Level: Advanced
Time: 5 hours

This classic leather vest and skirt outfit is a wonderful project to ward off winter’s chills. Surprisingly easy to sew, cabretta leather has a luxurious supple feel and makes an ideal background for embellishment. Michele designed a tumbling maple leaf pattern to appliqué on the front of the vest, using the feather stitch to add contrasting “veins” in the leaves.

Janome Supplies Required

Memory Craft 6500 Professional, or any Janome Sewing Machine with decorative stitches
Rotary Even Foot
Standard foot “A”
Satin Stitch foot “F”
Janome Embroidery thread
Janome Bobbin thread
Blue Tip needle 75/11

Fabric and Notions Required

Butterick 6741, View B for vest
Butterick 6810, View A for skirt
3-5 skins of cabretta leather
Small scrap pieces of suede in coordinating colors
Lining fabric for vest (yardage according to pattern)
Lining fabric for skirt (yardage same as for skirt)
Notions according to pattern
Tear-away stabilizer
All-purpose thread (Polyester thread is recommended)
1⁄4" twill tape
Rubber cement
Chalk pencil
Pattern paper
Painter’s tape (a low tack masking tape)
Ruler

Download the Tumbling Leaves placement pattern here.

Appliqued Leaves
1. Print out the leaf arrangement from Janome Online.
2. Trace the leaves onto pattern paper.
3. Cut out the leaf patterns, and use them to cut out leaves from the scraps of suede.
4. Mark the position of the feather stitch lines onto the vest front, using a chalk pencil.
5. Thread the MC6500P with embroidery thread in a shade slightly darker than the leather. Use bobbin thread in the bobbin.
6. Cut a piece of tear-away stabilizer larger than the leaf arrangement and place it on the back of the leather. Tape in place with painter’s tape.
7. Select Briar stitch #32 in Patchwork Mode 2.
8. Attach the Rotary Even Foot.
9. Stitch along the marked lines.
10. Position the leaves on the vest front, using the leaf arrangement for reference. Use painter’s tape to keep them in place.
11. Thread the machine with embroidery thread to match the color of the first leaf.
12. Select Zigzag stitch #8 in Direct Mode. Adjust the width to 3.0 and the length to 1.5.
13. Attach the Satin Stitch foot “F”.
14. Press the Needle Up/Down command key.
15. Stitch around the leaves, changing embroidery thread to match each leaf.
16. Again, attach the Rotary Even Foot.
17. Thread the machine with embroidery thread one shade darker than the leather.
18. Select a simple decorative stitch. Stitch the veins of the leaves. Suggested stitches are #32, #61, #62 or #64.
19. Remove excess stabilizer from the back.

Vest
1. Thread the needle and bobbin with all purpose sewing thread.
2. Attach the Rotary Even Foot.
3. Select Straight stitch #1 in Direct Mode. Adjust the stitch length to 3.0.
4. Sew the front sides to the vest front. Finger press the seams toward the center front.
5. Topstitch the seams, using the edge of the treads to guide the foot along the seam.
6. Sew the back sides to the vest back. Finger press the seams toward the center back.
7. Topstitch to match the front seams.
8. Sew the shoulder seams. Finger press the seams open, and use rubber cement to glue the seam allowances down.
9. Carefully clip the neckline seam allowance, taking care to clip only within the seam allowance.
10. Sew the collar to the vest, matching markings and front edges. Finger press the seam allowance toward the collar, and topstitch.
11. Attach the Standard foot “A” to insert the zipper.
12. Separate the zipper, and place one side of the zipper along the front edge of the vest, with the bottom of the zipper 3⁄4" from the bottom of the vest.
Hint: If there is extra length to the zipper, fold it out of the way at a 90° angle. 13. Adjust the needle position to the far left.
14. Sew the zipper in place with the foot against the zipper teeth.
15. Repeat for the other side of the zipper.
16. Sew the vest lining according to the pattern instructions.
17. Stitch the leather collar facing to the vest lining, following Steps 9-10.
18. Match the vest to the vest lining at the outside edges. Stitch the front edges with the zipper in place by using the “A” foot, adjusting the needle position, and sewing from the lining side.
19. Attach the Rotary Even Foot, and sew across the collar. Trim seam allowances.
20. Match and sew the armhole edges. Trim and clip the seam allowances.
21. Turn the vest right sides out, and smooth the seams.
22. Fold out the side seams, and sew vest front to vest back. Match lining to lining and leather to leather, and match the underarm seams.
23. Finger press the vest seams open, and rubber cement in place.
24. Press the lining seam allowances open.
25. Turn the vest inside out again, and match thelower edge of the vest to the lower edge of thelining. 26. Sew across the lower edge, leaving a 5" opening at the center back.
27. Turn the vest right sides out, and smooth the seams.
28. Topstitch around the outer edges of the vest, closing the opening as you sew.
29. Topstitch the vest armholes.

Skirt When we cut the pattern pieces from the leather, we eliminated the center back seam from the skirt, so we moved the zipper to the left side seam. The seams are sewn with the Rotary Even Foot, and a stitch length of 3.0. 1. Sew the darts in the skirt front and back.
2. Finger press the darts toward the center front and center back, and rubber cement in place.
3. Sew the right side seam. Sew the left side seam, leaving an opening for the zipper.
4. For the zipper, fold under the seam allowance of the skirt back 3⁄8".
5. Edge stitch in place along the zipper teeth, using the “A” foot.
6. Fold under the skirt front 5⁄8".
7. Lap the front over the back, and hold in place with painter’s tape.
8. Topstitch 1⁄2" from the fold and across the lower edge of the zipper opening.
9. After completing the zipper, finger press the side seams open, and rubber cement in place.
10. For the skirt lining, sew the darts in the lining front and back.
11. Place the lining front and back together (right sides together), and establish which seam has the opening for the zipper. Mark the position of that opening.
12. Sew the side seams, leaving an opening for the zipper.
13. Trim 11⁄4" from the top edge of the skirt lining.
14. Sew the facing front and back together at the right side seam.
15. Sew the skirt lining to the lower edge of the skirt facing, matching centers and seams.
16. Sew 1⁄4" twill tape to the top edge of the facing, along the seam line.
17. Sew the skirt lining to the skirt, along the top edge.
18. Turn the lining to the inside, and smooth the seam.
19. Fold under the edges of the facing, and stitch in place, sewing over the previous stitching lines for the zipper, and sewing the facing only.
Note: The lining is hand-stitched in place, along the zipper tape. 20. Topstitch the top edge of the skirt.
21. Mark the skirt length.
22. Trim the hem to 1 1⁄4", and rubber cement in place.
23. Hem the skirt lining 1⁄2" shorter than the skirt.