I got the chance to repair this awesome coat this week! I love learning how to do new things, and this type of repair job was something I’d never done before. A lot of the leatherworking I do is figuring out how to create new designs and fix items I’ve never seen before – it’s so much fun.
This great trench coat had a number of faux leather details. Most of them were holding up just fine, but the original side corset lacing panels were quite shoddy. As you can see below, the faux leather just wasn’t strong enough and the panels were ripping a lot. They fell apart even more as I was removing them from the coat.
I replaced these panels with ones made from real leather. I like to re-purpose leather scraps and found leather items as much as possible, because it helps our environment to try to re-use what we already have. The leather for these new panels came from an old leather jacket that I’d cut up to use for parts. The contrast between the new and old panels is quite remarkable!
The new panels are set into the seams of the coat and are topstitched down, both for style and for extra strength.
Not only is this coat now repaired, it is also upgraded. 🙂 The side corset lacing panels I made are better than the original ones ever were, and this coat will continue to be awesome for a long time to come! ~Kell
