Make and Customize Your First Bomber Jacket
A course by Lydia Higginson, Pattern Designer and Seamstress
Joined September 2020
Create clothes your body loves: learn how to make your own custom jacket from scratch with a sewing machine, from the initial pattern to final outfit
Joined September 2020
A creative way to tackle fast fashion is by making your own clothes. For seamstress and pattern designer Lydia Higginson, wearing her own clothing is an honest way of being in the world. She has been making costumes for prestigious theaters like Salder’s Wells and The Royal Opera House for years, and started her own creative project “Made My Wardrobe” in 2016, where she makes all her own clothes—and hasn’t bought a single garment from a shop since.
In this online course, Lydia teaches you how to make your own bomber jacket from scratch. She takes you step by step through how to use a sewing machine, how to cut each piece of fabric, and how to customize with creative embellishments and embroidery. Ready to make a jacket that is truly your own?
What will you learn in this online course?
16 lessons & 13 downloads
What's included in this course?
Meet Lydia Higginson, pattern designer, seamstress, and your teacher for this course. She shares her creative journey, which led her to create costumes for prestigious clients like The Royal Opera House to starting her own business. Then hear about her influences and sources of inspiration.
Get an overview of the history and design of the bomber jacket, before exploring the materials and tools needed for the course. Learn how to use a sewing machine, then gather inspiration to create a mood board.
Take a moment to show your body some appreciation, and get a feel for how you want your jacket to fit. Learn how to measure your size and modify the pattern as you need. Then see how to cut out the pattern pieces and the fabric.
Time to start sewing! Begin by sewing the pockets, the side seams, and inserting the sleeves. Then move on to the collar, hem, and lining. Finish the basic form of the jacket by adding the zipper and cuffs.
Lydia then shows you how to customize your jacket. Learn how to apply decorative embroideries, appliques, quilting and embellishments. Free your imagination and creativity to create an original jacket to your exact taste.
- 100% positive reviews (108)
- 5,110 students
- 16 lessons (3h 12m)
- 13 additional resources (2 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, German, Spanish, Spanish (Latam), French, Indonesian, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Create a bomber jacket from scratch using a sewing machine and customize it to taste.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone with an interest in fashion who wants to make their own custom clothing, and say ‘no’ to fast fashion in a creative, hands-on way.
Requirements and materials
No previous experience is necessary.
To take this course, you need a sewing machine, pins, fabric and paper scissors, tape, and a tape measure. For the jacket, you need fabric, ribbing for the cuff, collar, and base, as well as a zipper and pocket fabric.
The Sewing Pattern PDF can be found in Unit 2, and includes UK sizes 6 - 24. For more information on sizing, click here. The pattern is gender inclusive.
Reviews
Lydia Higginson
A course by Lydia Higginson
Lydia Higginson is a UK-based seamstress and pattern designer, who only wears the clothes she’s made. Since starting her personal project “Made My Wardrobe” in 2016, she has not bought a single item of clothing from a shop. It started as a personal journey to reconnect with her body and has turned into a full-time business, sharing her garment-making skills with anyone who wants to make their dream wardrobe. Made My Wardrobe now has a team of six designers, and they create patterns, kits and courses to make sewing accessible from their studio in Bristol.
Lydia has been sewing since she was a young girl, and when she finished school, she did an apprenticeship to learn how to design and make garments. Since then, she has been creating costumes for theaters, and live performances for clients such as Sadler's Wells and The Royal Opera House.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Materials and Inspiration
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History and Design
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Materials and Tools
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Mood Board and Inspiration
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U3
Finding Your Size
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Taking Your Measurement and Finding Your Size
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Pattern
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Cutting the Fabric
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U4
Making the Jacket
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Pockets, Side, and Shoulder Seams 1
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Pockets, Side, and Shoulder Seams 2
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Collar, Hem, and Lining
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Sewing the Zip and Cuffs 1
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Sewing the Zip and Cuffs 2
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U5
Adding Customisation
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Embroidery
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Applique
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Quilting
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FP
Final project
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Make and Customize Your First Bomber Jacket
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for beginners and covers all the essential techniques needed to sew and embellish your own bomber jacket, even if you have no prior experience.
You’ll need basic sewing tools (machine, scissors, tape measure), bomber jacket fabric, ribbing, lining, thread, zipper, and optional embroidery/appliqué supplies. A detailed list is provided at the start of the course.
You will learn how to measure, select fabrics, print patterns, cut pieces, sew a bomber jacket, and personalize it with embroidery, applique, and quilting techniques.
No prior sewing experience is needed. The course starts with foundational skills and guides you step-by-step through each process.
You’ll learn how to accurately measure your chest, waist, and hips, refer to a body measurement chart, and choose the correct pattern size for your jacket.
Yes, the course teaches you how to create and attach embroidery and applique patches, including transferring designs and using a sewing machine for these techniques.
The course covers how to choose suitable jacket fabrics, linings, and ribbing based on season, style, and durability, including advice on plain vs. printed materials.
Salit les amis, j'aime bien les cours domestika. Cours pour un bon prix et de qualité
Excellent cours pour apprendre a coudre un bomber!
Super
A wonderfully detailed tutorial. 🙏
This class is amazing! I cant believe is was able to create my own bomber jacket. Its very well explained, even for beginners its easy to produce a fabulous coat.
Absolutely amazing <3
Me gustó mucho el curso, bien explicado.