Camel Hair Vests

camel hair vest embellished with couched metallic thread and ribbon flowers

I had some incredibly expensive camel hair fabric that I saved for 19 years before I finally decided what I wanted to make with it. I made a jacket but I didn't want to waste even a scrap so I used the left-overs to make some vests. This one is couched with metallic thread and embellished with ribbon flowers. The lining is acetate.

camel hair vest embellished with lace overlay

I only had enough of the camel hair to do the fronts on this one. On one side I put an overlay of lace, a row of prairie points made from gold lamé anchored on one side with ribbon stitched over the tops and embellished with ribbon roses and pearl beads. I tacked each point down with another ribbon rose. On the other side, I made a medallion of the lace and surrounded it with pearl beads and ribbon roses. I also made a band of gold lamé overlaid with the lace and edged with ribbon and pearl beads. On the top, I put three ribbon roses surrounded by pearls. The lining is 100% cotton and the back of the vest is acetate.

crazy quilting style vest front

To use up even smaller pieces of the camel hair fabric, I used the crazy quilting style to attach different fabrics to a muslin foundation. Then I embellished the patches using machine embroidery, hand embroidery, couching, beading, shirring and ribbon flowers and I made a medallion on one side from leather and an enameled dangle from an old piece of jewellery. It is lined with 100% cotton.