Woodland Patched Jacket

Clearing out some boxes and came across my dad’s old BDUs (Battle Dress Uniform). These are over 30 years old. They have been sitting around collecting a bit of dust so I wanted to put some life back into them. I needed a way to make these mine but keep some of the original aesthetic. It should still feel vintage, have it’s military feel but a mix of me in there. So making this a patch jacket seemed like the next logical step.

After picking out some Japanese fabrics that I liked next up was layout. This was a bit easier than I thought it would be. The bolder prints were definitely for the back. The prints for the front added enough interest to draw you in and want to check out the rest. A few of the patterns on the jacket: karakusa, seigaiha, and chidori.

After getting reacquainted with the sewing machine the jacket started coming together. What I love most is knowing where the jacket came from. This wasn’t just picked up at a surplus store. This was worn, it has stories. It’s truly unique.

This was a fun project, I’m definitely going to do this again. I will have to find a jacket as a source but it would be worth the effort!