BLOG & RESOURCES

PATCH BUYING ADVICE.

These are the questions that come up once you have decided to order something but not yet decided what. Which construction holds your artwork, how a backing actually attaches, what changes when a design gets smaller, how to care for a patch after it is applied. The material and guide pages cover the buying decisions; these articles go narrower, into the specific problems those pages do not have room for.

EXPLORE BY CATEGORY

Bakery van artwork and stitched result with swatches.

Manufacturing

How patches are actually made, from artwork review through stitching, molding and inspection.

1 ARTICLE

PVC Guides

Molded PVC: 2D and 3D relief, detail limits, and how it differs from silicone and rubber.

1 ARTICLE

Watering can artwork and embroidered result.

Design & Artwork

Preparing artwork that survives production, including small type, gradients and generated images.

1 ARTICLE

Bird shuttle crests on two blue jerseys.

Business & Branding

Planning patch orders as part of a brand, a program or a merchandise release.

1 ARTICLE

Materials

Choosing between the nine constructions, and what each one can and cannot hold.

1 ARTICLE

Woven Patch Guides

Fine flat thread, small lettering, and where woven beats embroidery.

1 ARTICLE

Thread reverse coated reverse and two fastener rectangles.

Backing & Attachment

How patches attach: heat, stitching, hook-and-loop, adhesive, magnets, pins and loops.

1 ARTICLE

Care

Looking after patches after they are applied, organized by construction and attachment.

1 ARTICLE

MATERIALS

AUG 2, 20264 MIN READ

Thread Choices for Patch Color

Thread comes in a fixed range of dyed colors. Understanding that one fact explains most of what happens between your brand guidelines and the finished patch.