How to Make a Weird Button and Patch Jacket

Weird denim jackets have made a comeback, and you are dying to have one. But can you afford it? Designer jackets go for over $500 and sometimes over $1000, but making one yourself is stinkin’ easy.

If you haven’t won the lottery and you would rather spend less money on making a patch jacket than buying one, you’ve come to the right place. All the tips you need are right here.

Best Tips for Making Your Own Patch Jacket

Here are the step-by-step instructions. Follow them from start to finish, from finding your jacket to sewing the patches on, to winding up with a perfect jacket!

Find Your Jacket

The first thing you have to decide on is your jacket. Do you want a denim jacket? Army green? Black?

If you are really looking to save money and make this a true DIY project, we’d like to suggest searching the thrift stores. Some key tips for shopping at secondhand stores are:

• Be patient

Be aware that you are trading the extra money you might spend at a department store for your time. It may take several trips to different stores, and lots of patience, before you find the jacket you have been picturing.

• Be willing to dig

Glancing over a rack isn’t enough to know whether the store has what you are looking for. If you don’t see it on a mannequin or upon a cursory look, flip through each hanger on the rack in your size.

• Try clothes on

The best advice is to grab anything that looks like it might work and try it on. Often things you assume will fit great don’t work the way you hoped, and the reverse is also true. If you don’t have much hope that it will work, it may just be the winner after you see it on.

• If you don’t love it, don’t buy it

If you’ve shopped at enough thrift stores, you know that if you buy something you aren’t completely sure about, you won’t wear it. There is nothing worse than buying something you aren’t in love with and then ignoring it in your closet for a year, and then donating the item back to the thrift store where you bought it. Make sure you really will wear whatever you end up with.

Collect the Patches

Now for the fun part: deciding what kind of buttons and patches you want. The best part of making a jacket like this yourself is you get to personalize it.

If you really shop around for the perfect buttons and patches that reflect your personality, then it might take you a while to collect all the ones you need. Local artists who make patches sell them on Etsy and other similar sites. If you want to support artists, those are good places to start.

You can also check Amazon and this website, which makes custom buttons. Design whatever buttons you want for your fashion statement.

Need some ideas on how to make your jacket even cooler? Why not choose all band patches? Or paint all the patches the same color as your jacket so that the raised lettering is all that really stands out?

You could even make it look like a Varsity letterman jacket, but use whatever word you like instead of your last name across the shoulders. Letter patches are readily available, or you could make your own.

Sewing On the Buttons and Patches

Unless you happened to buy iron-on patches, you’ll need to sew the patches to the jacket. Even if you are able to iron on the patches, it’s still a good idea to at least put in a few stitches to hold the patches in place.

Thread

Check your local craft store for a sturdy thread. You can use dental floss if you’re desperate, but if you’re willing to go shopping, try Gutermann thread. It holds up really well and doesn’t get tangled as easily as a lower quality thread.

Needles

You’ll also need a needle. It’s a good idea to get a couple, just in case you drop one or lose one, or bend one (trying to force a needle through the patches can be a chore, especially if they are extra thick).

Get some needles with bigger eyes (the eye is the hole at the bottom), so that you don’t have as hard of a time threading the needle. You may also want a thimble so you don’t poke your finger too bad as you are sewing. At the very least, some thick duct tape can also help in that department.

How To Sew

Insert the thread into the eye of the needle, and pull it out the other side. If you’re having trouble, snip the end off so that there aren’t any fraying edges getting in your way. You can also try wetting the end of the thread with your tongue to make it stiffer.

Pull the thread through, and pull enough through that you double the thickness of the thread. Start with a length that is about twice as long as your arm. Cut the thread off the spool, and tie a knot in the ends (a square knot works just fine).

Work from the back of the jacket, so that when you stick the needle through the first time, the knot doesn’t show. Use a whip stitch to stitch all the way around the edge of the patch, and then stick the needle back through to the inside of the jacket, and tie it off.

You’re Stylin’ Now

From finding a jacket, buttons, and patches to sewing it all in place, making this jacket couldn’t be easier. If you put the time and energy into choosing the right buttons that reflect your personality, this will be a perfect expression of you to add to your wardrobe.

Now that you know how to make your own personal fashion patch jacket, you’ve proven you can tackle the DIY world. Why not try some of our other cool projects?

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