The Pathfinder vest must be one of our most beloved patterns, with all those options, and it is cute and practical too!
With the release of the sweet Baby Pathfinder Vest, I decided to change the method of construction to accommodate those teeny tiny side seams.
This alternate method works equally well on the original Pathfinder Vest too - so those of you who found the original method a little fiddly - you will love this new method!
The beginning stages of construction remain the same - until you get to where you start adding the lining, where these new steps begin...
35. Lay the lining right side down on top of your exterior, sandwiching the elastic loops (and collar/hood/sleeves) in between.
Sew around the edges indicated by the white dotted lines on the photo. Sew from one front bottom edge, upwards and around the neckline and down the other side to the bottom of the opposite front edge. Then sew both armholes.
36. Clip the corners to remove bulk.
37. Clip the curves around the armholes and neckline - you can use pinking shears for this too.
Press all the seams open.
38. Turn the vest right side out by pulling the front panels through the shoulders.
39. To align the side seams, separate the two lining pieces from the exteriors...
40. ...then pin lining to lining and exterior to exterior, right sides together.
41. Sew down each side seam, ensuring the seams where the lining meets the exterior are aligned perfectly.
42. Press the seams open.
43. In this step we are sewing up the bottom hem.
In order to get your vest looking like the photo - turn the vest wrong side out to place the right sides of the bottom hem together, stuffing the rest of the vest into the bundle as you go.
Stitch along the bottom hem, leaving a gap for turning of approximately 4" (10cm) as shown by the white dotted line and arrow on the photo.
44. Turn right side out and press.
Hand stitch the turning gap, or if you plan to topstitch, you can topstitch the gap closed in the next step.
So there you have it, a super easy alternative to the traditional method of sewing the side seams on your Pathfinder Vest.
As always, we would love to see your Pathfinder Vests in the Twig + Tale Chat Group, so be sure to share them with us!
Happy sewing,
Lisa xox
