I already had the NASA patch. It has been hanging around since (I think) 2000. It had a $8 price tag on the back, but I was so glad for it to finally have a good home that I did not care. The other patches were between $.60 - $2.00.
The fabric is Marine Vinyl. Used to make cushions for boat seats. Very dense and durable. Also wipe-able.
I bought the reflective strip at JoAnns and peeled off the iron on strip on the back and sewed it in place.
I used outdoor thread (very think, comes on a spool) to sew the shoulder seams. I also top stitched the shoulder seams. They are very sturdy. There are no side seams. I drafted a pattern so it was all one piece.
I curved the edges so it was easy to bind. I used one of the strainers out of my kitchen to get the perfect curve. I used packaged double fold binding. My binding is sewn together on the bias. This means I had to sew the armhole binding into a circle before I attached it to the vest. That was the only trick part.
Middle is teaching in a three year old preschool room. First classroom that is all her own. It has taken both of us all summer to get her ready. And now I am filling in holes as needed. My two close friends have helped hugely (they are both big garage sale people, so they have found great things).
The vests are for her dramatic play classroom areas. I am collecting toys with these same themes. Found firetrucks. Still looking for NASA and police and ambulance/EMT.
Last week's project -
The aprons are for dress up play (BBQ, cooking, tool bench, she has all three in her play areas). They are also made from Marine Vinyl. I used wider double fold packaged bias tape for edges. The tie parts are reinforced with 911 iron on interfacing. Velcro on the ends. Short ties so they do not strangle. All those edges of bias tape are straight stitched and zigzagged.
