A Viet Nam Vet has asked me to sew some patches onto his leather vest. I haven't used my machine to sew leather so I am wondering if you have. My machine is a Viking Sapphire 855 and I do have a leather needle. Should I try it or use my older Elna?

I don't know anything about your particular Viking, but a full size Elna will sew leather very well.

In my experience it depends on the thickness and stiffness of the leather. I won't use my machine if I feel it is too thick or stiff. :)

The leather is soft and supple and has a rayon-type lining. My machine is new so I don't want to screw it up and that is why I am wondering about which machine to use. Then again, I paid so much for the machine you would think it would do everything, including making coffee.

Which Elna do you have? My 1974 Star SU will sew anything I can force under the presser foot, including sewing two men's belts together.

You'll also need heavier thread. I usually opt for a polyester or nylon, even tho most everything you read says use cotton on leather. I've repaired many a leather biker jacket, sewn on many patches, repaired motorcycle seats, chaps, etc. Most are in all kinds of weather & frankly cotton thread just rots. In a pinch carpet thread can be used. Cordona thread is heavy, but it make be too thick to pass thru the eye of a leather needle. They make a special needle for it.

A leather needle has a wedge shaped tip that "cuts" a hole in the leather to allow the thread to pass thru. Unlike fabric, which is woven, leather is a solid. So once a hole is punched in it, it's there for life. So with each pass of the needle there is a hole. It's best to sew over the beginning & ending & not do any back tacking. Pull threads to back & hand tie off.

I'd also suggest using a tear-away stabilizer on the underside. It will help prevent the lining from getting torn by the feed dogs. If you don't have any just use a piece of computer printer paper. Heck I've even used newspaper in a pinch.

Because leather can stretch & is never completely dry it often sticks to the pressure foot. A leather roller foot helps, but if you dont have one I suggest using a jeans foot.

It's not as hard as it sounds. You just need to take measures to prevent problems.

i sew patches on leathers for friends every season- with my viking-
use the leather needle- a good 30-40 wt thread- top and bobbin.
lot's easier than you may imagine. :thumbup:
i started charging $15 a patch (thinking that would put them -off-'cause it's not my favorite thing to do ) but evidently that's a pretty fair price- they come to me with dozens of patches at a time....

My wife started sewing patches onto our leather motorcycle vests in 2001, with a JC Penney 7057 (1980s machine), using Coats Dual Duty Plus thread and a size 11 Singer Universal needle. We haven’t had a patch come loose yet. She tried leather needles for home machines, but they broke more often than the small ones.

In 2006, she started using a Singer 401A with the same thread and needle size.

By 2007, I had picked up a Consew 225 and a Singer 29K70 (industrial walking foot machines) that we use most of the time now with #92 Ultra Dee UV-resistant thread and size 20 needles to sew most of the patches onto leather vests at our shop. But, she still sews one on every now and then with the Singer 401A and the small thread and needle. Haven’t had any problems.

CD in Oklahoma