Stitching patches on leather motorcycle jackets

[Luke Hatley]

AW Shucks twernt nothing...........we just wanted to build your confidence up....

[Ian]

This is quite timely. Yesterday a guy called from a club that is moving from another state to mine, so he needs all the bottom rockers changed - no problem, but heres the sticky part. The vests were all custom made, and the patches sewn on before they were lined, so he wants the change done the same way - not sewn through the lining. I haven't seen them yet, but I'm picturing what it will be like, undoing the lining (hopefully I'll just have to unpick the bottom seam on the back). There are only 10 members in the chapter, but I'm anticipating this to be quite a job. Fortunately, with this kind of stuff, there is no material cost involved, so beyond the time, it's all profit.

But, I'm happy to add a new club to my customers. I do work for 7 clubs now, and they always result in more leather business of other types. So, it was a good score.

[Ian]

Well, I read everything y'all had to say

Ray

Ray, you've got a good start on the lingo you'll need for your move to Tennessee

[Bree]

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...

Sorry for the delay. I have been recuperating in the mountains... on Piney Mountain to be quite specific. Didn't catch any fish though I had fun trying... came pretty darn close... but brook trout have an innate instinct to avoid impaling themselves on hooks!!

Lots of good comments from the peeps. Not sure that I can add much. I have tried a lot of ways to sew on patches for bikers and I am always trying new things. What I have come to believe is that first you have to somehow immobilize the patch to prevent any movement as you sew. I used to use a technique I learned from an old biker leather guy named Ray Pruitt. He liked to contact cement down the patches. He would slap on some cement on the patch and then some where it was to go... wait 10 mins... apply it and sew. He also used 29-4's for his work.

I changed that and applied the cement to the patch only and while it was wet pressed it on the leather in the position I wanted it to go and then immediately removed it. That creates and exact image of the cement. Wait for it to dry and apply then sew.

I did that for a long time but it has three serious faults... first, it wastes a lot of time waiting for the glue to dry; second, it exposes you to a lot of VOC vapor; and third, you have to get the positioning exactly right in one shot or start peeling away the contact cemented patch and maybe start over.

Fabri-Tac and similar permanent cements share similar problems. Temp solutions like rubber cement never stuck well enough to ensure no movement while the piece was being sewn. Often times I roll heavy vests and jackets to fit them under the machine arm and to maintain tension to prevent any "bubbles" on the front or the back lining. It also helps inadvertantly sewing something that you definitely don't want to sew that somehow sneaks underneath and you can't see it. That is a VERY expensive mistake as you may have to buy the customer a new leather.

The way that I have settled on for the time being is to use carpet tape... double sided with a very thin adhesive layer. There are other kinds like wood turners double sided tape which is very tacky and very thick. There are tapes with essentially a film or cloth layer with adhesive on both sides.

I want a very thin film or even glue-only layer. They are harder to peel the tape away from but the glue is unnoticeable, gives the right amount of stick, permits repositioning, won't move even when folded, and doesn't do any permanent damage to the leather especially when you remove the patch.

You don't need real expensive carpet tape. I have about 5 different kinds on my shelf right now and the rolls I am using both come from Harbor Freight. I use 2" and 1" rolls. I tape all main boundaries of the patch as well as the center. I usually tape so most of the tape is about 1/2"-3/4" from the edge. I don't want to sew through the tape as it sticks to the needle and can cause problems and thread fraying and breakage.

There are different ways to sew the patches. I prefer to sew exactly on the inside seam of the embroidered edge of the patch. That makes the stitch pretty much disappear. It also hides the holes well if you have to remove the patch and resew it on a different vest or jacket.

I use special topstitching feet that have little spring loaded walls that allow me to run them along the outside edge of the patch and get that precise distance from the outer edge all around and usually right on the inside seam. The topstitch feet don't always help and sometimes you just have to watch what you're doing and follow your line with the eyeball.

I don't like to sew in the embroidered edge itself. It is very noticeable and looks tacky when the holes are visible on a resew job. Also I take digital PIX of the patch placement and have the customer set the patches for the PIX unless they give me unlimited right to place them where I see fit. That saves a LOT of misunderstandings!

I took some PIX of a large job involving a couple hundred dollars worth of patches. I had to key up the brightness to show some of the stitching. But you can see where I like to sew and how it turns out in an actual job. Note how sewing on the inner edge with black thread is invisible on the ASMI patch despite the white background. Saves making a thread color change too!! All these patches were sewn with the Juki 1541S.

The customer paid and loved the work. That is what counts.

[Suze]

somebody said something about using tape to hold down the patches and that it worked well except when you wanted to move the patches later

wouldn't it be easy to sew around MOST of the patch and then reach in with a pair of "handy dandy hemostats" and pull out the tape?

then sew the rest of the patch down?

just asking

[Bree]

somebody said something about using tape to hold down the patches and that it worked well except when you wanted to move the patches later

wouldn't it be easy to sew around MOST of the patch and then reach in with a pair of "handy dandy hemostats" and pull out the tape?

then sew the rest of the patch down?

just asking

I want the hold down power all the way until the end of the job. So I am very reluctant to yank out the tape which quite frankly isn't all that easy to do in practice.

The tape is usually not a problem to relocation unless it is several years old. It can get very gooey and sticky as it ages and is exposed to UV. It can take the top grain with it as you try to remove it. That's when a little Goo Gone or citrus type solvent works wonders... usually. Just to be sure, always test on an inconspicuous spot of the leather!!

The trick to this patch business is to get it done quickly and with the least amount of effort. If you are doing production sewing as you would at a rally or a dealer event, you have a line of people waiting for you to sew their patches. It's genuine Greek Restaurant sewing... Eat, Pay, Get Out! Here it is useful to have a helper tape and position the patches while you sew and maybe arbitrate a price issue over a difficult patch with a lot of curves or high difficulty areas. Other methods are too messy or time consuming... or fail to maintain the positioning until you can reliably tack it in.

My $.02.

[Suze]

Oh - it all becomes clear now

I think I will keep my trap shut and learn things

[UKRay]

Thsat was something of a masterclass on patch stitching, Bree. I'm most grateful for all the advice.

My slip into the vernacular, so astutely picked up by Ian, was entirely down to spending far too much time on a certain Leatherworker's forum... that is my excuse and i'm sticking to it (probably with double sided tape).

Confidence, Luke? I wish!

They say a person with their mouth open learns less than a person with their mouth closed... I'm going to shut up now and see what happens.

[rdb]

You'll be fine, just take your time.

I've been sewing a few on with my Adler 30-1. Makes doing sleeve patches a breeze, and you can go as slow as you like. A patcher is a must if you get into this stuff. You can repair sleeve zippers, go through small holes in the lining to get somewhere, etc. Try and find an old Adler, or Singer. It will put you in better position to take on more jobs.

Full backs, and rockers, though need a flatbed, or you'll be there all day.

[Janice]

Thank you everyone for all the tips.

One that really struck me was:

" I don't want to sew through the tape as it sticks to the needle and can cause problems and thread fraying and breakage. "

Excellent point Bree, thanks!