DIY Leather Sleeved Parka Jacket

This DIY was inspired by the legendary Zara jacket - the khaki parka with leather sleeves, which is now sold out everywhere. These jackets are going for around £200 on eBay right now so I thought I'd make one and save some money. My own version, including all the materials used, costs under £10!

This Friday I'll be showing you how you can make your very own. The steps are simple but the sewing can be  a little tricky.

Fabric Scissors

Needle and Thread 

Pins 

Sewing Machine 

Faux Leather Jacket

Khaki Parka

I purchased both of my jackets on eBay for a few pounds each. They're originally New Look jackets and both in good condition. I didn't want to spend a lot of money and end up ruining two brand new jackets so spend wisely. Charity or vintage shops are also great for finding bargains. Or you can dig out an old coat from your wardrobe and spice it up.

Start by cutting off the sleeves. Leave one inch extra after the seam on the parka and one inch extra before the seam on the leather jacket. This is important for when it comes to sewing the jackets together.
Discard the khaki sleeves and the leather body (save these items for a future project!)

We're going to attach the leather sleeves to the parka. It's best to buy two jackets in the same size and hope that the sleeves match up fairly well. Turn your jacket and sleeves inside out. Then match up the sleeve to the arm hole and pin, right sides together. You need to pinch together and pin your material all the way around.

Before heading to the sewing machine it's best to make a tack stitch. This is a quick hand stitch following the pins to secure the material together. Use a thread that will stand out (such as white) to make it easier when it comes to using the sewing machine.
On the machine, using black thread, sew the sleeves to the parka - following your white tack stitches. You can do two lines of machine stitching for extra security if you like. Remove white tack stitches and turn your jacket the right side out!

And it's complete! I won't lie, this isn't an easy sewing job and a few times I was ready to give up and throw it all in the bin. The lining of the leather sleeves made it trickier and my finished jacket is not perfect. I still like the end result and for such a bargain price who can argue with a few dodgy seams!

I posted an outfit of the day including this jacket yesterday - so if you'd like to see the rest of the outfit photos click here for that blog post.


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*For more DIYs from me, visit the 'DIY Fridays' tab at the top of the homepage.