Reinforcing the shoulder/back part of a jacket?

DoomgarlicSun, 24/04/2016 - 13:24

One, and soon two, of my favorite jackets are slowly falling apart, especially around the shoulder area. I've patched this part a couple of times but patching up is no longer an option as the original fabric gets even more stressed when a part next to it is reinforced.

Here's a pic of the jacket that's in most need of a fix:
http://tshirtslayer.com/files-tshirt/styles/shirtviewbottom/public/user-...

I'm thinking of adding a sturdy piece of cloth from the inside of the jacket to cover the whole upper back area and help it from falling apart even more.
The tricky part is getting the cloth to stick to the whole part of the shoulder area. Vlieseline might do the job but it's not that sturdy and would probably not be a good permanent solution. Glue+cloth would also be an option but getting the glue even and the cloth flat all over might be a bit tricky.
If anyone has experience with this kind of reinforcement, let me know, all help is appreciated!

grime81 on Sun, 24/04/2016 - 15:18

i dont like to use glue, although i though about reinforcing studding with it. looking at your jacket i would say long thick patches on both inside and out to samdwich it together over the weak parts. maybe a small amount of anti fray glue or stiffener would help, but i think inside and outside sandwiching of patches (like carhartt or dickies) is the best bet, best of luck to you, as i do like you jacket!

Misfits666 on Mon, 25/04/2016 - 23:59

I actually had to reinforce the shoulders of mine to keep the spikes upright and what I did was go to the thrift store and found some REAL leather and i cut it down to the size i needed and hot glued it in place on the insides under the shoulders then i sewed it on on the edges and haven't had a problem with it since, but you definitely need to use a stronger fabric than the fabric of your jacket so it will tremendously expand the lifespan of it. Hope this helps and good luck to you because that is a killer jacket

Doomgarlic on Sat, 14/05/2016 - 11:41

Thanks for the replies and sorry for being so slow on my end!

Not too keen on patching the outside of the jacket, but whatever the outcome of the mending, I'll post pics. There's also some new patches on it so it's time for an update. Anti fray glue seems interesting, will look into that, thanks!

GoreGrinder666 on Thu, 10/09/2020 - 23:48

Hey, just saw this. Kind of looks like the issue with my vest. The studs ripped and tore all the fabric away. There is a way you can make a perfect template of tue damaged area and then use that to sew in the INSIDE of the jacket....

https://youtu.be/rQvIINq6WJA
Jump to 6:35... You can use this method for anything from vests, jackets, even pants. Hope this helps