{PATTERN REVIEW] The Hero Vest by Make it Perfect

Nothing like a little bit of last minute pre-Easter camping trip sewing. Times by three. Improve time efficiency right! That's what I like to tell myself anyway. I've had this pattern for the Hero Vest for some time (actually, I WON it during the Make it Perfect Show your stuff competition last year) and while I've thought about making one for one of the boys, I probably couldn't decide which one to make it for. So, I never made one.

Back to Easter (I know I know, it was like two months ago, but I'm not entirely hot on my productivity at the moment). A few days before we went away for Easter (and while I really should have been doing other things) I decided I'd make the kids one each. So we took a trip to good old Spotlight for polar fleece, which I have a preference for not using (polyester-polar fleece that is. I love Spotlight), but I wasn't going to find any cotton fleece so "you get what you got" close by.

The Hero Vest is a unisex zip up vest pattern. And the vest really is a hero because it's got a hood (also know by 2 year olds as a 'foody', rhymes with hoody). And a zip. Winner!  Fortunately, I'm not afraid of zips. They really are pretty easy to sew in. And I even managed to line up the matching fabrics either side of the zip on ALL THREE VESTS! Go me!!

The only thing I couldn't quite get right was the amount of overlap on the pattern so that the zip didn't chew up too much of the pattern. I did think about this when I cut the fabric, but at that stage wasn't sure how the zip was going to be sewn in. I think I was thinking it would be a bit more invisible. Dont know why I thought that, but clearly it isn't an invisible zip. So the butterflies on the front on Possom Blossom's vest were chopped in half. Still they did line up perfectly at least. What I really should have done was make the centre next to the butterflies, not down the middle of them. That awesome buttefly fabric by the way was from Kelani Fabric.

Of course, I couldn't stop at the vests alone. I made them each a matching fabric basket for the Egg Hunt on Easter morning. They loved the vests more than the baskets. Though if I really have to admit it, they loved the chocolate eggs most.

SUPPLIES:
Hero Vest Pattern by Make it Perfect
Echino Insect Black by Estuko Furuya
Studio M for Moda, Mixed Bag, Which Way Chill
Tamara Kate for Michael Miller, Les Monsieurs Taupe Scribble Cars
Coordinated polar fleece from Spotlight
Open ended jacket zippers
Hilco ringo ribbing from Crafty Mamas Fabrics
Plain red ribbing from KnitWit