Have Fun with Easy-To-Make Patches Embroidery Project

The only problem with doing patches yourself is that there’s no clean way to finish the edges. That’s why I recommend buying ready-made patches. They’re available from more than a dozen suppliers either presized or custom cut, and you can pick the color of the Merrowed edge and the patch’s background too. If you use presized patches, you can find one that’s close to your design’s size, and adjust your design slightly to fit.

Scan your patch and digitize an outline around the patch’s edges to make a placement line. Be sure to put a color stop after the outline. You’ll need a piece of paper with a tacky, sticky side. Some sticky paper can really gum up your machine, so don’t scrimp—buy the good stuff. (The Embroidery Store offers Peel ‘N’ Stick, #B4704010.) Hoop this sticky paper and put it on your machine, which will "draw" your outline and stop. If you have a six-head, hoop six of these sticky papers at once.

Now place your patch inside the outline. This ensures that your design is placed properly every time, rather than just hooping the patch and hoping for the best. You don’t want to accidentally sew your design into the Merrow.

You can finish things up in one of two ways. You can pull off the patch, and leave the hoop on the machine. Then add another piece of sticky paper underneath the hoop, and you’re ready to repeat the process. The advantage here is that you don’t have to stitch the outline on the sticky paper every time. The second option is that you can take out the hoop, hoop some sticky paper, and repeat the entire process. If you do the first option, keep in mind that you’ll eventually have an outer layer that’s really bulky from all the layers of sticky paper. But you can usually do up to 50 patches or so before it’s time to start fresh.

You probably want to put only one patch per hoop. Otherwise, when you pull one patch out of the hoop, you take away some of the paper, and you might not have enough support for the other patches.

I make a ton of money on patches, and so can you. I get $3 to $4 per patch, and I’ve made $1,200 in only four hours. Niche markets like truckers and bikers really love patches, and they’ll pay handsomely for them. Other customers include farmers, hunters and fishermen, clubs, collectors, hobbyists, uniform companies, gas stations, and more. I have a minimum of 10 pieces, because that’s the minimum for many suppliers. And I mark up the patch by 100%. Best of luck!

Step 1:

Scan your patch and digitize an outline around the patch’s edges to make a placement line. Be sure to put a color stop after the outline.

Step 2:

Hoop a piece of adhesive-backed stabilizer. Put it on your machine and it will “draw” your outline and stop. If you have a six-head, hoop six of these sticky papers at once.

Step 3:

Now place your patch inside the outline and sew it.

Step 4:

Pull off the patch and leave the hoop on the machine. Then add another piece of sticky paper underneath the hoop, and you’re ready to repeat the process.

Step 5:

Here’s a completed patch. You probably want to put only one patch per hoop. I mark patches up 100%.