Leather embroidery

Strider · Post by **Strider** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 10:34 pm

I am looking to get an A-2 Bomber jacket here soon, and when I get it, I want to have some stuff embroidered on the back as well as on the front. Does anyone have any info on anyone that does this sort of work?

St. Dumas · Post by **St. Dumas** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 11:09 pm

Maybe start by calling a Harley-Davidson dealership and asking if they know of anyone. You could also call a tailor.

FLATHEAD · Post by **FLATHEAD** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 7:17 am

I am looking to get an A-2 Bomber jacket here soon, and when I get it, I want to have some stuff embroidered on the back as well as on the front.

If you are looking to make your jacket "authentic" as possible, then you
will want to have the back panel painted, and the arm and chest would
have a transfer decal put on, have it painted directly on, have a
painted/leather patch installed, or have an embroidered patch put on.

You really don't want to do embroidery right on a leather jacket. The
place doing it would have to take out the lining or they would be stitching
thru the lining, and that would make a real nice lumpy spot. Not to mention
since the leather does not really stretch like cloth, it would probably
pucker up alot and ruin it.

Also, if it did not come out the way you liked, it will make a million
little holes in the leather, and that would surely ruin it forever.

If you check the Vintage Jacket forums here http://cornellsurgery.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/
you can do a search of the site, and you will find several guys
who both paint the artwork on the back panels as well as make custom
made painted/leather or embroidered patches for sewing on to the
jackets the proper way.

The guys on this forum are even more anal about their WWII and
other leather jackets than we are here.

They spend upwards of $1200.00 for a real A-2 repro, to the point of
having the correct number of stitches per inch on the seams!!

These guys would never embroider right on one of their A-2 jackets.

Now, if you wanted to have a patch or something like that embroidered
first, you could then sew that onto the jacket. That would be much
better than doing it right on the jacket, and it would be much more
authentic.

Flathead

FLATHEAD · Post by **FLATHEAD** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 10:02 am

All correct to some degree, though embroidery on leather does in fact work quite well...

True. But some of the jackets I have seen with the embroidery right on the leather
looked not as well done as an embroidered patch that was just sewn
on, and to me, it ruined the whole look and feel of having a WWII A-2
jacket decorated in the first place. It looked kind of cheesy, and made
the jackets look like cheap mall jackets.

My thinking was to do as little damage to the actual leather as possible.

I have seen some nightmare embrodery jobs done to some really nice
leather jackets when the people doing the work stitched right thru the
lining of the jacket, and basically ruined it.

It all comes down to who is doing the work. Whatever you do, do not
go to just some yahoo with an embroidery machine and some colored
thread. Do your homework first just like you would if you were getting
the jacket painted.

I will say that even though it would cost MUCH more to have a jacket
painted, or have a custom made layered leather patch made, that would
increase the value of the jacket as well far more than putting embroidery
right on the jacket.

And your are SO right about telling the wife about having to HAVE
and expensive jacket!! I can see it now: Me: "Yes dear, the jacket
did indeed cost as much as your last used car, so what?" Her: "Well,
then you can just put your new jacket on, and go out and sleep in the
car now since they are the same to you..."

Ouch...

Flathead

FLATHEAD · Post by **FLATHEAD** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 10:26 am

All true - but again, that was not what was asked?

I guess I just got carried way, especially when I see what great work
can be done with paint.

Here is the work by a guy named Jerome over at the VJF. He is
probably the best jacket painter I have ever seen.

Here is his page: http://www.picturetrail.com/jrome

If you are interested in seeing what a top quality painted jacket
can look like, check him out.

I am sure _ has seen his work and will agree.

Flathead

Ripper · Post by **Ripper** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 2:10 pm

_, you should post pictures of all your jackets. Im sure im not the only one who would love to see them all !

Ripper · Post by **Ripper** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 2:15 pm

your wife sounds like mine.......if it would help, id love to see the jackets with the art work on them.

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 3:01 pm

Jackets? _, I never knew you were into jackets!

8-[

Regards! Michaelson

Strider · Post by **Strider** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 10:36 pm

I'll be honest, this is just a fun project, not a serious one that needs too much attention to detail.

I just want the words: "Ferris Aircraft, Inc." put on the back in green letters, and a name patch on the front that reads:

H. Jordan
"Highball"

To those who don't "get it", Ferris Aircraft is where Hal "Highball" Jordan flew as a test pilot before becoming widely known as ... The Green Lantern.

So yeah, now that we understand, I just was looking to do get this done for fun, as something to wear around as an inside joke with myself, and anyone else who got it along the way would thing it was neat, as well as those who didn't get it.

Rixter · Post by **Rixter** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:10 pm

_ wrote:
Indiana Ripper wrote:_, you should post pictures of all your jackets. Im sure im not the only one who would love to see them all !
I did once, and John sent me a nasty-gram about the amount of bandwidth it took for the pics to come through!

I've added to the collection since, so I'll see what I can do... My wife is rolling her eyes as I write this, saying "Oh, please don't encourage him " (meaning me)...

...hmm, on the surface this sounds to be as flimsy a reason for not posting pics as, oh, say... daughter #1 is always in possession of my camera.

Not that these reasons aren't true.

I of course have no need for coming up with such reasons for not posting pics of my jackets since my dog ate my digital camera some three years ago.

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:12 pm

Rixter wrote:[...hmm, on the surface this sounds to be as flimsy a reason for not posting pics as, oh, say... daughter #1 is always in possession of my camera.

Oh, come now old friend, it's worked for me for YEARS now!!!

Regards! Michaelson

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:36 pm

Not from my old buddy Rixter, no. That was a nudge to you for photos, and a wink at me, which I recognized immediately, because I've had to offer that as my excuse for quite a while, and it's true. Sad thing is, that camera is about to head to Phoenix, so you think getting photos was next to impossible before.....

Regards! Michaelson

Rixter · Post by **Rixter** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 4:30 pm

Michaelson wrote:Not from my old buddy Rixter, no. That was a nudge to you for photos, and a wink at me, which I recognized immediately, because I've had to offer that as my excuse for quite a while, and it's true. Sad thing is, that camera is about to head to Phoenix, so you think getting photos was next to impossible before.....

Regards! Michaelson

I'm almost certain from his P.S. that _ knows that my reference to flimsy reasons not to post pics was 'not' meant as a "slam" but rather as a gentle "nodge" for photos of his unique jacket collection suggested by Indiana Ripper as you immediately recognized; although, I couldn't help take notice of the ominous change in his avatar from the beloved cartoon character Popeye he had previously been using (I think) to that of the menacing Incredible Hulk.

8-[

As to picking another possible flimsy reason that might be used for not posting pics, quite out of the blue as I did.

Imagine my utter shock and surprise to learn that a prominent member right here on COW has been using that reason for years.

Anyway, it's always nice to see pictures of other folks jackets and gear.

Post by **Ken** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 5:25 pm

Anyone know where you would go to get a custom patch made for a jacket?

Ken

randystokes · Post by **randystokes** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 12:18 pm

I'd love to see pictures of _'s jackets, too. Maybe someone could host his pictures and provide a link here on COW so we don't drive the bandwidth police crazy!

Just how many jackets DO you have _? Sounds like quite a collection!

Randy

PS I, too, am a bit intimidated by the new Hulk avatar.

Ripper · Post by **Ripper** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 12:41 pm

Just how many jackets DO you have _? Sounds like quite a collection!

From another post.......

I've been on these forums with _ for over seven years. I've followed most of threads. He really IS the ultimate "A-2 geek" around here. If all of that guys jackets came back to life, he'd have a farm!

Id say A LOT boarding on a TON........

randystokes · Post by **randystokes** » Fri Dec 08, 2006 12:48 pm

Yeah, and if all those jackets came back to life, he's have a whole lot of PO'd cows, goats, horses and sheep . . .

Randy