Felt patches for clothing add an extra pop to a sweater or even a hat. They can also be applied to bags, backpacks and more. You can use embroidery or iron-on adhesive to apply them to clothing or other fabric objects. Felt patches come in a variety of colors, sizes and shapes. You can create custom designs to represent your team, organization, club or event. For example, you can create felt patches that look like award ribbons to mark a home run or to celebrate a milestone achievement as a business team.
You can make a felt patch by hand, using the needlefelting method or with an embroidery machine. Both methods require a bit of work, but you can get beautiful results. You can embroider your own design or use a popular stitching technique called blanket stitch, which is similar to applique stitch.
Fashion in Full Bloom: The Timeless Appeal of Felt Patches for Clothing
If you want to do it by hand, be prepared for a lot of finger-flicking, fast, forceful stabbing motions within inches of your fingertips (and the fact that you’re bound to stick yourself with the barbed needle at some point). Needlefelting won’t work with synthetic fibers or with superwash woolly fleeces, so it’s important to check your yarn carefully before you begin.
Once you’ve completed the embroidery, trim around your patch to leave a small border so that you can sew it onto something. You can pin it in place or use standard embroidery floss to stitch it in place. If you have a little Fray Check – it’s liquid rubber glue – you can put that on the edges of your patch to stop them from fraying, but this isn’t essential. You shouldn’t wash felt patches often, but when you do, be sure to use the gentle cycle or place them in a delicate bag or pillowcase.