanner image
Using different sizes and shapes and hues makes for a more interesting vest. 😀 The “holes” for the neck and arms really don’t have to be exact or match on both sides. To me, the irregularity adds to the uniqueness of this shabby chic piece.
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Place one doily:
After you’ve figured out your design (placement), gather them up again. Lay on the table what will become your back piece,  by itself. Place—one at a time—each doily in its place. It helps to put a notebook or something in between the back and front pieces—easier to pin, easier to distinguish between doilies.
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dsc_0248-vest-left-side
 
 
Pin, pinch, and sew:
I started at the shoulder. Pin one doily to the back piece along the seam line you will sew: If the doily on the shoulder is rounded, overlap it some and pinch the two together and pin.
Take it to your machine and sew the seam. Be sure your color of thread blends. I used white, even though some doilies are white, while others are cream or tan. I like using different colored doilies instead of all white.
When you’re sewing them together, if one doily is loose-weave, as in my case, make sure you catch the loosely woven strings with your needle.
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Place second doily, pin, sew:
Lay out your work-in-progress on the table again, with the notebook in between the front and back.
EPSON scanner imageNext, lay the bottom doily on the back piece, overlapping its rounded edge over the side edge of the back piece. This time, I folded the rounded edge around the edge of the back, enveloping the loosely-woven edge of the back piece, and pinned. And sewed.

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Sweet Memories photo restoration
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EPSON scanner imageThird:
Lay the work-in-progress back on the table with the notebook in between the front and back, smooth it out so it lies the way it’s supposed to lie, and insert your third doily. I liked the pattern on the white oval doily, so I put it under the oval doily, then overlapped the middle doily over the bottom doily, and pinned. And sewed.
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Since these two have different shapes, I sewed twice, following the edge of each shape.
One side is finished!
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Now, for the other side:
Do the same with the other side: Start with the shoulder area.dsc_0254-vest-5-shoulder
EPSON scanner imageBecause the overlap of the rounded doily was greater (than the overlap of the oval doily on the other side), I folded the rounded edge over the edge of the back piece, pinned, and seweddsc_0404-sew-5—being sure that the strings of the loosely-woven back piece were enveloped in the folded-over seem.
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Again, I added the bottom doily on that side, next—folded it over the side edge of the back piece (with the strings of the loosely-crocheted back doily caught inside the EPSON scanner imagefolded-over part), pinned, and sewed—with the seam capturing the strings of the back piece. dsc_0244-sew-1
It doesn’t matter if the folded-over piece “flaps in the breeze.” It doesn’t need to be sewn down.
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dsc_0245-sew-2Now, insert the middle doily. I liked the shape of that one, so it remained in the forefront. As you sew, follow the edges of the shapes.EPSON scanner image
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This is the finished second side.

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In the Apopka, FL, area: Cindy’s Critter Care

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All done!! 😀

dsc_0286-2Now, try it on, and admire your work! 😀

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10 Replies to “Create a Lovely, Lacy Shabby Chic Vest from hand-crocheted doilies!”

    1. Hey Zeynep. Thanks for commenting! I’m so glad I was able to spur your imagination. 🙂 Yes, this blog is all about creating uniquely and inexpensively!!
      Blessings, Cindy <3

    1. Katie,
      Yes!! I have to say this was a stroke of genius! Lol. But, I credit God for the idea. I’m so thankful for the ideas He hatches in my head!! Lol.

      One thing I would add to this tut: I think maybe you should use some starch on it. I’ve never starched clothes, but this doily vest is pretty limp! Lol.

      Please let me see what you’ve done, ok?!!

  1. I will Cindy. This is a very busy season for me but there’s always some down time. Next couple days suppose to rain which we do need. We have a well so we’re dependent on it. Winter is a much slower time for us. How do I show you some dresses I love. To your email address? Don’t think I can send pictures on here? 💓

    1. Yeh, maybe not.
      Katie, what is your last name? I thought you were in my Facebook group, but you’re not. Then, I looked you up in my subscriber list and found you but, I don’t have your last name unless it’s Grav…or, is that only part of it?

      Why don’t you join my Facebook group, then you can show the group what you’re making!!? Here’s the link https://www.facebook.com/groups/diybohemiangroup/

      Hope to see you join!!

      1. Thanks Cindy, perhaps I will. I was on FB a long time ago. I found I was spending too much time on it. I also didn’t like some privacy issues. I did make an account just for businesses that I liked & could keep in contact with them that way. I do love your blog & get a lot of satisfaction from it.
        There are many bohemian sites and blogs but I picked yours as you base it on frugality with great tutorials to diy. Same as you it’s the creativity that stirs my soul.
        I loved reading your article on gypsies. I’m the Irish Traveler. 💖

        1. Hey, again, Katie.

          I have not had any bad experiences with FB. It would be easy to spend a lot of time on it, but, I don’t. For me, it’s a way to extend my blog influence. I haven’t gotten that many subscribers that way, though, but the interaction with other women interested in the same stuff is rewarding and enjoyable. :-).

          Yes, whenever I try to find any bloggers out there that are similar to me, I don’t. I haven’t found ANYBODY that does what I do. O, sure, I find other bohemian sites, diy sites, re-purposing sites, etc., but nothing like mine! I guess that’s a good thing, but most of the world hasn’t discovered my blog yet! I presently have 237 subscribers…and two of those are my own emails. (sigh!)

          The other bohemian bloggers all promote expensive clothing companies which sell commercial bohemian stuff.

          HOWEVER, they evidently are making money that way! Kudos to them for that!

          Because I do emphasize frugality, I don’t know how to use my blog as a business. Maybe, somehow, someway, some day, I will figure out a way to make it a business. (sigh)

          I’m glad you liked my gypsy article. It was interesting researching it.

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