Are you like me…stowing away your 15 year old leather jackets?  ‘Not because they’ll ever come back into style or because they hold some kind of sentimental memories…but because you spent your hard-earned waitressing money on a coat that was way over priced…and you HAD to have it?  Yup, this was one of them.

I bought this cinnamon colored jacket around 1999/2000 and just swooned over the buttery leather.  This shapeless car coat style was “all the rage” and I wore it all.the.time.  It was my go-to jacket when heading out to “the clubs.”  Oh the memories….

I made it through college, 5 apartments, my first condo, two homes, and this jacket has come with me.  It has survived countless closet cleanings.  Why?  Because it still had value to me…not to some random person at goodwill or craigslist could ever appreciate.

But now I’m in my mid 30’s…a wife…a mom…but I sew!  And I sew bags……  I finally found the perfect use for my beloved car coat.  It would be re-incarnated into a beautiful Cargo Duffle.  You can see it live and in living color over on Sew Sweetness‘ blog for Pursepalooza.

To get the leather ready for transformation, there are a few tips I recommend (Please keep in mind, I am by NO means an expert..just love me some good leather.)

• Clean and condition the leather while the coat is whole – You want to do this periodically over the life of the jacket…But if you are like me, it didn’t happen for over 10 years.
• Start to cut through and remove the lining – This will reveal any glue or interfacing.  You know what to cut around and what to remove this way, rather than having to hacksaw your way through.
• Remove any buttons, zippers, and pockets
• Cut away any dry areas or where the leather has been stretched to a point where it does not lay flat (just like the top of the sleeve shown above.)
• If you have a pattern earmarked for the leather…cut it out in muslin or paper.  Use the templates to lay against the jacket – Unlike fabric, it’s gonna be hard to find a duplicate piece of leather that matches what you have.
• Now you’re ready to cut up the jacket
• Before sewing, condition the leather again if it was neglected for years like mine.
• Save the scraps!!!  You’ll need them for tension testing (which I had to do quite a bit…) and for making fun tassels later 😉

Do you have any additional tips?  I’d love to hear them all!

Scissor Happy,

Cristy