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As some of you may remember we are in the repairs game and we don't MAKE jackets &c/ Some time back we were discussing WW2 flight jackets and just for fun we started putting together a design that we might have submitted to the Ministry of Supply back in the 1930s bearing in mind what we now know 100 years on and it turned into a sort-of project. And so here is another of the jackets we don't make :-)

Hi all! I'm new to the community here and new to leather work/restoration in general. I got a very soft old Perry Ellis lambskin black leather jacket which needed to be redyed. After some research I chose Fiebings pro dye black for the job. The re-dye went okay and I've also conditioned with Bick 4 but now I need to make sure there's no rub-off before I start wearing it. Plan A was to just buff it until there's no more rub-off but I've done a ton already and there's no end in sight, plus the leather is old and delicate and it seems like it may not hold up to much more vigorous buffing. Plan B, which may seem like the obvious choice to more experienced people, is to apply a sealing acrylic finish. I was resistant to this because the leather is super soft and seems pretty delicate and I worry that putting a layer of acrylic over it would ruin it. Also I feel like the gloss of an acrylic finish might not look too good on this surface (though I know diluting it can help on that front). I don't see any way around it so I'm planning to apply some Fiebings Resolene diluted with water to 50/50, or if it would work, I might even try diluting it further to more like 1:2 for a more matte finish. My questions are: 1. Is the acrylic topcoat the right/only way to go? Can a soft old lambskin jacket like this hold up to that? Or is there another/better option? 2. Can Resolene work at lower concentrations for a more matte finish or do I need to stick to 50/50 3. Bonus kind of unrelated question: that wrinkly collar is a little annoying, is there anything I can do about that? Thanks so much in advance! P.s. I know I may have over-applied the dye and there could be other things I could do differently in the future to avoid this problem, but I'm mainly just interested in how to proceed from where I'm at. Thank you!

I recently purchased some python snakeskin. I would like to make a jacket out of it, will I need to back the leather before sewing? Or will it hold the stitches together? if backing is needed, could you please advise on best procedure/ material please?

MY FIRST COBRA CREATION!!!! Completely sewn on my Cobra Class 18!!! This is me in the pics rockin something I made...feels good to say that (and that its a perfect fit)!!!.I DID IT!!!! This is such a proud moment for me.It feels good to accomplish a project when you find a new hobby! I have spent the last couple months turning two leather hides, deer skin lacing, sequins, and handmade turquoise satin piping into my own custom creation!!! This chrome finished peplum leather jacket has blood, sweat, and tears rolled into it and I couldnt be more proud to finally showcase something I made (the first thing Ive made) from scratch all by myself!

Hi Guys, I'm very new to this, but I found some great stuff here about the ability to topcoat with Resolene after conditioning w/ Lexol, so it seemed like the perfect place to ask. I have an AGVSport Tracer jacket where the manufacturer chooses to leave webs crossing the zip-openings on the wrists unlined on the inside for some reason. (also seen this on 1 or 2 others, btw) I've already topcoated the finish-face with Resolene, but to save the long-sleeve white shirts from constantly turning bluish-black, would it be OK to coat that rougher inside-face with Resolene also? -Or would that lead to something like a "Dry-Rot" situation that people describe when you accidentally coat a jacket in something that doesn't let the leather breathe? Thanks very much for any help and expertise!!! -My shirts thank you too!

Hi All, I recently bought a leather jacket for cheap at a second hand store. It is quite old, but its heavy and real leather so good for motorbiking. However, a couple of the edges, such as at the end of the sleeve, are crumbling. What is the simplest way to re-seal these edges? It doesn't have to look good, just stop the crumbling. Many thanks!

I buy and sell new leather jackets. Once in a while from shipping I get one that has a thread cut on a hem. I have two right now that have one place on the bottom hem of the jacket loose. The thread got snagged on something and got cut. So each spot has only a few loops of thread loose. I admit I know nothing about sewing leather. I got some matching color thread (jacket is brown with brown thread) and some hand needles. I assume I should start a few holes up from the open spots and sew pass the loose spots a ways, right? But how do I stop the other ends of the main thread from slowly working loose? Will the new stitching stop it? I know this is a very basic question but again, I hardly ever sew, and never have on leather. Thanks for any help. Bill

Hello, i'm new here! I'm very interested in getting a finish as seen in the picture in the link on a leather jacket i'm having made for me in aniline calf leather. But how do i achieve such a gloss? I'm hoping it can be done with a wax (bees, carnauba?) , but will it crack as the jacket is worn? Especially at the elbow creases i can imagine? I bought some fiebings carnauba creme and leather sheen a couple days ago, but i can't seem to get the shine i want. http://pnp-firenze.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/IMG_16219.jpg Thank you

Hello, i'm new here! I'm very interested in getting a finish as seen in the picture in the link on a leather jacket i'm having made for me in aniline calf leather. But how do i achieve such a gloss? I'm hoping it can be done with a wax (bees, carnauba?) , but will it crack as the jacket is worn? Especially at the elbow creases i can imagine? I bought some fiebings carnauba creme and leather sheen a couple days ago, but i can't seem to get the shine i want. http://pnp-firenze.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/IMG_16219.jpg Thank you

This is my first attempt at a leather jacket. I used left over 3oz leather to construct this, trimmed it with 5oz veg-tanned, 100% wool lining and deer antler toggles. This all hand punched and stitched. Any feed back would be appreciated. This is also my first post and I haven't figured the best way of adding photos.

Hello all leather people. i am looking for where i can get a basic pattern for making a motorcycle jacket, or is it possibe to use a basic shirt pattern to make a one. i need your advice. Thank You.