DIY Fringe Jacket and Skirt Tutorial

Josy Bun
by Josy Bun
6 Materials
$30
1 Hour
Easy

Just in time for Fall! Today we're making a DIY fringe jacket and skirt using thrifted leather goodies or items you might already have in your closet. Follow along if you want to learn how to make fringe.

Tools and materials:

  • 2 leather skirts     
  • Sharp fabric scissors 
  • Gorilla glue 
  • Liquid stitch 
  • Paintbrush 
  • 1 long leather button-down shirt 
Cutting skirt

The skirt

1. Prepare your skirt

Flip your leather skirt inside out and cut out the liner (if there is one). Then cut the hem–it doesn’t have to be exact. Just make sure it isn’t super crooked. What you’re left with is the raw hem.


2. Pick the length of your fringe

Decide how long you want the fringe to be. I will only cut up to the horizontal seam, not beyond it, for a cleaner look. If you cut beyond that, you might see the raw seam while wearing the skirt as the fringe moves. 

Laid out leather skirt

3. Prepare a rectangle of leather 

From your second skirt, cut out a rectangle of leather. It doesn’t need to be perfectly even but use the panels and seams as guidelines.


Make sure there are no seams or other structural details on the area you will cut. Cut it from the front because it’s easier to see the seams as guidelines of the rectangle.

Cutting skirt

Cut off any extra bits of seam left around the edges. 

Cutting out leather rectangle

4. Cut the fringe

Clean up the edges of the rectangle if they are still scraggly. You can choose the direction of the rectangle based on the desired length of fringe. Begin cutting thin strips, leaving about a half inch band at the top. 

Cutting the fringe

I’ve made 2 sections of fringe for the design I have in mind.

DIY skirt fringe

5. Apply glue to one fringe piece

Mix 1 part gorilla glue to 1 part liquid stitch in a disposable container. On the suede side, paint a generous amount of the mixture on the top band. 

Gluing skirt fringe

6. Attach the first fringe panel

This is the hard part! Align your fringe detail right up to the top seam. Rub it in place to secure it and wait until it’s dry before you attach the second piece in the same way.  

Attaching panel

7. Attach the second panel 

Use your glue mixture to affix the second panel, overlapping it with the first. Allow the skirt to dry, putting weight on the glued section to help it set. I used a heavy tile. 

Attaching panel

The Jacket


1. Remove bottom panels

First, cut off the bottom panels of your button-down leather shirt, keeping in mind how long you want it to be. This will create a cropped look and provide the fabric for the fringe. 

DIY fringe jacket

You can use the cut-offs as fringe under the arms or wherever you’d like. Be sure to cut off the area beyond the seam of the buttons, leaving you with just the flat section.

DIY fringe jacket cut-offs

2. Cut and glue the fringe

Leave about a half inch band on each piece of fabric and cut thin strips, as you did for the skirt fringe.


Now you can decide where you want to attach the fringe, either under the sleeves, in the front, or in the back of the jacket.


As you can see, I’ve chosen to attach the fringe under the arms, from the back side of the jacket. Use the same 1:1 glue/liquid stitch concoction to attach the fringe to the garment and allow it to dry thoroughly, using something heavy to set it in place. 

Gluing fringes onto jacket

Here is the finished piece:

Completed DIY fringe jacket

DIY fringe jacket

I hope you loved this DIY fringe skirt and jacket tutorial. You can actually use the same process to add fringe on any leather or suede piece. Show us what you’ve created in the comments below.

Suggested materials:
  • 2 leather skirts
  • Sharp fabric scissors
  • Gorilla glue
See all materials

The author may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.

Comments
Join the conversation
 1 comment
Next