DIY: Bomber Jacket
There's so many textures available for the bomber jacket: satin, leather, wool, fleece... and I went with mesh! Then I also added a personal monogram on the back. Here's my steps to zip into the most popular jacket for Spring.
As usual, I went ahead without a pattern! Find a sweater that looks flattering on you and a bit generous on the sides and arms. You'll want to be able to wear layers underneath, so it can't be a slim-fitting sweater. The sweater I chose had a drop shoulder, meaning the shoulder seam is lower along the arm instead of at the shoulder ("dropped" down). Hence, my jacket had a drop shoulder. Follow the shape of a sweater you love, and it will help to make a jacket you love!
You will need these materials:
- 2 yds jacket fabric (mine was mesh)
- 0.5 yds knit tubing (mine was white to match the mesh)
- 1 long zipper with open bottom (mine was 52")
- monogram material (mine was short faux fur)
Here are the steps and video tutorial for you!
1. Trace out a symmetrical back piece by following the shape of your sweater back, adding an extra 0.5" distance all the way around
2. Trace out a symmetrical front piece by following the shape of your sweater front, adding an extra 0.5" distance all the way around
3. Cut the front piece in half down the middle to make room for the zipper
4. Trace out two symmetrical sleeve pieces by following the shape of your sweater sleeve, adding an extra 0.5" distance all the way around (I always fold my fabric and line upf the sleeve to the folded edge, so I am tracing through two layers)
5. Sew the front pieces to the back along the shoulders with a straight stitch, right sides together
6. Fold the sleeve pieces along their line of symmetry and pin the fold to the shoulder seams you just made at the armhole, right sides together
7. Unfold the sleeve and sew it to the armhole of the jacket
8. Seal the two sides of the jacket, starting from the armpit down the sleeves and also from the armpit to the waist
9. Cut a waistband cuff from the knit tubing that is 5" wide and a snug/comfortable fit around your hips, it should be 1-2 inches shorter than the circumference of the jacket thus far
10. Pin the waistband cuff to the jacket, right sides together at the waistband, and sew all around with a zigzag stitch
11. Open up the zipper and pin each side to the front opening of the jacket, the teeth should be touching the jacket and opposite of the raw jacket edge
12. At the bottom of the jacket, make sure the waistband seam is tucked downwards, and the zipper starts at the bottom of the waistband if it were folded (check video to see this part)
13. Sew the zipper to the jacket with a straight stitch
14. Fold up the waistband and pin all the way around to hide away raw edges, sew with a straight stitch up the side of the zipper, across the waistband, and back down the size of the zipper
15. Sew the jacket fabric to the zipper with a straight stitch from the bottom of the zipper to the neck hole along the two sides, 0.25" away from the folded edge of the fabric
16. Cut two wrist cuffs from the knit tubing that are 5" wide and a snug/comfortable fit around your wrist, with enough stretch to go around your elbow, it shouldn't be more than 1-2 inches shorter than the circumference of the sleeve thus far
17. Sew the wrist cuffs closed, right sides together along the short edge with a straight stitch
18. Lay open the seam you just made, and fold the raw edges together to flip the cuff into a folded position (check video to see this part)
19. Pin the cuffs to the sleeves right sides together, aligning the seam, and sew together with a zigzag stitch
20. Flip the cuff downwards to finish
21. Cut one collar from the knit tubing that is 3" wide and reaches all the way around the neck hole
22. Add a slanted cut to the collar so that it tapers at the front (check video to see this part)
23. Pin the collar to the jacket right sides together, and sew together with a zigzag stitch
24. Cut off any excess fabric at the neck hole, then add a straight stitch along the collar to sew the jacket to the raw edge of the collar, this will help it lay flat
25. Cut out and glue on the back monogram as desired!
I wore this jacket while covering one day of Toronto Fashion Week for StyleHaul! Below are my favourite shots from the day, hope you enjoy!
Photography by myself and Allure of Simplicity.
