I've been having some problems with the handwarmer pocket stitching on my Wested. Take a look at the pictures.
The stitching that holds the handwarmer pockets to the jacket has started to com loose, on both sides. You can't see it in the picture too well, since I dont have my good camera at the house. I don't know what to do about it, but I don't want it to rip anymore! Any suggestions?
Thats a diagram of what would have prevented it in the first place. A horizontal stitch at the opening of the handwarmer pocket.
Our jackets were 'born' on the same day after all!
Is it just the stitches coming loose or is there actual damage to the leather?
On mine they backed up a few stiches in the machine as reinforcement but I can see the possibility of my stitches coming loose too. I'd say you have hit on the solution already - take it to a seamstress, if you don't feel like doing it yourself, and get the vertical stitch reinforced and add a few horizontal stitches for good measure.
If your hands are big that might be over straining the side pockets too?
Or you just can put it down to natural distressing.
I had to run some stitching repairs on my jacket while travelling. WEsted is only half an hour up the road from me, so I'm lucky & can always pop in for repairs, etc. However, next time I'm in, I intend to get some of their thread off of Peter so I can run further repairs myself in the future
Me, I just don't use em. This way they won't rip. I know that does you no good but if you take it someone who works with leather I'll betcha they can fix it right as rain.
Croft
It is somewhat common, especially for people with big hands. The same thing happened with my flightsuits jacket. I sent it in for repair and had them stitch it heavy duty-problem solved! Just take it to a leather repair shop, it's an easy fix for them.
note- I don't have big hands , but the pockets are smaller on a flightsuits(screen accurate)
I was stupid and tried to stuff two gloves into the right handwarmer and the stitching ripped right there. My mom fixed it with her sewing machine in two minutes.
Finally someone else knows the trouble I'm going threw, dont get me wrong I would never want to wish this tragedy upon anyone else haha but this is a common problem for me, two of my wested jackets ripped maybe big hands i dont know? but on my recent goat Peter made the hand warmer opening bigger and i havent had a problem yet.
NeosMatrix003, just curious, where did you get that little sketch that appears with your post? Is it a Struzan or an Amsel? I thought I had seen every IJ illustration out there but I dont believe I've seen that one.
How often are people having problems with their Wested's? Is there alot of people on here or are problems like snaps popping out and the hand warmer ripping rare?
For me if I'm going to spend this kind of money on a jacket I don't want anything wrong with it when I get it.
The same pre-d cow I mentioned in another thread that had the popper come out on the hand-warmer flap also had the stitching come out of the bottom of the handwarmer pocket.
When I ordered my lambskin, I asked that this stitching be reinforced so it wouldn't happen to it, too.
Seems like my one jacket is experiencing all of he ailments that others are having individually.
J_Weaver wrote:I still find it kinda strange that the Indy jacket has handwarmer pockets to start with.
Where would Jones Sr. get the lighter from to torch a castle if it wasn't there?
You asked for suggestions, and mine is to just get a needle out and repair and enforce with double folded thread yourself. My sleeve lining bulged out after some ride up and I just shortened it by folding and restitching. The cheapest way, no wait and not visible. If the leather isn't ripped that is... Just look at the other pocket to see what it should look like and I'm sure you'll do fine.
Reviving a dead thread to say that the stitching on my handwarmer pocket (left side) came apart. No leather damage yet, but I gotta go to a seamstress to get it repaired soon.
This seems to happen to people who actually use the hand warmer pockets on their jacket. Mine pockets have torn on both my cowhide jacket and on my cotton jacket. On my cotton jacket the pockets were almost pulled all the way off. I've fixed both of them with some strong black thread each time. It just seems like it would be a nice option though, if we could get that part of the pocket rivited together.
Adam
I've heard negative comments before about the handwarmers being unnecessary and not really period accurate because most flight jackets never had them. You will find hand warmers on many civilian jackets of the period. I don't use mine to warm my hands. That's what gloves are for. However, I would be lost without them because my pockets are always stuffed full of junk and those handwarmers are just two more places to put stuff.
glad i read this post. I just wrote to Gemma and asked her to reinforce my pockets to prevent this problem from happening. Ordered my jacket on the 24th, i still have a couple weeks to go probably.
MorgonKenbur wrote:glad i read this post. I just wrote to Gemma and asked her to reinforce my pockets to prevent this problem from happening. Ordered my jacket on the 24th, i still have a couple weeks to go probably.
if you got goatskin, they dont have any. I ordered mine on the 16th and i just found out today that they are out
Hmm.. what does the reinforcing entail? Is it worth it to request it ?
I also have had a few issues regarding my hand warmer pockets on a Wested that I had owned back in the day. It seemed as if the stitching wasn't the greatest on that particular location of the jacket, so I never really used them.
Pitfall Harry, if you are looking to get a well-built Indy jacket, have you looked into the Flightsuit Indy jacket yet? They are pricey, but well worth the money! I'm not trying to take any business away from Wested, I'm just lettin' ya know about the options and choices out there... .
Oh, I got my dark brown goatskin Wested for X-Mas. I love the jacket and I use the hand warmers quite a bit. It's been kind of a mild winter so I've been wearing it outside alot. I wear a sweater under it and it keeps me pretty warm. I also have some pretty thick gloves I carry in the handwarmer pockets.
I asked for the reinforced stitching when I ordered mine. I was trying to see if the people that were having the problems did or didn't get theirs reinforced also.
They don't charge anything extra for it either.
I saw the Flight Suit jackets and they are nice. The cost is out of the price range I want to pay for any jacket....unless I win the Lotto.
I'm happy with the Wested and it is the jackets the used in the films so you can't beat that.
mantis- What the heck do you mean they are out of goatskin??? Did you order an already made wested, or did you have yours custom made? I wasnt told of any problems from Wested, they said my order was processed.
I won't mention how when I ordered my Wested goat it took 3 months to get it cause they were out of goatskin. Just kidding guys, I'm sure it won't take that long.
MorgonKenbur wrote:mantis- What the heck do you mean they are out of goatskin??? Did you order an already made wested, or did you have yours custom made? I wasnt told of any problems from Wested, they said my order was processed.
I dont know what you mean as already made or custom, I just ordered it from the site (it says all orders are custom there...). It is dark brown goat, and apparently they have been out since the 16th
They might have had one or two already cut in a particular size but not made up, that's why one person might still get his in line before someone else. Seems like the big order the bought a few months ago is all used up. I wonder if this will be a new drought?
mantis, you can order just an already amde wested on ebay i know, or you can measure yourself to have one custom fit to your own body. I ordered a custom size with extra additions like most people, and in dark brown goat. They didnt mention anything about being out of teh goat when they processed my order. If its true i wish they would tell me, or get some new skin really soon. Who else was contacted by wested and told this? How long does it usually take them to get more leather in?
MorgonKenbur wrote:mantis, you can order just an already amde wested on ebay i know, or you can measure yourself to have one custom fit to your own body. I ordered a custom size with extra additions like most people, and in dark brown goat. They didnt mention anything about being out of teh goat when they processed my order. If its true i wish they would tell me, or get some new skin really soon. Who else was contacted by wested and told this? How long does it usually take them to get more leather in?
Hey Morgon (is that it?),
My last wested took 7 days before I got a shipping order, so now that it has been weeks I figured something may be up (or they forgot to email me the shipping details) so I sent them an email this morning and Gemma said my jacket hasn't even been cut yet because they are out of goat. I ordered on the 16th so if you ordered after there is a good chance you too will have to wait. Send them an email asking whats up, I'm gonna email tomorrow and ask if they have a general idea when the stuff comes in.
yea i got an email saying my order has been processed but thats it really. I wrote Gemma today to tell tehm to reinforce my hand warmer pockets, and i sent a sencond to double check about the goat.
Last edited by Indakin on Mon Jan 30, 2006 8:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I've had my jacket for close to a year now. And yes, I use my hand warmer frequently. In fact, today was pretty mild wheather and I still used my hand warmers.
I haven't had any trouble with the handwarmer attachments on my Wested horsehide jacket, and I've used them on several occasions. I think the problem is based on the type of leather the jacket is made from. Lambskin, being softer, wouldn't hold stitching as well as cowhide or horsehide. Although, to their credit, Wested tried to rectify this problem years ago.
I look at my jacket after seeing this thread and guess what? I have that same problem ( make a long story short). I took to a local talor and it was an easy fix ( 10 dollars ).
My stitches popped on both of my pockets on my TOD lamb. But, it's a beater jacket now that I wear at work to distress naturally, so I'm letting the stitching alone, along with the scrapes and scratches and drag marks.
, but the pockets are smaller on a flightsuits(screen accurate) 
If the leather isn't ripped that is... Just look at the other pocket to see what it should look like and I'm sure you'll do fine.
my pockets to prevent this problem from happening. Ordered my jacket on the 24th, i still have a couple weeks to go probably.
However, next time I'm in, I intend to get some of their thread off of Peter so I can run further repairs myself in the future 
Just kidding guys, I'm sure it won't take that long. 
