Patches are a great way to personalize your clothing and accessories and express yourself.
Whether to support a campaign close to your heart or your favorite band, patches take ordinary clothing that thousands of other people own and make it unique to you.
But if you can’t sew to save your life or don’t have access to a sewing machine, you might wonder if it’s even possible to add custom patches to your clothing. Never fear; we’re here with answers. Read on to find out all you need to know.
Ironing a patch
If you don’t have access to a sewing machine, there is a surprisingly easy method you can use to get around this fact. It might even be easier to apply a patch using this method than it would be using a sewing machine. And the best part? It only requires one piece of equipment – one you’re almost guaranteed to have in your home right now.
We’re talking about the humble iron. Believe it or not, many patches are specifically designed to be ironed onto clothing, so it’s potentially the best way to apply them. Just remember to check that your garment can withstand such high levels of concentrated heat first. Oh, and one more thing: don’t use this method for leather patches.
Here’s the good news: you can upgrade your outfits with patches easily in your own home. It’s a fun, effective, and cheap way to bring some art and personal expression into your life and show off exactly who you are while not having to dig deep in your local vintage thrift store.
Fabric Adhesive
You may or may not know, but there are many different types of patches available on the market. Each comes with its own advantages and disadvantages, and each is suited for different purposes. But one thing is for sure: you don’t need a sewing machine or an up-market fashion school level of textiles to attach any of them to your clothing.
While ironing on your patch might be the most obvious go-to alternative, you might be surprised to learn there are several other methods you can use. Have you ever heard of fabric adhesive? It’s glue specifically designed for material, and it works miracles.
We should warn you, though, that this option is not for the faint-hearted. If you’re going to use this method, you’d better whole-heartedly agree with and love the statement your patch is making because fabric adhesive is powerful stuff. While there are specific ways to remove a glued-on patch, it’s not the easiest of jobs. This option is not for a phase you’re going through; it’s a ride-or-die situation.
Get started with your design today!
Hem Tape
Remember when we mentioned ironing on your patches earlier in this article? We said that a lot of patches are specifically designed to be ironed on, which is what makes ironing on your patches such a simple and effective alternative to sewing. Well, let us introduce you to hem tape – also known as fusible web tape.
Hem tape is the knight in shining armor for those times when you go to iron on your patch and then realize that the one you have is one of the annoying ones that have not been designed to do so. Hem tape acts as the middle man so that you can iron on non-iron-on patches. Still with us? It’s simply a product you can stick to fabric that lets you iron the patch onto your clothing. It comes out after a few washes, and you’ll never have known it was there in the first place.
Another great thing about this option is that it’s relatively simple to remove should you change your mind down the line – unlike sewn-on patches.
Velcro
If the thought of velcro takes you back to the good ol’ days of elementary school when you couldn’t wrap your head around tying your laces, so your parents got you velcro shoes instead, you’re not the only one. But great news! Velcro has other uses – more specifically, it happens to be an excellent option for attaching a patch to a piece of clothing or accessory when you’re a bit of a commitment-phobe and can’t guarantee that you’ll want that exact patch on that exact piece of clothing for the rest of your (or its) life. We understand the need for flexibility!
Many patches can be bought with a velcro back already attached, but if yours doesn’t have that, you can do it yourself pretty easily. This alternative to sewing it on is a little bit more involved than the others we’ve discussed so far, but it has other benefits (remember the no-commitment thing?).
You’ll need fabric adhesive to glue both sides of the velcro to the patch and your intended garment, but once it’s in place, you can wear it as and when it suits you. Just remember to make a note of the size of the patch before purchasing the velcro.
Double-Sided Adhesive Tape
And here we come to the final sewing alternative on this list: what better way to round off the options on how to attach a patch than to big up the tried-and-tested double-sided adhesive tape? It does exactly what it says on the tin and sticks your patch to your garment in one fell swoop with no more than one single product. It’s a real show-off of a product, but it gets the job done.
With patches coming back into style recently, investing in good quality double-sided adhesive tape will be something you’ll be grateful for down the line – trust us. The age of customization is upon us.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Attach Scout Patches Without Sewing
There are many ways to attach a patch to clothing or accessories without using a sewing machine. Perhaps the best and easiest way is to iron on your patch, but other methods include fabric adhesive, velcro, hem tape, and double-sided adhesive tape. Some methods are more permanent than others, so it’s best to research this beforehand.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a patch enthusiast but can’t get your head around how to use a sewing machine, then worry no more, as there are plenty of ways to get around this. Options such as using an iron, glue, velcro, or various types of tape allow you to customize your clothing as much as you like.
To create high-quality custom patches you can be proud to show off, head to The/Studio now.
