How to sew a bolero

Bolero is an original item of women's wardrobe. Initially, it was an element of traditional Spanish clothing. And in the 19th century it became widespread throughout Europe.

Now this stylish cropped jacket is back in fashion. With its help, you can create new looks with already boring dresses, sundresses or tops.

There are several options for bolero: made of knitwear, lace or fur, artificial or natural. It is suitable for both going out and everyday office style. The stores offer various versions of this wardrobe item. However, it is difficult to choose the right color and style that will look beautiful on your figure.

There is an exit! You can sew a bolero with your own hands. We'll tell you how to do this.

What you need for work

To sew a bolero you need a minimum number of tools and materials, most of which everyone has in their home.

• Paper or tracing paper.
• Pencil and ruler.
• Textile.
• Needle and thread.
• Sewing machine.
• Scissors.
• Safety pins.
• Buttons and fasteners.

The material must be chosen depending on what you plan to combine this item of clothing with.

Advice! Guipure, satin and velvet are suitable for evening outings. For everyday use, knitwear, cotton or women's suit fabrics.

How to sew a women's bolero

To sew a cropped jacket, first you need to make a pattern.

To do this you will need the girth of the neck, chest and waist. You should also take measurements of the width of the back, arm circumference at the armhole, and chest height.

Constructing a pattern

• First, draw a vertical line, on the basis of which further construction will be based.
• Draw two horizontal lines to a straight line: 0.5 neck circumference and 0.5 chest circumference.
• Align the pieces according to the shoulder and side seams.
• Build the back also not based on a vertical line.

IMPORTANT! If you want the bolero to be tight-fitting, you need to narrow the front lines by a few centimeters.

• From the neck you need to set aside the length of the shoulder.
• Make shoulder seams 2 cm down.
• Make the neckline 1.5 cm deeper from the back.
• Go to the sleeve drawing. Draw a dot at the top of the sheet and draw a line.
• We place our hand on it so that the middle finger is strictly along the line. We spread our fingers and make marks at the level of the tips. We connect the points of the curve and get the top of the sleeve.

IMPORTANT! For the right one we do it with the left hand and vice versa.

• Next, draw a line where the seam will go and cut off this part. Without turning it over, glue it to the same part on the other side. Now you need to adjust the length and transfer the details to the fabric.

Completing of the work

After constructing the pattern, we proceed in the following order.

• Place the cut out pattern on the fabric and outline it with chalk. At the same time, add 1.5–2 cm to the paper base for seam allowances.
• Cut out the details of the product.
• Sweep away the details and try on the bolero. Make adjustments if necessary.
• Connect all the elements on the machine.
• Finish the edges of the bolero.

ATTENTION! To make your task easier, find basic jacket patterns and use them to make a bolero pattern.

And also a bolero can be sewn from an unwanted T-shirt. You need to make a cut in the center on the front side, remove the collar and process the neckline.

Next, you need to adjust the length and hem the edge so that you can insert a ribbon or cord inside.

How to sew a bolero for a girl

Beautiful cropped jackets look good on little fashionistas, especially in combination with children's dresses. Nowadays such blouses are very popular, so you can please your daughter and add a stylish item to her wardrobe.

The pattern is made according to the instructions given above.

There is also an easier way. You can take a sweater or T-shirt that no longer fits the child, rip it open and make patterns using them.

Sewing a children's model is carried out similarly to work on an adult product.

You can also add flounces to the pattern. To do this, you need to cut a strip of the required size and process its edges. We sew the edges, make folds on one side and carefully sew them to the sleeves. Iron the seam, and the bolero for the baby is ready.

ATTENTION! The finished product should be decorated with beads, rhinestones or trimmed with lace.

The store has special adhesive rhinestones that are attached to the fabric using a hot iron. You can also use another method. Take the rhinestones with tweezers and heat them with the flame of a lighter, and then glue them.

Tips for sewing bolero

1. No need to draw on the material. First, make a pattern on paper, and then, using safety pins and special tailor’s chalk (you can replace it with soap) transfer it to the fabric.
2. Start with seams that need to be sewn from the wrong side.
3. Iron or steam the material before sewing, as some fabrics may shrink.
4. Thick fabrics may form wrinkles when joining parts. Therefore, you need to carefully monitor this and periodically straighten the fabric.
5. Always try on the product before sewing the main seams on the machine.. It is better to immediately identify shortcomings and make adjustments than to rip out the seams and alter the product later.