Toddler Fur Vest - Simplicity 3582

Back in September I saw this cute toddler fur vest at Babies R Us and of course my first thoughts were 1) too bad I don't have a little girl to dress in this, 2) I can totally make that myself (for less than the store price) and 3) I want one in my size.  I never really gave fur vests a second thought until recently...I mean is it just me or do they seem to be all the rage this season/year?

With a birthday party around the corner I thought I could use it as my opportunity to make a fur vest as a present.  I found a few free patterns online and I thought they were all adorable, however I wanted my neck to be cut higher, more like this Simplicity pattern.  Little did I know, the pattern didn't go up to the size I needed, doh!

I thought about making my own pattern but instead I got out my new tracing paper and ruler and traced over the simplicity pattern and added a 1/2" in all the right places.  I followed the pattern instructions and decided that the fur vest needed a ribbon belt to cinch in the waist a little (it will also probably help keep the vest on since this is the age where toddlers love taking clothes off instead of putting them on).

This has to be one of the easiest patterns I have ever used!  It was so clear and straight forward that I was able to sew up the vest in no time (or at least it seemed that way).  The most challenging part about this project was dealing with the slippery lining and the thick fur.

If you plan on making a fur vest on your own, here are a few suggestions:

1. Use a pre-shrunk cotton for the lining (the regular lining works fine but mine snags easily and that's not good for children)
2.  Sew with a walking foot, it will feed through the machine smoothly
3.  Look for fur with a low pile (meaning height), my fur was pretty thick and it was a pain to cut!

p.s. My fur is supposed to be dry clean only, but I threw it in the machine on the hand wash cycle and used the air dry setting on the dryer.  It did take a long time for it to air dry but it came out fluffy and good as new (without a sour smell).

This is the entire outfit I made (the skirt was made from my own pattern).