Patch It Up: Part 2

I know that an update on how this jacket is progressing is well overdue, so without further ado, here is Part 2, presented to you... I've officially lost it. This is the second (but not last) installment of my wonderful jacket's transformation. If you missed it, see Part 1 here. Anyway, over these past couple of years I've been following some pretty darn amazing blogs that share my passion for fashion, (yes, I used to play with Bratz dolls. They were so indie back then) sewing and all-round DIYing. I stalk them daily and with each one of their latest posts, I become more in awe of their photography skills, their ability to attract so many followers, their press features and of course, their raw enthusiasm for what they do. One of my favourite bloggers, Annabelle Fleur from the wonderfully sophisticated Viva Luxury, has recently been wearing this gorgeous leather jacket by BCBG.

Ignore the price-tag and humour me for a second; leather, pastel-coloured patches and studs sound like an uncoordinated mess, but this jacket makes it work beautifully. The patches soften the leather, yet the studs, which usually have the effect of toughening up a garment, do the exact opposite: they add a touch of luxury in the way that pearls do to an otherwise bland LBD. In other words, this is the only leather jacket that you can get away with wearing in summer, and who wouldn't want to? If you want to be inspired, see Annabelle's post on the jacket here.

The point of all that was to introduce the BCBG jacket as the inspiration behind the design for the back of my jacket. As someone who loves customizing clothes, I'm always looking for new and inspiring ways to improve the quality and aesthetic of a garment. Adding studs to the shoulders of a denim vest is great, but uniqueness is, arguably, more intriguing.

Here is a template that I made from strong card. Although my design was based on the back of the BCBG jacket, I altered the proportions to fit my jacket. Sort of looks like an upside-down Taj Mahal now. I made sure that its height and width matched that of the space on the jacket that I wanted it to fit in. Then I pinned the template on the fabric, ensuring that the Aztec pattern ran horizontally. I got my iron out and pressed like a mofo. Do not iron those pins! After that, I cut it out, carefully.

This patch has so many edges, corners, right angles; you name it. So be prepared: this part is tricky. I used the zig-zag stitch on my sewing machine along the edges to prevent any fraying. My patience is lacking at the best of times, so this stage was interrupted by limitless breaks, lots of caffeine and a few hundred deep breaths. Take it slow, remembering to back-stitch when you reach a corner. In my opinion, the zig-zag looks very authentic; like a decorative trim. 

Then I pressed like a serious mofo, both the part of the jacket that I wanted to sew the patch onto, and the patch. After that, I carefully pinned the patch onto the jacket. I used up all of my pins to ensure no (mother) puckers could sneak in whilst I sewed. After it was pinned onto the jacket, I pressed again, making sure that I steered clear of those pins! By this stage, it looked like this:

 We're nearly home, people. All that was left to do was to sew away!

Stay tuned for Part 3, where studding will commence.