Stitching patches on leather motorcycle jackets

[UKRay]

This week I was approached by three very, very large and exceptionally hairy bikers who want me to stitch patches on their leather jackets. Individually they are impressive, as a set they are outstanding - they are also extremely funny and we spent an hilarious couple of hours over a few beers before doing the deal. Most importantly, these guys have lots of friends and there isn't anyone else offering this service for miles. I could do with the extra business.

Before I start work I just thought I'd run this one past the gang to learn what can go wrong, what I need to make sure I do and how to guarantee a successful job. The leathers look expensive and I really don't want to screw up just because I didn't ask y'all.

Bree - this is definitely one for you, but anyone else's opinion would be gratefully received.

I plan on using my trusty 29K4 with UK #40 thread.

Where do I start and finish - to stick or not to stick; and what do I stick 'em with?

Over to you guys...

[Jordan]

Can't be of much help other than it seems pretty straight forward, as long as you check if the leathers have a removable liner so you don't sew through that. And Bree is a few days into a 10 day fishing vacation from what I read. There are a few others here that do patches so I think you will get a lot of advise.

[Randy Cornelius]

I have done several of these jobs as I belong to the Blue Knights motorcycle club. I always stick them down before I sew as I don't want them moving while I sew them. That way I don't get any pucker. It is better to use a table top so you can get them as flat as possible. I glue the patches down with a glue I get at Wally word call Fabric Tac" it is a clear glue that bonds in seconds. I always let it set for 15 minutes or so before I start. This seems to work for me. As far as where to start, I always sew on the center or biggest patch first. As long as you glue them down I don't see why you cannot start anywhere.

Randy

[Luke Hatley]

Ray welcome to the Biker World .

I have no problem sewing thru the lining. Most of the Bikers that i deal with dont care if i

sew thru the lining. Every now and then someone will not want it sewn thru the lining

and they pay a high price . Just take a look as to what it takes to do it, then you'll

see as to why.

I will use double face tape or Fabric-tack glue to hold the patches in place.

most of the patches i sew with my singer 31-15, leather point needle &

size 69 thread.

When i use the patch machine i am placeing a patch where there is a pocket on the inside

of the item. or on a sleve.

I will say this "you get one shot at it" , because the Jacket or Vest is his, and you trust the Machine.

have fun, and dont let the Big Burley Blooks mess with you...

[Jordan]

I was thinking of the removable zippered liner like the jacket I have, it is well hidden by a flap and I didn't even know it was removable until a few weeks after I had bought it.

[celticleather]

Ray

We do quite a lot of this at the shop. I always ensure that the jacket/waistcoat owner is aware that I will be sewing through the lining, and I check that it will not entail stitching through an inside pocket.

I stick the patches to the coat with double-sided tape, and stitch as close to the edge of the patch as possible. I've found it best to use the flat table on our 29K, to reduce the risk of the lining puckering.

Terry

Edited May 11, 2009 by celticleather

[broncobuster]

I do biker partys n rallys n put thousands of patches on and being at a rally theres no room for mistakes n done in timely fashion. but mistakes do happen just be slow and precise. always check your liner n make sure coat is flat on table and be careful not to pull on liner as ya stitch. the mesh liners are more slippery n difficult sometimes. watch for padding and hidden zippers and the padding pockets inside in liner. I also sell patches and have over 1000 different patches. square edge patches are easy(round also) but the sqiggly, wavy, n pointed type edges can be a pain in the kister. sewing patches on is majority of my work along with selling the patches. every weekend Im at a party n sewing sewing sewing lol. if ya using the 29 hope you have a table for it. big patches can be very difficult to deal with on one of those. I use mine only for pockets n sleeves. have fun Bronco

[Ian]

Ray, I use spray adhesive - just the lightest spritz, wait a second to let it get tacky, and that's plenty to hold it in place to sew. That way they are removable or movable, if need be.

Also before I do that, I place them and measure side to side and up and down to make sure they are centered. Then put little tabs of masking tape as register marks, so I can place them exactly. That is only on large back or three piece patches. The small ones I do by eye. Most of the clubs are pretty particular about the placement, so I alway tell those guys to place them in the exact position they want them and then center them with a ruler. That way it's not my fault if they aren't sewn to club specs. That exact thing happened on Saturday, when a guy called at 6am, frantic because he had got the position of his center patch wrong and needed it moved an inch higher before he could go on a run later that morning. For that reason, I'm glad I stopped glueing them down permenantly before sewing.

[cdthayer]

I plan on using my trusty 29K4 with UK #40 thread.

Where do I start and finish - to stick or not to stick; and what do I stick 'em with?

We have put most of our own patches on our own biker vests, although we've had Vendors put some on while we were at the rally where we bought the patches. My wife put a bunch of them on with a home sewing machine (an old JC Penny free-arm machine) using common Coats & Clark Dual Duty thread. She pinned them. They've been on there for years, through more than one rain storm, and are still firmly attached with no problems. We've never sewn a patch onto our coats, which are thicker. All of the patches go on our vests that have thin liners.

We sew a few patches onto biker vests at our shop, and have probably "moved" as many as we have added new ones. So far, all of the patches that we've sewn on have been on non-club vests for recreational bikers with no set standards as to where a patch goes. We have the customer put the patch where they like it, and we sew it on for them. Then, later on, they'll come in with a new patch that they like better, and want it put where we put the last one. LOL! We've tried a variety of methods to keep patches from moving while we're attaching them, but they all seem to have some kind of problem. Two-sided tape doesn't always stick good enough to "seasoned" leather. Pins work ok, but are hard to insert and can cause puckering, and some folks don't like for us to add more holes to their leather without putting thread in it. (Remember, a lot of these jobs include moving a patch, so there's already going to be several unfilled holes and another hole or two from a pin isn't an issue for them.) One customer brought in his vest with duct tape rolled and placed under the patch. Worked really good to hold the patch for me, but then one day I had to move a patch that had been stuck with duct tape about 5-6 years earlier. Wasn't hard to get the patch off, the tape "cloth" just fell out when I removed the stitches, but the gum from the tape was on there like concrete. We are going to start using Fabri-tac sparingly (just a few dots around the patch), but it's a permanent bond and I'm concerned about how it "untacks" after time. We're still looking for a better solution. I may try the sprits of spray adhesive.

At the shop, my wife puts patches on leather vests with a Singer 401A and Dual Duty thread, just like she does on uniform shirts. I use a Consew 225 for flat patches, especially large back patches, and a 29k70 (without table extension) for patches over pockets. I use whatever thread I have that matches the patch border color, but like to use V92. If a patch is only partially over a pocket, I sew what I can with the Consew first, and then finish up on the boot patcher. I've had problems keeping the lining straight with the 29k. I usually start sewing at the bottom of the patch for some reason. I'm not sure why. And from the looks of the patches coming into the shop lately, I think that patch makers have a contest going on to see how many points and curved edges they can design into them....

CD in Oklahoma

[UKRay]

Well, I read everything y'all had to say and did my first patch today. The reality was a whole lot easier than I imagined. It took a couple of minutes and everyone went away happy.

The thing that made it easy was being prepared and having the confidence to do the job. I had all the questions ready - do you mind if I stitch through the lining? I had glue to hand and double sided tape at my side. I had the machine ready - bobbin full and ready to roar. The job was a breeze and he is coming back with two more hairy biker mates at the weekend.

Thanks guys you really helped.

Ray