Build a grounded medieval-inspired leather armor vest for your Renaissance faire, LARP, cosplay, or town-watch character with the Hearthguard Militia Jack PDF pattern from Old Line Crafts & Designs. This original beginner-friendly project uses mirrored body panels, adjustable shoulder straps, three side buckle closures per side, and a lace-up front so one pattern can accommodate a broad range of adult builds and clothing layers.

The package includes full-size tiled US Letter pattern sheets, materials/tools/hardware lists, detailed step-by-step assembly, fit guidance, three optional character variations, tooling and repair embellishment guides, and a short history lesson explaining real padded jacks and jacks of plate.

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD ONLY. No physical leather, armor, buckles, rivets, lace, tools, clothing, or finished vest will be shipped.

WHAT YOU RECEIVE

• 23-page Hearthguard Militia Jack PDF pattern and instruction package
• Full-size US Letter tiled front and back patterns
• Print calibration squares and tile-join instructions
• Materials, tools, hardware, cut list, and build order
• Adjustable shoulder straps, front lacing, and three side buckles per side
• Three looks: Town Levy, Watchman Reinforced, and Patched Veteran
• Optional shoulder overlays and repair-patch patterns
• Simple tooling / embellishment transfer guides
• Two-part assembly guide
• Historical background and accuracy notes
• Small-shop license for finished physical items you personally make

RECOMMENDED MATERIALS

Main panels: approximately 5-7 oz vegetable-tanned leather. Straps, tabs, and overlays: approximately 4-5 oz leather. Allow about 8-11 square feet depending on layout and options. Typical hardware: eight 3/4-inch buckles, rivets or Chicago screws, and leather lace for the front.

FIT

Designed around approximately 34-50 inch adult chest circumference by using adjustable side gaps and front lacing. Shoulder straps provide additional torso-length adjustment. Fit varies by anatomy, clothing layers, leather thickness, and forming, so make the paper mockup first.

HISTORICAL NOTE

Historical jacks were generally padded textile garments. Later jacks of plate concealed many small metal plates inside fabric. The Hearthguard is an original leather Ren-faire interpretation inspired by the practical silhouette and repairable, modular spirit of ordinary-soldier equipment; it is not an archaeological reproduction.

SKILL LEVEL

Beginner friendly, but this is a larger project than the Wayfarer Bracers. Buyers should be comfortable tracing/ taping tiled patterns, cutting leather, punching holes, setting rivets or Chicago screws, installing buckles, lacing a front opening, and performing light wet-forming.

BUYER LICENSE

Personal use and small-shop sale of finished physical Militia Jacks that you personally make are allowed. The PDF files and printed pattern pages may not be resold, shared, uploaded, copied, redistributed, or included in another pattern package.

SAFETY

Costume, theatrical, Ren-faire, LARP-character, photography, and display use only. Not certified combat, impact, riding, workplace, or protective safety equipment.

leather armor vest

Leather Armor Vest Pattern PDF, Medieval Militia Jack for Ren Faire & LARP