SpitfireIV
New in Town
- Messages
- 38
Hi all!
So I had a thread going back in Jan 2018 about a previous and my first attempt at leather work and turning a cruddy old jacket into something resembling a 40's French cycle jacket, or perhaps more commonly known now as a 'luftwaffe' jacket.
From this:
To this:
Original thread below although I think most of the images have expired:
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/diy-french-cycle-jacket-aka-luftwaffe-jacket.92732/
After I completed this one, to be honest, I didn't wear it all that much. It was an enjoyable little project and I learned a lot but I felt I could have done better and always had one eye on the lookout for another victim jacket to get my scissors stuck into!
Then along came this one:
It was an eBay purchase that seemed to match my measurements and the 'eagle' eyed among you will notice the shoulder boards and if you look closely the outline of stiching of a Luftwaffe eagle! Could it be a period piece?!! No, well not unless Timberland were making jackets back in the 40's, hah.
It'd seen someone also seen potential in it before me and dressed it up as a pilots piece complete with badge/decoration holes!!...
It's a beautiful soft and light leather, a lot lighter and softer than my original attempt that I think will definitely work in my favor. The fit is good if a tad short at the waisted but that's how they sat originally. Whilst they're are some beautiful repo's out there i always felt the body lenght was an issue with manufacturers opting for a slightly longer body.
I have some period repo zips ordered and am on the lookout for a suitable buckle. I think my main area to correct with this project is the waiste line and how I pleat the body into the waiste so it's loser in the body but comes to a tight waiste band as well as the sleeves.
I'll update the thread as I go along so stay tuned! So let's see if I can turn this....
Into something potentially resembling these...
So I had a thread going back in Jan 2018 about a previous and my first attempt at leather work and turning a cruddy old jacket into something resembling a 40's French cycle jacket, or perhaps more commonly known now as a 'luftwaffe' jacket.
From this:
To this:
Original thread below although I think most of the images have expired:
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/diy-french-cycle-jacket-aka-luftwaffe-jacket.92732/
After I completed this one, to be honest, I didn't wear it all that much. It was an enjoyable little project and I learned a lot but I felt I could have done better and always had one eye on the lookout for another victim jacket to get my scissors stuck into!
Then along came this one:
It was an eBay purchase that seemed to match my measurements and the 'eagle' eyed among you will notice the shoulder boards and if you look closely the outline of stiching of a Luftwaffe eagle! Could it be a period piece?!! No, well not unless Timberland were making jackets back in the 40's, hah.
It'd seen someone also seen potential in it before me and dressed it up as a pilots piece complete with badge/decoration holes!!...
It's a beautiful soft and light leather, a lot lighter and softer than my original attempt that I think will definitely work in my favor. The fit is good if a tad short at the waisted but that's how they sat originally. Whilst they're are some beautiful repo's out there i always felt the body lenght was an issue with manufacturers opting for a slightly longer body.
I have some period repo zips ordered and am on the lookout for a suitable buckle. I think my main area to correct with this project is the waiste line and how I pleat the body into the waiste so it's loser in the body but comes to a tight waiste band as well as the sleeves.
I'll update the thread as I go along so stay tuned! So let's see if I can turn this....
Into something potentially resembling these...
Last edited:
Now to get used to one handed sewing.
