Elbow patches can give a coat an austere and woodsy look. You might want to remove them, however, if you don't like the style, when the patches are ripped or if they were applied in the wrong place. Be aware that the jacket might be a different color under the patches and that the spots where stitches were removed might be visible. This is especially true of old jackets that are worn. Try to look under the patches before removing them to guess whether their removal will be noticeable.
Turn the jacket inside out so that you can see the stitches on the inside of the coat sleeves. This will allow you to remove the stitches from the outside of the coat. Some coats might have a lining. If so, keep the coat right side out because you will be removing the stitches from the outside.
Press the point of the seam ripper under one of the stitches holding the elbow patch to the coat sleeve.
Press the seam ripper over the stitch. This will force the thread over the u-shaped knife, which cuts through the thread.
Continue removing each stitch on the coat. Work all of the way around the elbow patch until you can eventually remove the patch.
Remove all excess threads.
Repeat this process with the other sleeve.