DIY cargo vest

So this post has actually been sitting and waiting to be published since last fall! I thought today I'd show you a project I did before the winter hit. I think it'll still be applicable for the spring and summer this year too.

I'd been searching stores for a perfect cargo vest for a while now. I wanted one all summer last year, ever since I saw the amazing outfits Audrey from Putting Me Together showed off on her blog. But nothing seemed perfect, and this winter I knew I could make own for cheap! Because Lord, am I cheap sometimes. Anyways!

So I hunted through through thrift stores for a cargo jacket, and I found one for $4. I knew I could make it into a cute and trendy cargo vest really easily, with a simple alteration.

I started by cutting off the sleeves:

Next I pinned the raw edges under. I didn't bother doing it twice, because I wasn't too concerned about making it look pretty, this is a lazy project:

I sewed the edges down with a zig zag stitch to keep it from fraying too much, and I was done! I love how it turned out. And I like that it's black, which means it goes with about 90% of my wardrobe in the winter. By that I mean I don't wear a lot of color.

To combat my fear of color I paired this neutral black vest with my bright pink pants and brown boots for early spring. Normally I would never wear pink during the winter but I'm dying for spring so I thought I'd give it a try.

I feel like I say this all the time, but I just love easy sewing refashions like this. I love taking something not quite right and making that perfect piece that's just what I wanted. It's so empowering!

I'll be wearing this vest all spring and summer for sure, so I hope you like it! And if you're looking for more great sewing projects you can check out our sewing page here!

~Jessica