patches

[Dianne]

A local biker group has approached me about making their patches: large round patch w/rockers (or ribbons) top & bottom. They don't want me to use premade patches--want them made locally. (I would normally use Penn emblem. Same people have been making their patches for YEARS, still using old chain stitch machine to fill in letters. Patches look old-fashioned, stretch because they have no backing.) Also, their colors will be unusual. Will probably use a heavy twill fabric for the back.

I know the basic procedure of making patches. But--
1)What backing should I use to make the patch?
2)After I cut it out, what material do I use to put the satin edge around it? When I've done small patches before, it tends to 'cut out' the patches as it sews & they may not sew correctly because of this.
3)I need to seal the back after it's finished, but I don't want the heat n bond w/ the stick on adhesive left on the back. All the patches will be sewn on. What do I use instead?
Any advice is greatly appreciated! Dianne

[Dianne]

Thanks, Juli! I will have to stitch the edges (instead of merrowing) because the edges of the rockers are like a folded ribbon--stitching goes straight down before the end--to simulate a fold in the ribbon. I know this doesn't make sense! The Merrow machine could not sew this detail w/out cutting through the patch. If I do this detail w/ embroidery & then merrow the outside edge the stitches won't match. When I've made small patches before I used a very heavy solvy to add the satin stitch around the edge. I've also tried using a tearaway backing, but that leaves kind of fuzzy edges that I have to spend time trimming. Do you think the washaway/tearaway backing would work for the final step of adding the satin stitched edge? Thanks! Dianne

[Body Cover]

Well I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents on this one. I know some people that do patches for a living and they buy cotton twill by the roll and then use the heat and bond stuff you talked about and heat seal it to the back of the twill then heat press the twill and glue to heavy cutaway backing. It makes it nice and stiff, at this point they sew there patches as flats and put multiple patches on one sheet and then they get cut apart with a die cutter later then merrowed after that. I would suggest using the heat and bond after you sew your satin borders and before you cut the patches this way the satins are bonded and are less likely to snag and unravel and when your done either leave the backing paper or peel it off, it should only leave a plastic feeling film behind that can easily be sewn on just like a patch without it.
That's how we have done it in the past. and the nice thing about it is also if someone would have to heat seal one on, then the bonding agent is in place and can be used at anytime.
As far as the satin on the edge do some experimenting to see what the lowest density you can go and still have it look good, thsi will in effect help the patch stay stabil bu not having as many punctures around the edges, you may be surprised how nice a 6 density looks.
Anyway good luck.
Ron

[Carolyn]

If you are lookin for the material to make your patches with there is a company call carr textile. They have all the material you will need to make your patches. The cotton twill is good but they also have a Emblem twill that is what most big companies use. If you contact them they will send you sample cards, color chart etc. Call an ask to speak with Kim she is great. My husband is a biker and I got all the stuff I need there to make his patches and the turned out pretty good. I also found a guy how did the merrow edge for me and also provided the heat sealed backing or the right backing for sewing on the patch. Even if you sewn the patch on, with the wrong backing on leather that could spell disater especially if the person has to return there colors for whatever reason and the patch has to come off. There is the also the the option of a hot knife which seems to be what you need. This will give you the professional edge you are looking for. If you need more help just let me know and I will help as I can. I hope I explained this good enough it was confusing as heck for me when I first tried but now I know a bit more it helps.

Carolyn

[Dianne]

Carolyn, how do I get in touch w/ Carr Textile? Do they have a website? What do you use to heat seal the back of the patch? Thanks! Dianne

[Carolyn]

Here ya go Dianne, the number is 1-800-432-6620. There website is www.carrtextile.com there they have all the information. The type of type of backing I use is the EVA4040 or the EVA4040DBL. The DBL side one is good if they are going to heat seal it to the jacket if they are going to sew it on you only need one side to be fusible. Hope this makes sense, if not Kim can explain everything to you I don't want to confuse you. You can purchase by the yard a small amount but they charge like a $14 handling fee or something like that. Hope this helps out.

Carolyn