How To Sew On A Patch

This blog post was written by staff member MJ

Back in 2017 we made a tutorial about how to apply your iron-on patches, and we thought it was about time we wrote a sequel. Want to put that cool patch on your jacket but don't want to commit to ironing it in place permanently? Let's go over how to attach it the old-school way, by sewing it on!

Selection of sewing materials, small pouch with botanical designs on the fabric, and a Stitch Club iron on patch

You will need:

A patch (in this tutorial, I'm using our Stitch Club Iron-On Patch)

The garment/accessory you're attaching it to (I'm using a little zip pouch, which originally came free with some re-useable sanitary pads, but as it's the perfect size to keep sewing accessories in that's what I use it for. #ReduceReuseRecycle 🌈🌍)

Pins (Optional, but useful to keep the patch in place while you work)

Needle (straight or curved - crafter's choice! Just make sure it's both relatively sharp and fairly sturdy)

Suitable thread (I'm using embroidery floss here because I love me some thicc thread)

Thimble (Also optional, but I like using one to stop me from getting sore fingers)

and, last but not least: Scissors.

Patch Placement and Pinning

Start by deciding where you want your patch to be - for this project it was pretty simple - I knew I wanted the patch on the front of the pouch so I just had to choose which side I wanted it at. When sewing a patch on something like a jacket where you would have a lot more choice, I recommend moving it around and holding/pinning it in different places to try out your options. Once you're happy, pin it down! 💪

Stitch club patch, pinned onto the bottom right corner of the pouch

Thread That Needle

Decide how thick you want your thread (I'm using two strands of embroidery floss, which is generally my go-to for sewing patches), thread it through the needle, and knot one end (don't worry, the knot won't be visible once we get going).

Opinions vary on the best length of thread to use, but a length roughly the same as your forearm (fingertips to elbow) is generally easiest to work with. Sometimes I get impatient about changing thread too often and use longer lengths, but then I often regret my choice when pulling the loooong length of thread through each stitch (😅). Try experimenting with a few different lengths and see what works best for you!

Needle threaded with two strands of avocado green embroidery floss

Blanket Stitch: Starting Out

As you may have guessed from the title of this section, the stitch we're using to sew on our patch is called the Blanket Stitch! This section will show you how to get set up and begin stitching, so let's get stuck in!

Needle being pushed through the iron on patch, from the back of the patch to the front

Needle has been pulled through patch, hiding the knot underneath the patch

Image 1 Image 2

You can start stitching at any place on the patch (I chose the bottom point of the shield shape here because it just felt ✨right✨). Begin by pushing the needle through the patch, from the back to the front (see Image 1).

As patches can be very tough to get the needle through (either because of the reinforced border or the iron-on coating on the back), I use a thimble. This lets me apply as much pressure as I need to on the end of the needle, without hurting my fingertips.

Now, pull the thread through, bringing the knot snug against the backside of the patch (see Image 2)

Needle is brough back up through the patch in same spot, this time catching the backing fabric as well

Needle and thread have been pulled through, and needle is now inserted horizontally (left to right) through the previous stitch

Image 3 Image 4

Bring the needle back around and through the same hole as before, this time bringing it through the backing fabric underneath the patch as well (see Image 3). If you're sewing on something with multiple layers of fabric (like this pouch), make sure you're only grabbing the one fabric layer you want (in this case, the one that's the front of the pouch) and not accidentally catching any others (the back of the pouch).

Pull the thread snug. This will both strengthen your starting stitch as well as hide the knotted end of the thread underneath the patch.

Now, bring the needle sideways through the starting stitch so it's coming out the right hand side (see Image 4). Pull the needle and thread through. We're going to be working anti-clockwise around the edge of the patch, and this gets our needle and thread on the correct side of things. Now we're ready to start making the rest of our blanket stitches proper. Well done!

Blanket Stitch: Keeping On Going

Needle has been brought up through fabric and patch, and thread looped around behind it

Needle has been pulled through, and thread is being pulled tight

Image 5 Image 6

Bring your needle up through both the backing fabric and the patch, a short distance to the right of your previous stitch. Make sure the thread is going around the back of the needle from left to right (see Image 5).

Pull the needle and thread all the way through. As the thread pulls through and begins to tighten on itself you should see a little loop/lasso forming (see Image 6).

As a side note: Don't worry about moving the precise correct distance to the right or having the exact same distance between stitches! When I measured mine after I finished this project, there was on average 2.5mm (1/10th of an inch) between stitches, but this varied by quite a lot at different parts of the patch (as you'll be able to see in the pictures of the finished piece). The main thing is to have your stitches close enough together that the patch is held down securely, but far enough apart that you can still see what you're doing. This is a handcraft and you're not a machine, so your stitches will probably be uneven in parts and look different from each other. That's a feature, not a bug 💖

Thread has been pulled fully tight, forming a blanket stitch

Needle is inserted through backing fabric and patch to start a new stitch, several millimeters to the right of the previous stitch

Image 7 Image 8

Keep gently but firmly pulling the thread (make sure you are pulling it in a downwards direction away from the patch), until the loop/lasso has tightened snugly around the thread you've just pulled through (see Image 7). Well done, you've just sewn your first blanket stitch!

To start the next blanket stitch, bring the needle up through the backing fabric and patch to the right of your previous stitch, just like you did before, and then repeat the previous steps. Remember to make sure you put your thread behind the needle so you get that satisfying little loop/lasso when you pull tight! (In Image 8 you can see that the thread hasn't been put around the back of the needle yet, whereas in Image 5 it has).

Then you just keep working blanket stitches around the edge of the patch until you've done a complete circuit around the edge of the patch or your thread starts getting too short to keep working with. What do you do when one of these occurs? Read on to find out! But first...

Optional Variant: Curved Needle Technique

A while back I bought some curved needles for hand-sewing, and while they aren't suitable for all projects I sometimes find them easier to use in tasks like this one, where I can use their shape to more easily catch both the backing fabric and patch in one stitch, without having to footer with the piece or rearrange how I'm holding it. They can also be a bit sturdier than straight sewing needles, which is useful when working with tough materials like the backing of an iron-on patch.

Curved needle is inserted through fabric and patch

Thread is looped around the back of the needle

Needle and thread are pulled through, forming the blanket stitch

Image 9 Image 10 Image 11

The technique for doing blanket stitches with a curved needle is exactly the same as with a straight one. Bring the needle through (see Image 9), put thread around the back of the needle (see Image 10), then pull needle and thread through and away from the patch till the stitch is nice and snug (see Image 11).

Using a curved needle is entirely optional, but it can be a fun alternative to using a straight one. During this project I actually switched between them both a few times, to help alleviate some of the strain that pushing the needle through the patch put on my fingers. (I have some hypermobility in my arms and hands which can be a real pain - figuratively and literally - when it comes to repetitive crafting tasks like hand sewing 🧵😭)

Anyway, on with the tutorial! Next section is...

How To Change Thread

As you can see from the pictures below, I got about one third of the way round the patch and then my thread started looking a little short (and becoming a bit of a pain to work with). Time to change over to a new piece!

Blanket stitches have been made one third of the way around the patch. The working thread is hanging next to the last completed stitch, with only a few inches of length left

Needle has been inserted horizontally through the last blanket stitch and threaded

Image 12 Image 13

When it comes to changing thread, it's often better to stop a little before you need to, so you have enough to securely lock off the stitches you've already completed. As you can see in Image 12, there's still a few inches left of thread when I start changing over. This is because you need a certain minimum length to be able to thread the needle, and overall it just makes the process easier if you give yourself a little extra length.

To lock the thread in, start by putting the needle through the stitch you just completed. If your thread is too short to stay in the needle while it gets angled into the stitch, then position the needle partway through and then thread it while it's still going through the stitch (This is what I did in Image 13). Pull the needle and thread through.

Needle has been inserted left to right through the bottom of the previous blanket stitch, and the thread has been looped around the needle and then threaded through its eye

Needle and thread are being pulled through, forming a small, secure knot

Image 14 Image 15

After this, go through the bottom of the recently completed stitch again, putting the thread behind the needle like in a regular blanket stitch (see Image 14). Like above, if your thread is too short to work with easily, you can position the needle first, then wrap the thread around it and thread the needle after. Pull the needle through (see Image 15) and pull the knot tight. This locks down our thread so our completed stitches won't come undone over time. Feel free to do a few more knots like this for extra safety, but space them out along different stitches so they aren't as visible.

Needle has been inserted between two blanket stitches, and in between the patch and the backing fabric

The side of the patch which hasn't been sewn on yet is lifted back, showing the loose end caught behind the patch

The partially-sewn patch is shown from the front, with the loose end hidden completely behind it.

Image 16 Image 17 Image 18

Once our thread is successfully locked in, we just need to get rid of the remaining loose end. Rather than cutting it short, which could lead to the secure knots loosening or coming undone over time, we're going to hide the end piece out of sight.

Start by poking the needle between previous blanket stitches, and in between the patch and the backing fabric (see Image 16). Pull it through, and the loose end will stay caught between the patch and fabric, out of harms way (see Image 17). If the loose end is slightly too long to be fully hidden behind the patch, just give it a trim. Then, once it's fully hidden behind the patch, it will stay safe and sealed in once you finish sewing the patch in place (see Image 18 - not a loose end in sight!).

Needle threaded with new thread is brought up through the patch (patch only, not the backing fabric) from front to back, in the sample hole as the last completed blanket stitch

Needle and thread are pulled through, so thread is emerging from the same place as the last finished blanket stitch

Image 19 Image 20

The process to starting the new piece of thread is similar to starting the very first blanket stitch. Knot the thread, thread the needle, and insert the needle up through in the same hole as the last completed blanket stitch (see Image 19). Pull the needle and thread through, hiding the knot behind the patch (see Image 20).

Needle is inserted through the "horizontal" bottom of the last completed blanket stitch, going from bottom to top

Needle and thread are pulled through, so thread is now emerging from the end of the last blanket stitch

Image 21 Image 22

Then, bring the needle up through the bottom "horizontal" section of the last completed blanket stitch (see Image 21). Pull the needle and thread through (see Image 22), and it's now in the same position as it would be if you had just made the blanket stitch as normal. Now you continue working blanket stitches around the patch. Well done, you just changed threads!

Finishing off

Once you've completed blanket stitches all the way around the patch, it's time to finish off! The finishing off process here is identical to the first part of changing threads. Lock the thread in place by making small knots into finished blanket stitches, then hide the thread behind the patch (see Images 12-18). Now, give yourself a massive pat on the back - you just sewed on a patch! As promised, here's the pictures of my finished project (uneven stitches and all):

The finished pouch with patch sewn down completely

It's not perfect, but it's stitched on securely and I'm proud of it 💪

I hope this tutorial has been useful! Do you prefer to iron or sew on your patches? If you use this tutorial to sew on some of your patch collection, let us know, either in the comments or by tagging us on instagram (@fairy_cakes_). Thanks for reading!

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How To Sew On A Patch

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