Waistcoat with Lapels and Slanted Welt Pockets
A women's fitted waistcoat with a notched collar and lapels, a six-button single-breasted front, slanted welt pockets and princess seams front and back. The front hem ends in points.
When To Wear
- Over a shirt or blouse with trousers or a skirt of the same suiting.
- Year round as a layer, or under a jacket as part of a three-piece suit.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Close-fitting, shaped by princess seams at the front and back and by back darts.
Length: Hip length, with pointed front ends below the last button.
Collar: Notched collar with lapels; interfaced top collar, under collar set into the neckline, stay tape 1 cm wide along the roll line.
Sleeves: Sleeveless; armholes finished with a 4 cm bias strip turned to the inside.
Front: Single-breasted with six buttons; the facing seam is understitched 0.2 cm from the seam, onto the facing along the opening and onto the front along the lapels.
Pockets: Slanted welt pockets on the lower fronts, made with an interfaced folded welt frame and two pocket bags of lining fabric.
Back: Centre back seam, princess seams and darts; back neck facing.
Finishing: Front lower corners stitched with the facing, hem turned up and topstitched.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Welt pockets cut into the front, a notched collar with separately set upper and under collars, a taped roll line and a row of buttonholes.
Fabric Recommendations
Suiting fabrics with body: wool suiting, gabardine, tweed, firm cotton twill, linen blends.
Additional Supplies
- Lining fabric for the pocket bags
- Fusible interfacing (front facings, back neck facing, top collar, welt frames, 1 cm stay tape)
- 6 buttons
- Bias binding 4 cm wide (or cut from the main fabric)
Cutter's Must
If the patterns have a double contour, they include seam allowances. If the contour is single, the patterns do not include seam allowances. Seam allowances: All seams - 1 cm. Attention! First, print out the paper patterns and lay them out on the fabric width (fabric width should be at least 150 cm) to determine how much material you will need.
- From main fabric:
- Center Back – 2 pieces
- Side Back – 2 pieces
- Side Front – 2 pieces
- Center Front – 2 pieces
- Lower Collar – 1 piece
- Upper Collar – 1 piece
- Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- Back Neckline Facing – 1 piece
- Pocket Frame – 2 pieces
- From lining fabric:
- Bigger Pocket Bag – 2 pieces
- Smaller Pocket Bag – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing:
- Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- Back Neckline Facing – 1 piece
- Upper Collar – 1 piece
- Pocket Frame – 2 pieces
Sewing Instructions
When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match! Try to observe the grain line direction.
- Fuse interfacing to the Center Front Facings, Back Neckline Facing, Upper Collar and Pocket Frames. On the Center Front, along the lapel roll line, fuse a 1 cm wide stay tape cut from fusible interfacing.
- Stitch the darts on the back and press the dart intakes towards the center. Stitch the back princess seams (Center Back to Side Back), overlock the seam allowances and press them towards the center. Stitch the center back seam, overlock the seam allowances and press them to the left.
- Stitch the front princess seams (Center Front to Side Front), overlock the seam allowances and press them towards the center.
- Mark the pocket position with parallel lines. Fold the Pocket Frame in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press. Mark guide lines on the Pocket Frame parallel to the fold for stitching. Stitch the Bigger Pocket Bag to the upper line. Stitch the Pocket Frame to the lower line. Cut the front through the middle between the stitching lines, and 1–1.5 cm from the pocket ends make diagonal clips into the corners. Turn the Pocket Frame through the opening to the wrong side and straighten the edges. Secure the pocket corners from the wrong side with a double backstitch across the base of the corners. Stitch the Smaller Pocket Bag into the Pocket Frame attachment seam. Stitch the pocket bags together around the edges and overlock the seam allowances.
- Stitch the shoulder and side seams of the waistcoat, overlock the seam allowances and press them towards the back.
- Place the Upper Collar and Lower Collar right sides together and stitch along the ends and outer edge. Start and end the stitching exactly at the marked collar attachment line. Trim the seam allowances at the corners and clip at the mark. Turn the collar right side out, shape and press.
- Stitch the shoulder seams of the Back Neckline Facing and Center Front Facings and press them open. Overlock the outer edge.
- Place the Center Front Facing on the right side of the Center Front, right sides together, pin and stitch along the front edge, upwards to the notch marking the end of the collar attachment. Trim the seam allowances at the corners. Understitch the front edge seam allowances 0.2 cm from the seam: onto the Center Front Facing along the buttoned opening, and onto the Center Front along the lapels. Turn the front edges right side out and shape the seams.
- Stitch the Lower Collar to the waistcoat neckline, and the Upper Collar to the neckline edge of the Back Neckline Facing and Center Front Facings. Press the collar seam allowances open and secure them to each other close to the seams.
- Cut (if not using ready-made binding) a bias strip 4 cm wide and as long as the armhole + 6 cm. Fold the strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press. Place it on the right side of the armhole, raw edges matching, and stitch. Turn the binding to the wrong side, clip the seam allowances and topstitch along the fold onto the waistcoat. Press the seam.
- Overlock the lower edge. Stitch the Center Front Facing across the lower front corner and turn it. Turn the hem allowance to the inside and topstitch.
- Make buttonholes on the right front and sew buttons on the left front.
