DIY Canvas Vest Conversion

PAINT BRUSH ALERT!!!! Spending my summers surrounded by artists, sculptors, painters, art galleries, art studios and glorious vistas -- I get overcome with the possibilities of colors being combined to create 'happy.' Here's a project that continues to unfold in-real-time. Take a peek here at the project partially underway. This will give you an idea where we are going to end up.

That's GeeGee and 'Little Red' modeling at the mid-way point.

Let's rewind a bit and see how we got to that plateau.

Here's the two of us with my trusty machine.

Let's back up even further..... here's where this idea got started. I found this white canvas vest at my local resale store. I'm a big 'thrift/green/resale' shopper. The fact that the financial investment was so minimal turned my creative juices on full-tilt. PAINT!! Let's rock out all of that white canvas!!!

Step one was painting a 'border' of polka-dots around the edge. [If you're a new reader here you may not be familiar with my polka dot addiction adoration.....just trust me, it's my FAVE!!!]

I followed the lines of the garment to help me determine the design in paint. I was looking for lots of 'patterns' within the patterns, something of an overall 'quilted' feeling for the completed garment -- only quilting in paint, if there is such a concept?? It drives my husband crazy that I don't 'draw' anything out before getting started. There really was no plan per-se. I just kinda-sorta leap in heart-first, plunge and hope for the best!!!

When we were back in Ohio mid-September I had gotten things this far along..... it suddenly dawned on me that I could combine the painted concept with actual 'fabric-embellishments' as well. The yoke of the vest are two cotton calico pieces, sewn to each other and then sewn into place.

VOILA!!!! Here's the front very near to completion. I still intend to paint the border around the front pockets. I also have a brainstorm for the collar, but I'm not letting that concept outta the bag at this point. Did you notice that I 'affixed' buttons over top of the denim-closure snaps? I super glued two buttons to each other and then super-glued those on top of the snaps (for some more color!!!)

       

I totally 'forgot to 'document' the making of the back. The back is about 89% fabric pieces sewn into place. The only paint on the back are the bottom two borders, the orange horizontal stripes and the vertical stripe to either far side. *****Several of the other vests and garments that I wear during performances have 'plain' backs and I cringe at those pictures, taken of me from behind, with an engaged audience lit up brightly and a blank canvas. After playing around for several weeks, I also just wanted to 'git 'er done' so the fabric jiffed-on, ultra quick solution was perfect to both 'needs.'.

*********During that September visit I was dispensed to get some 3T leggins for Little Red. I ended up at a 'thrift/resale/green' store for her as well. Wouldn't ya know it? There was a white oxford button down shirt in a 3T!!!! You already know where I head with this............ right?

It was right about this time in the photo above, that missy Red looked up at me and said,

"But, GeeGee??? What about PURPLE?

So it was off to the fabric store to find some purple with white polka dots.

Now, we can both be happy.

I'm hoping that we can get some pictures taken together -- in finished 'matching' ensembles.