How to Sew on a Patch

Lay the garment flat on a table and place the patch where you want it to live. Look at the spot from a few feet back to make sure the placement reads right - patches usually look smaller from a distance than you expect.

Push two or three straight pins through the patch and into the fabric to hold it in place. Pin from the front so the points stick out the back, then bend the points down so they don't poke you while you sew. Pinning beats glueing because you can still adjust if you change your mind.

Cut a length of thread about 18 inches long. Push one end through the eye of the needle and pull through until you have two equal-length tails hanging from the eye.

You'll be sewing with doubled thread - both tails together - which is twice as strong as a single strand. That matters for patches because they take constant friction from arms, straps, and laundry.

Hold the two thread tails between your thumb and the back of the needle so the thread forms a small circle around the needle's shaft. Wrap the thread around the needle four times.

Pinch the wraps under your thumb and pull the needle straight up while sliding your thumb down the thread. The wraps will slip off the needle and tighten into a small, tidy knot at the end of the thread. Snip any extra tail past the knot.

Bring the needle from the back of the garment up through the very edge of the patch. Pull the thread until the knot catches against the back of the fabric and stops the thread from going further.

Patch backing is denser than regular fabric, especially with embroidered patches. A thimble on the finger that pushes the needle saves your fingertip from getting sore. Slip a regular thimble on or use a leather thimble for better grip.

Push the needle back down through the fabric just outside the patch's edge, then back up through the patch about a quarter inch ahead of where you started. That's one stitch.

Continue around the entire patch - down outside the edge, up through the patch, down outside, up through. Keep stitches close to the outer border so they tuck into the patch's trim and stay nearly invisible. Pull each stitch snug but not so tight that it puckers the fabric.

When you've sewn all the way around back to your starting point, push the needle through to the inside of the garment. Catch a few fibers of the inside fabric with the needle - don't pierce all the way through to the front.

Pull the needle through but stop before the loop closes. Pass the needle through that loop and pull tight to make a knot. Repeat the loop-and-pull two more times so the knot stacks. Snip the thread close to the knot.