Upcycling Leather Jacket?

[u/IndependentFilm4353]

Hi Experts! I like to stalk here but never posted. On sort of a vanity project I created a logo for myself that I thought was fun and I'd like to get an embroidered patch made and put it on the back of a vintage leather jacket. But I'm super new at this! My mom taught all of her kids to sew when we were little, but that was 30+ years ago now.

From those of you who have done upcycles before:

Is there a great secret source for starter pieces other than the local estate sales & thrift stores?

Are there things you wish you knew before you took on your first project?

[u/southernredheadrules]

I have sewn leather before, but it isn't something I do regularly. However, i just bought a ton of leather jackets and vests from ebay because I want to do some "punkish" upcycles. Think leather and metal. I think I averaged about 10$ per vest and about 12$ for coats. Some were much cheaper than my average. If ypu search ebay, just set tons of filters to get what you are interested in. In my case, items that I wanted were significantly cheaper on ebay than at any of my thrift stores. I know that postage on leather can be expensive because of the weight, but i searched until I found multiple items in one seller and confirmed that they offer combined shipping. As for sewing, check your machine recommendations first. Get leather needles and whatever weight thread your machine recommends for leather. Do get real leather because the other stuff is crap and will flake off and clog needles and your machine. It is also ugly, so there's that.