Patches For Jeans - A Couple Questions

[Indigoods1]

Hello all -

I'm new to this forum and also to leather working, but here goes - I would really appreciate any help:

I have a denim company based in LA. Instead of importing leather patches, as we've done previously, we'd like to source and make them here. We've decided on the Wicket and Craig russett harness quality, which we will have skivved down to 2mm thickness. (We are looking for a warm, natural color, any other suggestions are welcome!). There is a manufacturer here who will die cut and engrave them for us. Here's my 2 questions:

1) In a test run I did (with a different quality leather), the indigo from the denim bled all over the leather patch when washed. Is there any kind of sealant we can use that will mostly prevent this and also preserve the russett color?

2) The patch also shrank slightly when washed and dried with the denim - no surprise here. However, it poses a problem because it crumples the denim fabric that it is sewn onto which is no good. Any recommendations for how to prevent this? Do the patches need to be washed before being sewn onto the jeans? Would this shrinking be specific to veg tan leather as opposed to chrome tan?

Thanks for any of your insights!

[electrathon]

I think you are going to have trouble no matter what. No leather is not going to be happy about being washed.

Aaron

[Indigoods1]

Thanks for the quick response Aaron. Trim manufacturers must have some method for this as so many jeans have a leather patch?

I wonder if it's an uphill battle to use vegetable tanned rather than chromed tanned though.... Any more thoughts greatly appreciated. Thanks

I think you are going to have trouble no matter what. No leather is not going to be happy about being washed.

Aaron

[Dwight]

I certainly would not know how to go about it, . . . but whatever leather Levi's uses for it's patches on their britches, . . . I've seen the patches still be good, . . . but the jeans were not worth wearing.

If you could find out what they are using, . . . you should be home free.

May God bless,

Dwight

[electrathon]

I certainly would not know how to go about it, . . . but whatever leather Levi's uses for it's patches on their britches, . .

Good example, Levis does not use leather.

[Dwight]

Then they have changed, . . . we used to pull em off the old britches, years ago, . . . used em for sling shot pouches, . . . and they were most certainly leather back then.

May God bless,

Dwight