How to Sew on a Patch
Source: Sew Anastasia • Full tutorial: www.craftingstepbystep.com/sewing/how-to-sew-on-a-patch
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Hands-on time
- About 15 minutes
- Cost
- About $3 to $6
- Makes
- 1 patch sewn on
Tools
- Hand sewing needle
- Straight pins
- Thimble
- Small scissors
Materials
- Embroidered patch
- All-purpose polyester thread, matching the patch border
- Jacket, backpack or garment to patch
Steps
1. Position and pin the 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.
Tip: Most patches come with iron-on glue on the back. Skip ironing it down - sewing through cured glue is rough on needles, and you lose the option to reposition if it ends up crooked.
2. Thread the needle
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.
Tip: Match the thread color to the edge of the patch, not the garment. Stitches close to a black patch border vanish; stitches that match the denim show as little dots.
3. Tie a knot at the end of the thread
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.
Tip: Four wraps is the magic number. Two or three slips loose under tension; five or more gives you a chunky knot that catches on the back of the patch.
4. Push the needle up through the patch
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.
5. Sew a running stitch around the perimeter
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.
Tip: Take the pins out as you reach them. Trying to sew around a pin makes the stitches messy and the pin can stab you mid-pull.
6. Tie off on the inside
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.
Tip: Making three stacked knots takes 10 extra seconds and means the patch will outlast the garment. A single knot can untie itself in the wash.
