I live in the Midwest, which means "you need a coat in the morning, shorts in the afternoon & air conditioning by 4 PM" at this time of year. The weather can be as temperamental as a two year old! (no offense to any prodigy two year olds who may be reading!) Dressing children for the day involves layers, and sometimes guess work.

The Aztec Hooded Vest by See Kate Sew fills a need in a little guy's wardrobe as it adds an extra layer, but not TOO much (and for those who live in warmer places - I'm jealous! do you have a spare room? - err...I mean, you can do this vest with two woven layers to keep heat factor down. Colder climates - you can sew with two warmer layers.) I chose a sweatshirt fleece combined with a cotton woven lining for our "in between" weather in the next months.

Nitty gritty: The vest comes in sizes 18 months-8, in one pattern. Pattern pieces are nested & black & white (no need to wear out that color printer cartridge!) Lines are easily discernible by use of varying dots & dashes. Pattern pieces print on 11 pages that are easily assembled.



I would consider this pattern an advanced beginner to concentrating intermediate pattern. There are options (welt pockets & extra stitching) that can be left off in order to keep the skill level towards advanced beginner. I did the welt pockets, but not the decorative stitching, just my preference!


A separating zipper, however, is not optional & may push the boundaries of comfort for a beginner. If you are not confident at zipper installation, you may want to find a tutorial or directions prior to attempting this step, as the pattern assumes some knowledge in that area.  If at first you don't succeed, grab the seam ripper, step away & eat some chocolate & come back to it - yes, I speak from experience.

The welt pocket is a bit of a leap of faith as it definitely is hard to wrap your brain around just how that is going to work - but if you follow the directions you will be rewarded with some fantastic pockets just right for little hands, or rocks, legos & other treasures that need to be stored safely. Huge hit in our house.

Fit: I made the size 4 based on my child's measurements & also lack of availability in separating zippers locally! I happened to have a 14" zipper on hand, which was adequate for the 4T size, while 5T called for a slightly longer zipper. When you are zipper shopping, too long is ok, as you do cut off the top ends, however too short just won't do. The fit is great, right on for measurements and I found it to be very true to size (however, I will be making one or more in a 5T to allow for more wiggle room for him, when I get my hands on longer separating zippers!)

Total time from printing to tracing, cutting, sewing and completing item was a couple of hours - I'm estimating because I have faith that you won't have the aforementioned zipper fiasco. If you face distractions, I would suspect this would take an hour or two here & there. This is not an item you make & go "that was so quick, I'm going to make 5 more today!" but it IS one that you make & pat yourself on the back saying "Yes, I made that!" Still easier to sew than it is to get decent photos of a whirlwind of a 3 year old! The result? Well worth it in my opinion, AND a preschooler who thinks this vest is "awesome". It makes a great canvas with lots of possibilities for basic wear or fun & funky combinations. If you use a reversible separating zipper, you can even have a reversible vest!