Easy Knit Vest Tutorial- No Sew

I made this  no sew tribal print knit vest last year and it is one of my favorite layering pieces. It works great under jackets, over tees, belted, with jeans and with leggings. AND it was so easy to make!

So many of you asked for a tutorial so I am sharing my methods! To start with, I followed this tutorial the first time around, BUT it didn’t fit how I liked. I tweaked it to my liking and am sharing my altered tutorial with you.

Materials: 1 square yard of knit fabric (That’s it!)

I found all of my knit fabric at JoAnns. Look for the fashion knits to find some great prints or textures. Start by laying out your fabric. Clean up any badly cut areas. Don’t trust the cutting counter to do it for you.

Fold the yard of fabric in half long ways. I wanted the stripes to be horizontal on my vest so you can see how I folded it.

Measure 7 inches down from the top edge and then 6 inches in from the folded edge. Then cut a strip down from that point that is 9 inches long between both layers.

I tried it on at this point and took a photo so you can see how the one yard of fabric fit on me. See how LONG it is? (I’m 5’7” by the way.) The other tutorial leaves it this long so that you can use it as a scarf and other things, but I prefer it shorter and only using it as a vest. (Notice my helper taking photos with his camera?)

To finish my vest, I took it back off and folded it in half again. Then I cut 6 inches off of the bottom and 4 inches off of the open edge. (Not the folded one!) Depending on your size and shape, you may want to cut off less or more. The first time I made mine I just cut little by little until it was the right shape for me.

And that is it! No sewing, no tricky math. The knit is so forgiving and you can easily adjust it if needed. I like them so much I have made three!

Try wearing it over a long sleeve tee.

Try belting it.

Try it with a jacket!

Last tips:

-Pick an interesting pattern or textured knit. There are always solids, but a pattern adds so much more to an outfit! I used stripes, a tribal print, and a heather oatmeal color for mine.

- The tribal knit I used wasn’t double sided and I wish it was. It makes more of a difference than you might think, so go double sided if you have the option.

-Don’t cut too much off of the bottom! You want it to cover most of your bum so that it hangs out of a jacket. That is what makes it an interest-adding layer!

Let me know if you have questions! I’d love to see how your's turn out!