How to Hand-Sew Decorative Patches on Clothes
Patches are used to decorate clothing ranging from Boy Scouts’ sashes to hippies’ ripped jeans to bikers’ leather jackets. Anyone with basic sewing skills can stitch a patch to clothing by hand or with a sewing machine but just setting up a sewing machine usually takes longer than stitching the patch by hand. The thick edging threads around most store bought patches will hide any imperfect stitches.
Instructions
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1
Have the wearer put on the clothing that you are going to sew a patch to. Identify the desired placement for the patch by holding the patch up against the clothing in front of the mirror. When you have decided where the patch will go, trace around the edge of it with tailor’s chalk or a fabric marker. Remove the garment.
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2
Iron the reverse side of the part of the clothing you are going to sew the patch onto.
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Place the patch on the front side of the clothing, using the chalk or marker lines as a guide, and pin it in place. Use a couple of pins if the patch is large. Make sure the patch is perfectly straight before continuing.
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4
Thread your needle with an arm’s length of thread and tie a knot in one end.
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Pass the needle from the reverse side of the clothing though the patch so the needle emerges close to the edge of the patch, either within the existing, decorative edging stitches or just to the inside of them. Pull the thread taut.
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Insert the needle through the clothing fabric just to the outside of the patch and pull it through to the reverse side until the thread is taut again, creating a small stitch.
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Pass the needle again from the reverse side, through the patch, close to its inside edge so the needle emerges a few millimeters to the right of the first stitch. Pass the needle again through the clothing fabric just to the outside of the patch, creating a second small stitch.
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Continue in this manner, making a series of small stitches around the edge of the patch, a method called whipstitching, until you have stitched all the way around the patch. Make sure the clothing fabric lies smoothly underneath the patch as you sew. Finish with the needle on the reverse side of the clothing.
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Make three or four tiny stitches in the fabric underneath the patch, stitching only through the fabric layer and not the patch itself. This will secure the end of the thread in place. Cut the tail of the thread close to the fabric. Remove the pins from the patch.
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Tips & Warnings
Use a thread that matches the edging stitch of the patch. Transparent thread is also an option.
Consider making this a beginner project for a child who is learning how to sew, especially when the patch is for the child's clothing.
If you are sewing a patch onto leather or heavy denim, use strong, nylon thread, an upholstery needle and a thimble to help you push the needle through the fabric.
For reinforcement, apply fabric glue to the underneath side of the patch and stick it to the clothing. Stitch around the edges after the glue has dried. There is no need for pins with this technique.
References
- Patchwork and Applique; Sarah Parr
- Hot Leathers: How to Sew a Patch on Your Leather Jacket
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
