Thrift to couture inspired by Burberry

For this Blazer refashioned with zippers insertions I will use this very nice faux leather blazer found at my favorite second hand store for $7.00. It looked as if it had never been worn and I liked the black on black zebra print.

Let’s see what I can do with this blazer. I have an idea that can be completed this blazer refashion inspired by Burberry in about 2 hours.

Blazer refashioned with zippers insertions

The blazer had a nice fit and didn’t need any adjustments. I thought that it was a perfect garment for a Blazer refashioned with zippers insertions.

I have seen many refashioned versions of this jacket by Burberry Prorsum.

My thrift shop blazer is ideal to recreate this look. With the minor detail that I couldn’t find a 44 inch long (112 cm) two-way zipper. Bah! I can maneuver around that tiny detail by using two zippers instead of one. But with 2 zippers I won’t be able to transform the blazer into a cropped jacket…..

But with these eye catching rainbow teeth zippers, the blazer will still have a trendy flare. Each zipper is 21 inches long (55 cm) and not long enough to go all around the blazer. No worries I will make it work.

First let’s decide at which level I want the zippers to be

I thought that waist level would be a good visual placement for the zippers.  Since I could not cut the blazer in two completely separate pieces, I decided that the zippers would only open up to the blazer laterals (side seams).

Now, let’s cut with confidence!

The waist level is at 11 inches (28 cm) from the blazer bottom hem. I cut the blazer fabric and the lining up to the laterals and marked the 11 inches (28 cm) measure all around the blazer. Even though the zippers won’t open past the side seams, they still will be sewn all around the blazer.

(Note: If you are lucky enough to find a two-way zipper that is the same length as the circumference of your blazer , cut your blazer all the way around).

Now let’s finish the blazer and lining edges that we just cut.

Measure from point A to point B. This is where you will stitch the zipper in place. For this zipper the distance is 1 inch (2.5 cm).  That measure is the distance needed between the two pieces of blazer to be able to open the zippers.

Step 1– Fold inward the edges of both the lining and the blazer. I folded 3/8 of an inch (1 cm) on each cut side. This created a 3/4 of an inch (1.9 cm) gap between the hemmed edges. You will note that the 3/4 of an inch gap (1.9 cm), is less then the 1 inch (2.5cm) “A to B” measure which will allow me to catch the blazer fabric when I sew on the zippers.

Step 2– Close the openings by top stitching the edges of the blazer and the lining together. Top stitch near the edges.

This is how your openings should look like, if  like me, you have chosen to not open the zippers all of the way around your blazer.

(Note: If you have a two-way zipper long enough to be sewn all around the blazer, follow the same steps all along both pieces of your blazer).

In the above pictures you can see how the hemmed edges look from inside the blazer. The first picture is a close-up of one side opening. The second picture shows you the complete blazer with both openings top stitched closed and ready for the zipper to be sewn on.

How to finish the edges if your blazer doesn’t have a lining

Fold the cut edge on the right side of the fabric and not on the wrong side of the fabric. This way, the fold allowance will be hidden under the zipper tape, giving you a nice clean finish from the inside of your blazer.

Now the zippers:

Place and pin the zippers face up on the right fabric side of the blazer over your hemmed gap. Ensure that you center the zipper teeth between the hemmed gap that we created (from the front lapel to the lateral seam). That is less than your zipper length. Continue to pin the entire length of the zipper. IE, past the gap which end at the side seam.

Attach the standard zipper foot to the sewing machine

I glued the zippers in place before sewing them on, and I top stitched both sides of the zipper tapes. I top stitched twice, because I was too lazy to change and thread a double-needle.

As you see in the first above image ,  I folded the zipper tape ends onto themselves so they arrived even with the  blazer edges.

The second picture above shows the space between my two zippers in the back of the blazer. Hum, I really wasn’t missing much, but it is all right, it is an unnoticeable detail.

Below; an inside the blazer view of the sewn zippers.

In the middle image above, you can see that I needed to do a  few hand sewn stitches on the lining where the openings ended. Sometimes in refashioning, it is not perfect you just have to make it work,

Below is an outside blazer view of the sewn zippers.

 

Below the Pinterest format for you to pin  🙂

The blazer can be worn in many ways; the colourful zippers can remain closed or be unzipped for a nice asymmetrical look. Hope that you enjoyed this easy step by step tutorial.

 Au revoir!