Every three months I go for a little wander around Darn Cheap Fabrics to see what catches my fancy for our DCF seasonal challenge*.  When I spotted this double-sided scuba/knit I knew straight away that it was what Emma and I would sew with for winter.

I really liked the sponginess of this fabric as well as the colour combinations. There were actually about six different colour combinations, all scuba one side bonded to jersey on the other, but it was the navy scuba/blue-grey jersey that spoke to me the most.

I decided on a pattern very quickly – the Tessuti Kyoto vest. It was the perfect choice for a double-sided fabric like this one. And the simplicity of the design and the seaming techniques mean that it is completely reversible.

I chose to sew the long version of the pattern. Tessuti describe the Kyoto vest as follows: This simple, shawl-collared wrap vest features bound edges and armholes. Effortlessly stylish, Kyoto is the ideal layering piece for the cooler months and can be worn over dresses, tops and shirts. The pattern includes options for both a short or long length. Version A is ideal for boiled wool knits or boiled felted wools and Version B for double-sided woven wools or wool blends.

As you can probably see, I didn’t finish the edges with binding.  In fact, I didn’t finish the edges at all!  This fabric really doesn’t need it – in fact, it’s one of the features of the fabric.  Leaving the edges raw meant that the centre back collar seam and shoulder/neckline seam were highlighted.

You need to be careful with pattern selection for these types of fabrics. They have loads of body, and although this is a knit fabric so feels soft and snuggly, it also has a great deal of substance.  Stitches sink into it but it could get bulky very quickly.

It only took around an hour to make this vest, including cutting out time, mostly because I chose to leave all the edges raw. I wouldn’t necessarily make the same choice for a different fabric, but think that it worked just fine for this one.

Choosing the right size is really about getting the shoulder width that you prefer – nothing else matters all that much with this style. It’s a big circle!

After some experimentation I decided that I actually prefer to wear this vest with a pin to hold it closed. I haven’t yet decided which side I prefer to have as the “right” side (because as with most convertible/reversible things, I bet that I’ll end up wearing it one way most of the time). This has been a snuggly addition to my wardrobe and has already had a bit of wear. You can check out what Emma sewed over here – and yes, great minds do think alike!

* Emma and I started the DCF Seasonal Challenge a year or two ago – we buy  a couple of metres of the same fabric from Darn Cheap Fabrics each season, and each make a garment.  We then reveal it on our blogs on the same day.  It’s just a fun thing that we started when we realised how often we buy and sew the same fabrics (often from Darn Cheap).