A quilt upcycled jean jacket tutorial to refashion a denim jacket.

Jean jackets are the perfect canvas for customization, with the big blank denim space in the back, and I’m sharing a simple way to cut up an old quilt and use it to makeover an old jacket! This is a simple sewing tutorial that can be done by hand or machine. If you’re patient, you could even seam rip one design off and sew a second design over top if you want a change.

For this project, I used an old pillowcase! This was a machine-quilted/store bought sham that I didn’t feel any guilt about cutting up to experiment with but now that I’ve worked this all out I might try again with a more colorful quilt.

I left the jacket pretty simple but you could hand quilt a design over top, add lace, trim, or screenprint on top of the quilt, or even mix in reverse applique for a really unique design! Keep reading to see the full tutorial for the base version.

If you like this post, check out these others while you’re here:

• 20+ DIY upcycled denim jacket ideas
• How to redesign old jeans – 15 denim refashion ideas
• 21+ blazer and coat refashion ideas
• Five tips for thrift shopping to upcycle & refashion

Pin this quilt upcycled jean jacket tutorial with this link or collage image:

Quilt upcycled jean jacket tutorial

Supplies

• Quilt or quilt scrap larger than the jean jacket back panel. I used a quilted pillowcase shown in this example; you can also sew a quilt from scratch if desired!
• Jean jacket
• Iron
• Pins
• Hand sewing needle
• Scissors
• Tracing paper (optional)

Steps:

Be sure to wash & dry both the jean jacket and the quilt however you plan to wash & dry the finished piece! When choosing a jean jacket, you’re looking for one with a wide back piece, not multiple panels. Make sure it fits comfortably and isn’t too snug; the fit will be a little tighter with another layer over the back but not significantly adjusting the shape of the jacket.

Cut borders from the quilt if not using. If upcycled a pillowcase, cut off the pillow overlap fabric at the back (not the quilt’s back).

Step 1–   Use tracing paper to trace out the exact shape of the back panel, no seam allowance or borders added in this step, just trace around the edges.

Step 2–   Use the tracing paper piece to center the design that will be on the jacket back panel and make sure you like what will be showing. Then cut a new pattern piece from the quilt – leaving a wide, 1.5” inch seam allowance around all sides.

Step 3– Lay your new shaped quilt pattern piece on the back of your jacket and pin it down, starting from the center and moving outwards. When you get to the edges, tuck that 1.5” seam allowance underneath, so no raw edges are showing, and pin.

Step 4–  Pin the entire piece down and make sure there are no gaps, bumps, or crooked designs.

Step 5–  Use a slip stitch to attach the quilt piece to the back of the jean jacket, going slowly and adjusting the seam allowance as necessary. You may want to trim some of the seam allowance at the corners, depending how thick the quilt is, and then press the entire jacket. There should be no obvious stitches on the interior of the jacket – and you’re ready to go!