Battle Jacket
Builder

A battle jacket is a denim or leather jacket, or a cut-off vest, covered in band patches, pins and studs. Metal and punk fans have been building them since the 80s, and you'll also hear one called a battle vest or a kutte. There's no correct way to do it. The point is that yours looks like you made it.

No. The Black Thread is a design tool, not a shop. We don't sell jackets or vests, we don't sew, and we don't take orders. You plan the layout here, buy your patches from the people who make and sell them, and sew it yourself or hand the plan to whoever does your stitching. The only thing we sell is our own patch, and that's what keeps the builder free.

From patch shops and makers. Almost every patch in the library links straight to the shop that sells it, so once your layout is settled you buy direct from them. We don't stock patches and we don't ship them.

Yes. Send us your shop through the contact form and we'll add your patches at their real size, with a link back to you on every one. It costs nothing at the moment, just ask.

Yes. The builder is free, there's nothing to install, and you don't need an account to design a battle jacket online. Your layout is kept in your browser while you work, and exporting it as an image is free too. An account is optional. All it does is let your designs follow you from your laptop to your phone.

Pick one from the community patch library or upload a photo of a patch you already own. Click it to drop it onto the jacket, drag it where you want it, then pull a corner to resize. Every patch is set to its real centimetre size, so the layout you build on screen is the one that fits the actual garment.

Yes. The front and the back are two separate layouts on the same garment, and flipping between them doesn't move anything you've already placed. When you want a patch to sit in the same spot on the other side, mirror it across and the builder works the position out for you.

Most people start with one large backpatch high on the back, then run a strip above it and another below. Smaller patches go on the chest, the pockets and the shoulders. None of that is a rule. It's simply the patch placement that reads best from across a room, and the builder is there so you can try a few arrangements before anything is permanent.

On a size M jacket the back panel is roughly 62cm tall and 55cm wide, which is room for one backpatch plus eight to twelve smaller ones before it starts to look cluttered. The front takes another six or so. Because the builder works in real centimetres, you can find your limit before you spend money on patches that won't fit.

Sew-on is the one to pick if you want a patch to stay put. It survives washing and it won't lift at the corners. Iron-on is quicker, but the glue gives up on denim eventually, so most people iron it down and stitch around the edge anyway. Velcro is worth it for patches you plan to swap out. Every patch in the library is tagged with how it attaches.

Yes. Export the finished layout as an image for free, with no account needed. Keep it open on your phone while you're sewing, or send it to whoever is doing the stitching for you. With a free account your saved designs stay put, so you can come back and change the plan later.