- 1). Pick patches to match your style. Fabric stores and craft shops will sell patches in a whole range of colors and patterns. Or, if you’re feeling extra creative, find your own fabric and design your own patch.
- 2). Iron the spot where the patch is going to go until you’ve got the wrinkles out. If you’re going for devil-may-care punk, skip this.
- 3). Find the perfect place for your patch and stick it on. Lay out all your patches and let your inner street artist imagine where they will all go on the blank canvas of your jacket. Or, harness Jackson Pollack and them on spontaneously one after the other. Either way, when you have your spot for each one, use a safety pin to keep it in position while you stitch. You can also glue it on with a glue gun for extra firmness.
- 4). Choose the color and thickness of your thread. Punks don’t play by the rules, so you don’t need any particular color matching thread. If you want to be more subtle, use thread the color of the patch or jacket — if you’re peacocking, pick something totally different. Use nylon thread, not cotton, as it is stronger and more resistant to mildew and aging.
- 5). Prepare your thread to sew on the patch. Chances are, you’re no master seamster, so to prevent yourself from getting tangled, cut a short length of thread about the distance from your elbow to your fingertips. Take a deep breath and poke the thread through the eye of the needle (lick it if the edges are frayed) and tie a small not at the end.
- 6). Start sewing on the underside of the jacket, not on the outside of the patch. Unless, of course, you want to stick it to the hidden-seam establishment. Poke through the jacket and put it back through about a quarter-inch away (you’ve seen people sew, right?) Do this until you’ve sewn the whole perimeter of the patch.
- 7). Tie off the thread, neaten up, and finish the job. Knot the end of the thread and pull the needle through so that it is between the jacket and your patch (this way the thread is hidden). Cut the thread, but leave about half an inch so that the knot doesn’t come undone.
Repeat until you’re your own punk. Betsy Ross would be proud.
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