How to Make a Biker Vest

Wearing leather clothing while riding a motorcycle can lessen the severity of injuries in the event of an accident. It is also a stylish fashion trend whether or not you are riding a bike. A biker vest adds protection when you're riding and dresses up an ordinary outfit when you're not. It's easy to make your own leather biker vest.

Things You'll Need

• Soft leather
• Needle
• Thread
• An old T-shirt
• Scissors
• Metal snaps

Instructions

1. 

   Place the T-shirt on a flat surface to serve as a pattern. Make sure all seams are matching on both the back and front of the shirt.

2. 

   Cut the sleeves of the shirt off 1 inch inside the seam line and fold the shirt in half. Starting 6 inches down from the collar, cut toward the collar going up on an angle. Continue cutting until you remove the entire collar.

3. Starting from the arm hole, cut the shirt into two pieces. You should have a front and back pattern. The back pattern is now complete.

4. 

   Take the front shirt pattern and fold it in half. Cut from the neckline down to the end of the shirt. While the shirt is still folded, start at the center point and cut at an angle up to where the pattern meets. The middle of the vest should be slightly longer than the sides. You now have a back pattern and two pieces for a front pattern.

5. Place the patterns on the soft leather material and cut them out. Sew the seams together and then try the vest on to make sure it fits. Sew up all the rest of the seams and add the metal snaps.

Tips & Warnings

• You can make your vest reversible by cutting another separate pattern in a different color and sewing it to your leather before assembling. A zipper can be substituted for the snaps on the front of the vest.

• Only use soft pliable leather for this project.