Okay, so I’ve been seeing this “Chris Jericho jacket” thing pop up all over my wrestling feeds. You know, the light-up one he wore for a while? I thought, “I gotta try making one of those!” Seemed like a fun project, even if it might end up looking a little… rough around the edges.
Finding the Stuff
First things first, I needed a jacket. I wasn’t about to chop up a perfectly good leather jacket, so I hit up some thrift stores. Found a plain black one that fit okay – a little big, maybe, but that just meant more room for… well, you’ll see.
Then came the tricky part: the lights. I’m no electrician, but I figured those little battery-powered fairy lights would work. You know, the kind people use for Christmas decorations? I grabbed a bunch of those – the longer, the better. And, of course, batteries. Lots and lots of batteries.
Sticking It All Together
This is where things got… interesting. I basically laid the jacket out flat and started trying to figure out how to attach the lights. My first idea was to sew them on. Yeah, that lasted about five minutes. Way too tedious.
Next, I tried tape. Lots of different kinds of tape. Duct tape? Too bulky. Scotch tape? Not strong enough. Electrical tape? Maybe… but it kept getting tangled. Finally, I just went for it and used a hot glue gun. I know, I know, probably not the best idea for fabric, but hey, it was holding!
I just started gluing the light strands all over the jacket, trying to follow some kind of pattern. It wasn’t exactly symmetrical, but who cares? It’s supposed to be rock and roll, right? I made sure to leave the battery packs accessible, tucked into the inside pockets.
The Big Reveal (and Some Problems)
So, I finally got it all glued up. I put in the batteries, flipped the switch… and… it worked! Sort of. Some of the lights were brighter than others. A few strands kept flickering. And the whole thing felt… heavy. Like, really heavy.
- Problem 1: Weight. All those lights and batteries add up.
- Problem 2: Uneven lighting. I guess I didn’t distribute the strands very well.
- Problem 3: Glue everywhere. Seriously, I think I got more glue on myself than on the jacket.
The End Result (For Now)
Okay, so it’s not perfect. It’s definitely not something I’d wear out in public (unless I was going to a REALLY forgiving costume party). But it does light up. And it does look kinda cool in a “homemade, slightly janky” kind of way. I might try to refine it later, maybe find some better ways to attach the lights. But for now, I’m calling it a win. It was a fun experiment, even if I did almost burn my fingers off with the glue gun a few times. I did it, and I am pretty happy!
