Leathercraft and Construction
Making a Leather Coat: Patterns, Seams and the Choices That Make It Last
Making a leather coat: fit the pattern in muslin, buy skins to the layout, use clips not pins, set needle and stitch length, and flatten every seam.
To make a leather coat, fit the pattern in muslin first, buy skins to that layout, cut each piece single layer, hold pieces with clips instead of pins, and sew with a leather needle and a longer stitch. Then flatten every seam with glue, a mallet or topstitching. Needle holes in leather do not close up, so most of the work happens before the first stitch.
This project guide is part of our leathercraft techniques and garment construction section. For how jackets are made in a workshop or factory, see how a leather jacket is made.
Is a leather coat a realistic project?
It is, as long as you plan for mistakes you cannot undo. Mood Fabrics' leather sewing tips suggest starting with something small, and making a first garment only partly in leather, such as a jersey top with leather sleeves.
The hard part is that leather does not forgive. You can take a seam in, but you cannot let it out, because the old stitch holes will show. One export jacket factory treats a single extra stitch as a reject for the same reason.
How much leather a coat needs
Garment leather is sold by the skin, and skins vary in size. Buy to your own layout, not to a rule of thumb.
A coat has longer panels than a jacket, so lay your pattern pieces on the actual skins before you pay.
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| Leather wholesaler | A lambskin is about 4-7 sq ft (0.4-0.6 m²) |
| Mood Fabrics | One skin usually gives two short sleeves or part of a bodice |
| One home sewist (WeAllSew) | Made her jacket from four lambskins |
| One export factory | Uses 6-7 skins per jacket on average |
Choosing garment leather
Garments need leather that bends and stretches. Chrome tanning gives a stretchable leather suited to garments. Goatskin, sheepskin, horsehide and cowhide are among the hides most used for jackets, according to Wikipedia's leather jacket article.
Thickness matters as much as the animal. A tannery chart puts 1 oz leather, about 0.41 mm (0.016 in), in the garment range. For comparison, Leather Collection lists its coats at about 0.8-1.4 mm (0.03-0.06 in) depending on style. For grades and layers, see leather types and quality.
Tools and materials
- Pattern, muslin and tracing paper. Trace full right and left pieces so you can test the layout.
- Rotary cutter and pattern weights for cutting.
- Sewing clips (Wonder Clips or alligator clips) instead of pins.
- Leather machine needles, 90/14 or 100/16.
- A non-stick presser foot, such as a Teflon foot or one with a sliding sole.
- Strong thread. One UK jacket maker uses cotton with a polyester core, because pure cotton rots first in old jackets.
- Contact cement or fusible web, and a rubber mallet for seams.
How to make a leather coat, step by step
1. Fit the pattern in muslin
Sew a full test coat in muslin and fix the fit there. Every change you make in leather leaves holes.
2. Lay out and buy the skins
Take the muslin or pattern pieces to the leather seller and lay them on the skins. Check each skin for flaws. One export factory places imperfect areas where nobody sees them, mainly the collar band and inner cuff.
3. Cut single layer
Hold the muslin in place with weights and cut with a rotary cutter. Factories cutting high-end jackets use scalpels for the same reason: a cleaner, continuous edge.
4. Decide on skiving
Skiving shaves the leather thinner where pieces fold or overlap, to cut bulk. Not every maker does it on seams; see "Where makers disagree" below.
5. Hold pieces with clips
Pins leave permanent holes, so clip the seam edges together instead.
6. Set up the machine
Fit a leather needle, 90/14 or 100/16, and a non-stick foot. Leather needles have a cutting point; sizes 100/16 and 110/18 are made for thick leather. Set a stitch length of about 3.0 for seams and longer for topstitching, and sew slowly.
Do not go too short. A maker of heavy jackets warns that tiny stitches put holes so close together that the leather can tear along the seam like a sheet of stamps.
7. Sew and flatten the seams
Sew each seam, then make it lie flat. Either topstitch it, or press it open and glue the seam allowances down with contact cement or fusible web, then pound it flat with a rubber mallet.
8. Lining, closures and buttons
Lining, seam tape, zippers, snaps and buttons are usually bought in, even by factories. Sew buttons by hand with a thread stem: one maker notes that a machine-sewn button can unwind if one thread is pulled.
Seams that lie flat
Leather seams need flattening as well as sewing. Mood lists two routes: topstitching, or opening the seam and gluing it. Topstitching also shows on the outside, so decide where you want it before you cut. For the stitches themselves, see common leather stitching types.
Kasia's Leather School sews eight garment seams on lamb nappa, from a glued open seam to topstitched, lapped and raw-edge seams. Watch how each is flattened before topstitching; she glues open seams, which one jacket maker below avoids near hems and zips.
Where makers disagree
These are maker opinions, not test results. Pick one approach, then test it on scrap from the same skin.
| Question | One view | Other view |
|---|---|---|
| Skive the seams? | Skiving reduces bulk at seams and folds | One UK jacket maker never skives seams; it says a skived seam with a small stitch can become a weak point |
| Glue before topstitching? | Mood glues seams open with contact cement or fusible web | The same maker never glues hem or front-edge folds, because residue makes relining or a new zip much harder |
| Special needle? | Mood lists leather needles | Both Mood and a WeAllSew author have sewn leather with ordinary sharp needles |
Common mistakes
- Pinning. Every pin leaves a hole.
- Cutting too tight. Seams can be taken in later, never let out.
- A very short stitch. Close holes weaken the line.
- Unpicking and re-sewing in the same place. The first holes stay.
How to judge a finished coat
The same choices show on any coat, homemade or bought:
- Matched panels. Color and grain should match from panel to panel; one maker cuts and keeps each coat's panels together for this reason.
- Stitch size suited to the leather, not so small the holes crowd together.
- Flaws placed out of sight, for example under the collar band or inside the cuff.
- Buttons sewn on with a stem.
Ask a seller which seams are sewn by hand and which by machine. For hand seams, see how to hand-stitch leather.
Buying a coat instead
If the project is more than you want to take on, Leather Collection men's leather coats come in cowhide, sheepskin or goatskin, with a Custom Size option cut to your measurements and a choice of regular, printed or no lining.
FAQ
How hard is it to make your own leather jacket?
It is a garment-sewing project first. The main difficulty is that stitch holes are permanent, so fit must be settled in muslin before you cut. Mood suggests a small or part-leather project first.
How much leather is needed to make a leather jacket?
It depends on the skins and the pattern. One home sewist used four lambskins; one factory averages 6-7 skins per jacket. Lay your pieces on the skins before buying.
Can I sew leather with my regular sewing machine?
Lightweight garment leather, yes: Mood sews it on a home machine with a leather needle, a non-stick foot and a stitch length of about 3.0. For thicker seams by hand, see leather stitching basics.
Is leather difficult to sew?
It is less forgiving than fabric rather than harder. Use clips, sew slowly and test settings on scrap.
LeatherGuru Editorial Team
LeatherGuru articles are researched from published sources, cited in the text, and reviewed before publication.