Make Patches with Cloth and Acrylic Paint

Want a patch supporting your favorite band, cause, quote, or any other thing? Learn how to make patches using acrylic paint & stencils (NOT screen printing!) This is best if you don't plan on making a whole lot of them, since the stencil will likely get messed up and/or the design won't be perfect. Do it yourself!

Steps

  1. Cut a piece of fabric in the size you'd like the patch to be. If you are going to be sewing this onto something, be sure to leave room if you plan on sewing the edges under.
  2. Find a stencil of the design you'd like. You can either find this in a magazine, or print one from your computer. Make sure to adjust the print size so that it will be the right size for the patch. Remember that if you are going to be cutting out letters or complicated shapes, you might have a complicated stencil!
  3. Using a razor or x-acto knife, cut out the stencil along the lines. Make sure you have something protective underneath, the razor will definitely go through the paper, and you'll want to protect your table or whatever it is that you're working on.
  4. Smile, the hardest part is over! Take your stencil and place it on the patch where you intend the design to be. Tape it down as close as you can to the edges. Also make a tape loop and attach it to the fabric wherever there is enough room on the underside of the stencil. The more secure it is, the better.
  5. Wet your paintbrush and dry it slightly on a paper towel so that the paint will not be thick and lumpy on your brush. Put some paint on your brush and begin painting over the stencil. Take your time and be careful around the edges.
  6. Wait for it to dry. You may need to go over the stencil with more than one coat of paint.
  7. When you are satisfied with the color, carefully undo the tape and peel the stencil off, and any additional paper pieces. Voila!
  8. You can also use this method for stenciling shirts and other things! Just be careful about the back, acrylic paint may bleed through to the back of fabric, so be sure to put something behind it.

Tips

  • Before cutting out the stencil, you can lay it down over cardboard or something else that won't get cut.
  • You can add as much water as you'd like to acrylic paint to make it the consistency you'd like. However, the thinner it gets, the more coats you will need to achieve the original color, and the more likely bleeding through will be.
  • Before you attach your stencil to the fabric, you may want to cut the size down so that the edges of the stencil are near the edges of the paper. When you tape it, it will be secure closed to where you are painting, and there will be less smudging.
  • Make sure your stencils are stencil-able! For example, in the letter "O", if you cut out the O, you will be left with a circle. You can keep the O from connecting by making two half-circle lines instead, keeping a line of paper down the middle to hold in the smaller o. There are many fonts on the internet that will do this for you. Alternatively, you can try to tape or hold down the smaller circle of the O while you paint. (This works best for bigger pieces of the stencil that can be taped down easily.)

Warnings

  • If the stencil is loose, you have more of a chance of the paint slipping under the stencil and messing up your designs. Make sure that your stencil is secure, and push the paper down as you paint.
  • Be careful when using the razor or x-acto knife! It's easy for them to slip.

Things You'll Need

  • fabric
  • contrasting color(s) of acrylic paint
  • paintbrush
  • a stencil design
  • x-acto knife or razor
  • tape
  • flat surface

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