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[Zouka E'tad]

so i have recently bought a nice leather jacket for $12 at a goodwill on the rich side of town and im wondering what would be the best way of converting it in to a vest?  should  i just do a straight conversion by cutting  the arms and bottom  into a flak shape or cut all the seems and start with a just a bunch of leather material?

[Jerrah_Annon]

I had the same idea, let me know how it turns out man!

[Chro]

Yeah, pictures will help, but it all depends on how well the jacket fits you. If it's a nice close fit, you can usually just remove the sleeves and collar and trim here and there. If it's too big, you might have to dismantle it which might be more effort than it's really worth.

[Zouka E'tad]

heres a picture of me wearing the jacket , (sorry for bad quality  phone was dropped into a pool a and recovered    )


but i/m probably gonna have to halt any my process of turning it into a vest for about 2 to 3 weeks as i move into my apartment this weekend and get things ready for fall semester  , but i will update this asap with any progress

[Lem'zig Dee]

I made mine out of a cheap leather jacket. 
First - cut off sleeves where I wanted.
Second - took part of sleeve material and made a flap to cover the front zipper - sewed one side/velcro'd the other
Third - done!
I have to tuck mine into my scrub pants (2-piece for my flight suit, being a girl and all!) because of the length.  If you wanted to shorten it, you will need to change how it closes in the front.  Some folks just seal up the front and use velcro on the side.  That would also help take it in a bit, which would look good.  I didn't want to do that, so I just tucked it in.

Good luck with your build!

[Zouka E'tad]

thanks for the advice  !!!

[Zouka E'tad]

so i decided to put packing aside for tonight and decided to cut off the sleeves , does anyone know whats the best way to get the correct measurement for the shoulder bells , or  should i just eyeball it  ??



also im wondering should i keep it at the length its at or  cut a few inches of the bottom so it sits right above my waist ? and should i permanently seal the front and cut the sides and but the draw string on the side or leave it  and still open and close it from the front ??

sorry for so many questions !

[Byrek Avery]

so i decided to put packing aside for tonight and decided to cut off the sleeves , does anyone know whats the best way to get the correct measurement for the shoulder bells , or  should i just eyeball it  ??

My vest does not have sleeves (Legacy Era; shoulders attached to armor) So I couldn't answer that.

also im wondering should i keep it at the length its at or  cut a few inches of the bottom so it sits right above my waist ? and should i permanently seal the front and cut the sides and but the draw string on the side or leave it  and still open and close it from the front ??

Cut LOTS of inches off. The vest should come up to just below the belly button.

I believe the standard technique to the leather vest is actually wearing it backwards. Which makes sense, because the back plate should cover pockets and the zipper, while the chest plates would not.

I think you should still open and close it from the front.... or the back.. depends how you look at it.... leave the zipper in.

[Ronin Tavic]

I left the zipper on mine, removed the collar, and used that strip for the zipper coverage. as for the shoulders, I left a bit on my sleeves when I removed them so as to have the shoulder bells(which isn't an option now, but just food for thought for next time). the exact measurement doesn't matter, if I recall correctly(I asked the same thing) as your armor will most likely cover it, but 4 inches long was the general size. I have a smaller frame than you, so might want to add a couple. Any doubts, cut it outta paper and tape it up to see how it looks.
And it will need shortened a good bit, My vest was a woman's jacket to start, so it fit kinda snug and short, as needed.