It’s about time I made a tutorial on how to apply patches. Patches are a fun way to personalize a vest, bag, purse, cardigan- anything really! And if applied correctly, they’ll stay perfectly placed.

There are three main types of patches- Handmade, Non-Iron on, and Iron-on.

IRON-ON: Carefully place your patch in it’s desired location. Place either a blank piece of paper or an old towel on top. Using an iron at low to mid heat setting, slowly glide the iron over the patch for 2-4 minutes. Your patch should be stuck on. But wait! Did you know that over time, the glue from iron-on patches has a tendency to peel and become unstuck? That’s why it’s important to hand stitch around the border of iron-on patches when you’re done ironing them. This ensures your patch won’t get flimsy or fall off. Your punk forefathers will be proud of your craftsmanship.

NON-IRON ON & HANDMADE:  These patches require sewing, either by hand, or on the machine. But I’ll tell you my secret tip to perfect patches- FABRIC GLUE! Before sewing ANY patch, I always apply a thin and even coat of fabric glue to the back of it, using a brush. Then I place it in spot, and smooth out all the edges. Allow to dry for approx 1 hour.  This ensures that the patch won’t buckle or go wonky when you’re wearing it. 

After the glue is dry, I usually sew it on using a tight stitch on the machine. Because I’m lazy. Hand stitching obviously works just as well! Try to keep your stitches tight. The tighter they are, the less likely your patch is to fray or suffer from wear and tear.

And there you have it, an awesome personalized piece! 

Special thanks to Captain, for letting me use his vest for the tutorial. The Batwoman “These are my streets” patch is available for purchase here. 

Happy crafting! 

xo ALB