I really feel the cold and living in a 100 year old cottage with solid walls when the fabric of the building gets cold it really does get cold – a bit like today, it is warmer outside than inside. Quite often in the deepest/darkest winter the temperatures up here in the Chilterns is considerably lower than in the lower towns and villages, and of course I live on top of a hill!
I am a generously sized person, and find that lacey thermal vests are far too skimpy, so my answer to try and keep warm is to wear Marks & Spencer’s men’s thermal vests – the tee shirt type as these come a long way down right down to the top of my thighs. However I am not keen on the traditional tee shirt neck. So I have doctored them and they are a great success. So if you too feel the cold, why not try these.
The alterations I have made are as follows. Carefully unpick the neck band, and once off the vest, open up the joining seam and give a good stretch pressing with the iron. I then cut the neckband in half, along the original fold line, make a neat little join and then fold this much narrower length of neckband in half.
Next I mark about 5/8” down from the original neck on the vest, and cut this away. Then take the new neckband and cut to around 30” or 75cm long, make a tiny seam so that the neckband is in the round. To make it easier to handle I fold this narrower strip in half so it is now probably 5/8” wide and run the sewing machine around the edge, this helps hold it all in place. I then apply this to the vest, another row of machining stretching as I go, and then overlock this, and finally a final row of machining on the right side of the vest so close to the neck band it keeps it all in place. The finished neckband is now about 3/8” so a very nice finish to the garment.
Over the years I have noticed that M&S have changed the rib style of these vests and also the neckband material – once it was a rib neckband. I find that by only cutting off 5/8” is adequate for me and gives a lovely scoop, not too low, and because of the length of the vest I do not get any draughts around my middle, they stay tucked in all the time. Of course nobody but myself knows what I am wearing under a sweater and I keep nice and warm.