Is it just me or does everyone have a pile of “clothes to refashion”? In my pile there was a men’s flannel shirt refashion just waiting to happen so I turned it into a jacket.
After my Men’s Flannel Shirt Refashion to Reversible Vest I could hardly wait to rework another of my Dad’s quilted flannel shirts. Not only is plaid and flannel hot right now, quilted fashion and bomber jackets are trending. And I’m on board!
Materials
- men’s quilted flannel shirt (The bigger the better in my opinion. I like to have lots to work with.)
- ribbed jersey fabric (This is for the collar, wrists, and waist. I used 10″ x 54″. Each piece is folded in half and sewn in between the inner and outer layers of the jacket.)
- jacket zipper (Length will depend on jacket opening. I usually buy long and shorten as needed. I used metal.)
- 2 pocket zippers (I happened to have two 5″ closed end zippers in my stash. If I made this again, I’d go with at least 6″ zippers.)
- thread
Tools
- scissors
- seam ripper
- pins
- sewing machine
- pliers and wire cutter (if shortening a metal zipper)
The Inspiration
How to make a Men’s Quilted Flannel Shirt Refashion into a Bomber Jacket
My men’s flannel shirt was an XL and quilted on the inside. The inside just needed to be turned to the outside and refashioned into a Bomber Jacket. :) Here’s how I did it.
The first step to this men’s flannel shirt refashion or any other refashion project is to assess and plan. Check out your options for changing the fit by shortening or bringing in the sides. Can pockets be added? Can cut off scraps be turned into another part of the clothes refashion? Can it be made reversible?
After a plan was in place I removed the collar, sleeve cuffs, pocket flaps, buttons, and tags.
I started by turning the shirt inside-out, putting it on and deciding on a good length. To get a better idea of the fit and get rid of some bulk, I cut off the bottom of the shirt leaving plenty extra to be able to cut more later. Narrowing the sleeves and body can drastically change the length so leave extra!
For this shirt refashion I decided not to relocate the shoulder seams but just take in the whole shirt from the wrists to the waist. The shoulder seams hang off the shoulder a bit and I like that.
After removing wrist buttons, there was a slit that need to be closed and covered. With a wide zig-zag stitch I sealed the slit for a nice finished look.
I created a long rectangle piece for both the flannel inside and quilted outside. These were then sewn over the slit.
I cut ribbed fabric to match circumference of wrist opening, folded in half and sewed in between flannel and quilted layers.
For the collar I used a similar method to the wrists by folding the ribbed fabric in half lengthwise. This was then pinned and sewn in between the flannel and quilted layers. The collar fabric laid nicely in place and the raw edges hid right under the zipper opening.
A clothes refashion isn’t complete without adding pockets! Since there was so much extra fabric from the original flannel shirt, I cut out two pockets using See Kate Sew’s Big Pocket Pattern. I made some slight adjustments to the pocket shape to fit with my zippers.
A quilted layer and a flannel layer were sewn together with right sides facing. After some placement testing, I cut a slit into the front sides of the jacket, slipped in the pocket and sewed each into place making sure to keep the pocket opening.
Once the pockets were in place I added a hem to the edges and sewed in the pocket zippers.
Another piece of folded ribbed fabric was added to the bottom of the jacket. This piece was stretched slightly then pinned and sewn into place. This ensures that the bottom of the jacket tapers in at the waist. On both sides of the opening I left a square tab for the jacket zipper to attach.
The last step was to add in the jacket opening zipper.
The final result is an awesome refashioned quilted bomber jacket with flannel lining and pockets! Queue the baby bump…
You can easily refashion a men’s flannel shirt into a jacket just like I did. Customize yours to match your style and fit.
Need any more tips or pointers for your me’s flannel shirt refashion? Comment below.
wow! amazing!
Thank you :)