Tips and Tricks for Sewing the 502 Rogue River Vest

Jen made a sample of the 502 Rogue River Vest for us last week. She is generally a quilter, but was glad to work on clothing that didn't need any fitting, and the precise angles and placements appealed to the way she likes to sew.  Jen made this vest with all the 23 pockets that are included in the pattern! There are 8 pockets on the inside, 14 on the outer front and 1 on the outer back. This is a lot of pockets and each pocket adds a little more time and attention needed for making the vest.  The pockets are everywhere, ingenious for storing all the things you may need on a river (or field) adventure -- fishing, hiking, boating, photographing, conducting research, etc. 

Jen used a Supplex (Taslan) for the outer layers of the vest and a coated nylon Ripstop for the lining.  The lining Ripstop was fairly lightweight and it made a very lightweight vest that also felt sturdy and will be mostly waterproof.  

Here is Jen in the 536 Work Apron she made for us the week before!

Jen's Tips and Tricks for 502 Rogue River Vest:

• I clipped the paper pattern pieces to the fabric that I cut.  With so many pieces and so many little pocket pieces, this helped tremendously to keep everything organized while working on the vest. See photo below.
• I made a size Small to fit Molly's son and it was great, but it certainly wasn't too small.  The pattern runs a little large (so that you can wear more clothes under the vest), so if you want it a little more fitted, go down a size.
• You DO NOT have to make all the pockets.  Again, making all the pockets can take a long time and you may not need or want all the pockets. So pick which pockets you want to do before you cut them all out.  There is a great graphic early in the instructions that shows where all the pockets are and how they are labeled.  You also don't have to add all the D-rings to the pockets.  If you don't need them, you don't have to add them.
• Pay attention of all markings and labels. This will be helpful when putting the pieces together and the pockets where they are supposed to be.
• Note where the instructions say to put markings -- on the right or wrong side of the fabric.  This really does help!
• For the lower front pockets, note that Pocket F is sewn on to Pocket G, which is sewn on Pocket H, which is attached to the lower front (Piece 4). So there are a lot of layers of pockets and it can be a little confusing.
• Some pockets are cargo pockets, and when I first started to make them, I assumed they were flat, and I was a little confused (I'd never made a cargo pocket before).  But, once I realized they were cargo pockets (i.e. NOT flat pockets), it all made sense. 
• On that note, I would also suggest adequate pinning of cargo pockets so they don't shift around while you are sewing.  No one wants a crooked pocket!
• Pay attention to the labels for the pockets vs. the pocket flaps.  They are labeled with the same letters, and it can get a little confusing. 
• On some patterns, there is a label for Pocket H on Lower Front 4.  You can disregard that label (it just is a placement but looks like the piece is labeled for both).  
• Note where Center Front is on Pocket H and Lower Front 4. This helps with pocket placement so that it is symmetrical for both sides.
• Similarly, be sure to pay attention to how your zippers zip on the pockets so they all zip opposite each other on different sides of the vest and look symmetrical. 
• The front snap buckle is helpful to have for a vest that you want to have unzipped (to access inside pockets) but also don't want it falling off when moving around.  I liked that feature.
• For the Center Front zipper, you may want to use a different size zipper.  Or if you need to make it shorter, you can fold down the top of the zipper where you need it to be and clip the zipper after stitching it down. This saves having to take out zipper teeth and add a stop. But, make sure the fold of your zipper acts as a stop (and you don't pull the zipper pull off the zipper). 
• I used a piece of polar fleece instead of the sheep wool patch on the front pocket (and did one on each side).  So that is an option for an alternative if you want.  You can also leave them off completely or just do one. The wool/fleece patch is for being able to stick flies for quick and easy access when fishing.

Pattern pieces clipped to the fabric to keep all organized.

We hope you enjoy your pattern and making (and using) this fun vest!