Make a Custom Cloth Patch
Fabric patches can customize a pair of jeans, bag or any other fabric item that's in need of a little color or flair. These patches can be easy to make with this how-to guide.
Steps
- Gather your materials. Collect your fabric, scissors, sponges, fabric paint and newspaper. You can buy fabric or salvage good fabric from an old garment.
- Fabrics should be thick but not stretchy. Fabrics like felt or polyester fabric.
- Cover your table. Put down newspaper on your workspace for protection. The glue and fabric paint can stain or ruin furniture.
- Cut the fabric (and sponges, if desired). You can cut them into shapes or patterns. Trace around the outline of a cookie cutter or picture for a design. Try squares, rectangles, circles, stars, moons, etc. This is going to serve as the design for your cloth patch.
- Dip the sponge in fabric paint. Stamp the sponge over the fabric patch and other areas of the item you are decorating, if desired. Let the paint dry.
- Rinse the sponge and repeat the process with another color of paint, if desired.
- Apply the glue. Use permanent fabric adhesive on the back of the patch using a Q-tip. Apply it evenly on all edges as well as in the center. Do not use too much glue, especially around the edges as this might cause the glue to come out from under the patch onto other parts of the fabric.
- Place the patch. Put it on your item carefully. Let the glue dry completely.
- Add stitching. Stitch around the edges of the patch for reinforcement. This is an important step to ensure that the patch stays. Use a tight zig-zag stitch on a sewing machine to reinforce the patch.
- Add colorful embroidery stitches, if desired.
- Iron the item. This will set in the paint stain and flatten out any bumps in the fabric.
- Finished.
Tips
- Liquid Stitch is a permanent fabric glue. It can be found at craft and fabric stores.
- Use durable fabrics where needed.
Things You'll Need
- Fabric
- Scissors
- Flat sponges
- Fabric paint
- Permanent fabric glue
- Q-tip
- Newspaper
- Sewing machine
