A denim vest is a trucker jacket with no sleeves: the same collar on a stand, pointed yokes, panel seams, buttoned chest flap pockets and button front, with the armholes finished by a bias facing. Wear it over a T-shirt or a hoodie, or cover it in patches as a battle vest. Sewly drafts it with jacket ease from your bust or chest and shoulders, so it layers over a shirt or a T-shirt without pulling.
Denim vest options
Every option redraws the pattern instantly, without using any AI:
- Length: high hip plus 5 cm (2 in) by default, with a length adjustment of up to 25 cm (10 in) either way.
- Fit: fitted, regular (the default), relaxed or oversized, plus extra chest ease.
- Collar: a jacket collar on a stand (default), with classic, spread, long, rounded or button-down points and a size from 70 to 150 %; or a band collar, or no collar with a round or V neckline.
- Chest pockets: buttoned flaps over pockets in the panel seams (default), patch pockets with or without flaps, or none.
- Yokes: pointed front and back by default, or straight or curved, at the depth you choose.
- Lower pockets: none by default, or slanted welt hand pockets or patch pockets.
- Topstitching: automatic (gold contrast on denim), contrast, matching or none.
- Sleeves: set them to long and the vest becomes the trucker jacket.
Made to measure or a standard size
Use your own measurements or a standard size: women's EU 32–54 (US 0–22, UK 4–26), men's XS to 3XL, or children's 2 to 14 years. As on the jacket, there are no darts: on a women's vest, the panel seams take the bust and waist shaping. Our guide on how to take your body measurements shows where the tape goes.
Best fabrics for a denim vest
Denim of 11 to 14 oz, black denim, cotton canvas, corduroy or cotton twill. With no sleeves, a vest takes less fabric than the jacket, which makes it a good use of a shorter length of selvedge denim. Prewash denim before cutting, because it shrinks. Our post on sewing with denim covers needles, thread and seams.
How hard is it to sew?
A project for confident sewists, one level easier than the jacket: there are no sleeves, sleeve plackets or cuffs, but the same flat-felled panel seams, chest pockets in the seams, collar on a stand, waistband with tabs and metal buttons. Allow a long weekend.
What's in the pattern
- Front, front panel and side front, each cut as a pair, and two front yokes
- Back on the fold, two side backs and the back yoke
- Collar and collar stand, each cut twice
- Four chest pocket flap pieces and the pocket bags
- Front facings, the waistband and four adjuster tab pieces
- Bias strips to face the armholes, given as cutting dimensions like the waistband
Notions: metal jeans (tack) buttons, 17 mm (11/16 in), ten on an adult vest; medium-weight fusible interfacing; two spools of topstitching thread; jeans needles 100/16 and a topstitch needle 90/14. The guide lists every piece with its cut count, the notions with their quantities, the fabric quantity for 110, 140 and 150 cm (45, 55 and 60 in) wide fabric, and a cutting layout.
How to sew a denim vest
- Fuse the interfacing, set up for topstitching and practice a flat-felled seam on scraps.
- Make the flaps, sew the chest pockets into the panel seams and join the panels.
- Attach the front and back yokes and sew the shoulders.
- Attach the front facings, then make the collar and sew it on with its stand.
- Sew the side seams and face the armholes with the bias strips.
- Make the adjuster tabs and attach the waistband.
- Make the buttonholes, set the metal buttons and press.
Frequently asked questions
How much fabric do I need for a denim vest?
An adult denim vest usually takes 1.3 to 1.6 m (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 yd) of 140 to 150 cm (55 to 60 in) wide denim in Sewly's cutting layouts, depending on the size, plus a little lining or pocketing for the pocket bags. Sewly computes the exact quantity for your size and fabric width.
Is this the trucker jacket pattern without sleeves?
Yes, exactly. With the sleeves set to none, Sewly faces the armholes with bias strips and leaves out the sleeves, plackets and cuffs. Set the sleeves back to long at any time to get the trucker jacket.
Can I wear it over a hoodie?
Yes. Choose the relaxed or oversized fit, or add a few centimeters of extra chest ease, and check the silhouette in the 3D preview before you cut.
Can I sew a denim vest for a child?
Yes. Pick a children's size from 2 to 14 years or enter the child's measurements, and the vest is drafted to them, with the same collar, yokes and pockets.
