Waxed Journeymans Vest

I actually made this vest back in..... oh dear, I forgot. I think it was the fall of 2010. Made for a denim class I had when I was in school, the project was to make something out of an old pair of jeans (here's a good example of upcycling) So these used to be light blue, faded jeans. I then dyed them more of a brown color to neutralize the blue (even though they just look dark blue/grey now) Then, before I cut out the panels I waxed the pant legs with bee's wax. It wasn't until I was wearing the garment that I decided it was too stiff, so I rubbed mineral oil into the fabric to soften up the wax. People often think it's a leather vest because the high wax content gives it a sheen. For comfort, I lined it with a grey corduroy.

Something I really like about this vest is how it molds to the body. I warm up the vest with my heat gun and put it on while it's still soft. As it cools the wrinkles and crease lines form according to my body shape and then once it's cold the wax keeps it in shape.