3 Easy DIY Blazer Alterations You Can Do to Refashion Your Jackets

Ms. Melior
by Ms. Melior
17 Materials
$10
1 Hour
Easy

Blazers are never out of fashion, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t have too many of them in your closet. If you want to pare down your blazer collection, follow this tutorial to learn some DIY blazer alterations that will give you a brand-new piece to add to your wardrobe.

Tools and materials:

  • Old blazers
  • Fabric paint
  • Paint stamps
  • Ribbon tape
  • Tape measure
  • Scissors and/or rotary cutting
  • Thread
  • Sewing machine
  • Fabric chalk
  • Pins
White blazer before the DIY alterations

DIY blazer alteration 1 – bolero jacket

Cropping the blazer with a rotary cutter

1. Crop the blazer

Draw a chalk line across the whole width of your blazer at the length you would like your bolero jacket to be. Then, cut the jacket, going right through the jacket and lining, if there is any, along your marked line.

Stamping the white blazer with fabric paint

2. Add detail to the blazer

Use fabric paint and paint stamps to add a pattern to your bolero jacket. You can do a small section…

Colorful upcycled blazer

…or you can do the whole front of the jacket.

Adding fabric paint to the blazer cuffs

You can even do the cuffs!

Pinning ribbon to the hem to hide the edges

3. Finish the hem

Pin ribbon tape to the outside of the jacket, all the way around, lining up the bottom edge of the tape with the bottom of the jacket.

Sewing the ribbon tape to the bottom edge

Then sew the tape to the jacket along the bottom edge.

Folding the tape over the hide the raw edges

Now fold the tape in half over the bottom of the blazer and sew it in place along the bottom of the inside of the jacket. Try to make the inside row of stitches long the same line as the outside row.

DIY bolero jacket from an old blazer

You can coordinate your DIY bolero jacket with so many other pieces! This is a great upstyle for an old blazer.

Black blazer before being turned into a vest

DIY blazer alteration 2 – a funky vest

Seam ripping the sleeves from the blazer

1. Remove the sleeves

Use a seam ripper to remove the sleeves from your blazer.

Turning a blazer into a vest

Now your old blazer looks more like a vest.

Folding and sewing the armhole edges

2. Finish the edges

To finish the armholes, turn the raw edges to the inside and sew along the edge.

DIY blazer refashion tutorial


Blazer vest with a statement belt

Now just add a big wide belt to your new blazer vest and you’ve got a great new look!

How to alter a blazer


Easy blazer alteration

DIY blazer alteration 3 – cropped blazer

This DIY blazer alteration is done the same way as the bolero jacket except for the hem, which will have a more finished edge.


This time, attach the ribbon tape to the front as you did with the first one, but now fold the whole tape to the inside and stitch it in place so none of the ribbon tape is showing on the outside.

DIY cropped blazer


Simple DIY blazer alterations

DIY blazer alterations tutorial

The first bolero jacket was funkier, and this one is a bit dressier. Whichever DIY blazer alteration you choose will be a great way to repurpose your old blazer and make a fashion statement.


Make all three to express your style in different ways! Be sure to leave a comment to let me know which blazer alteration you liked best.

Suggested materials:
  • Old blazers
  • Fabric paint
  • Paint stamps
See all materials

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