When I went to Belgium in 2013, I scored a beautiful black leather jacket with a quilted sheer red lining. I traveled to France a few days later for a metal festival called Hellfest and picked up several black, white, and red embroidered patches to decorate my leather with. (Yes, I love color coordination. And specifically these three colors together.)

It’s not easy sewing patches onto leather, but having the right tools to begin with will make the process much smoother.

I recommend buying bonded nylon thread. It’s thick, durable, and it comes in many different colors.

You will definitely need to buy a thimble. But don’t waste your time or money getting one from a dollar store. They are cheap and will fall off your thumb, which is very annoying when trying to complete a project. Just invest in a high-quality thimble.

You will also need a Glovers needle. This heavy needle has a sharp triangular point that makes it very easy to pierce leather.

All of these products can be purchased in downtown Winnipeg at a store called Warkov-Safeer, which is located at 462 Hargrave Street.

When I sewed these patches onto my jacket, I did not use any sort of adhesive to keep them in place. I just held them down with one hand and sewed with the other.