so. i was just about 93% done with this, making one for my boyfriend, and then we broke up. so, that sucks. but on the bright side, it was my first big sewing project with a real life sewing machine, and even though i sewed like EVERYTHING wrong at least once, i got it right in the end through patience and a lot of cussing. the tutorial is really awesome and even if you think you suck at sewing, you can still get it right through trial and error like i did

and now i know exactly what to do, so i can make me a kickass one

and maybe a bustier out of the last one... sigh.
and advice on the extenders part... look at pictures of this type of jacket and just study how the fabric fits together around the zipper, or look at one in real life if possible. it makes a whole lot more sense if you've got a good mental image.
awesome tutorial!!