Before I started sewing, the number of leather garments that I owned was a big fat ZERO.
Now I own two leather skirts, have plans for a pair of leather pants and have just finished making my THIRD leather jacket.
The Pattern
It's my second time around, with BurdaStyle - Biker Style Peplum Jacket #108B
This pattern is so well drafted, has the perfect proportions for my body and is a wonderful pattern for sewing with leather as it has no darts and just princess seams.
This is a downloadable pattern from Burdastyle's website, so take note this pattern DOES NOT include seam allowances and the instructions that accompany the PDF download are very minimal.
The Fabric
A stunning brown from Leffler's Leather. It's a sheep skin nappa, with a weight of 0.6-0.8 which gives such great shape to this jacket.
I've made this jacket before in a black leather which was slightly finer so the black jacket drapes a little differently.
The Lining
I kept looking for the 'right' lining for this jacket, and everything I found seemed to be missing the mark somehow.
Then one day, while sorting through my silk scraps from previous projects I was struck with a sudden idea!
I could use the left over silks and combine them together to make a beautiful lining, that was both resourceful and a lovely nod to my past projects!
JACKET BACK - I used a green silk satin from Tessuti that was left over from my Evie Bias Skirt pattern also by Tessuti Fabrics.
JACKET FRONT is lined with orange silk satin from The Cloth Shop, which I used for my Sadi Slip dress (pattern by Tessuti Fabrics).
SLEEVES are lined with a blue silk remnant that I've had in my cupboard from the beginning of time.
I love how these patch together and add a feature to the jacket! It's economical, minimises waste, and looks so luscious!
Details
The zippers on this jacket give it an edgy look, with one at each of the sleeve hems and a separating zipper at the side front of the bodice.
I had to shorten the centre zipper to fit the jacket but couldn't reattach the nickel zipper stops. After a lot of thought, I ended up sewing small little loops of leather onto the zipper tape to act as the stops and I love how clean it makes it look!
The peplum hem gives this piece great proportion and shape, without too much flounce.
I love the short collar along the neckline, which really completes the look.
The style of this jacket means you can change up the look by having the jacket done all the way up, half up with the lapels folded back, or completely unzipped for a relaxed look.
Changes
The pattern recommends woven fabrics for version B with leather detailing on the shoulders and yoke. I omitted the extra shoulder pieces, which are appliquéd and made the whole jacket in leather.
As with my other leather jackets, I added shoulder pads to give balance and proportion and I love how strong the shoulders look with it.
I didn't add any press studs because I like the sleekness of the finished look with just the zippers.
I added bias strips to the inside hems of the bodice and sleeves so that I had something to hand stitch the lining onto. Hand stitching directly onto leather is hard work and even with a thimble is very slow going. The little gold bias strips that were added to make hand stitching easier, also give the finished project that little bit of 'extra'.
Tips for sewing with Leather
If you've decided to give leather a go and are unsure about how much to buy, MY ADVICE is to take your pattern pieces with you to the store and lay them out on the leather hides.
This way you can see exactly how many you need to buy.
Leather is expensive and each hide is different, so this really helps you get exactly what you need for your project.
CHECK OUT this post on my second leather jacket which has a very detailed list (about half way down blog post) of SEWING TIPS for working with leather.
You can also check out my other leather garments below:
Final Thoughts
I am stoked with how this jacket turned out and I have already gotten so much wear out of it!
The colour is versatile with the contents of my wardrobe, the shape is timeless and flattering, and every time I open my jacket I get a thrill of satisfaction when I see the colourful lining.
This is my second successful leather jacket with this pattern and I get a feeling it won't be my last :)
