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How to Attach Handmade Beaded Patch to Jacket or Bag

Posted by Cassandra on Mar 11th 2021

How to Attach Handmade Beaded Patch to Jacket or Bag

Suzanna Ritz of DreamlandWS makes the most beautiful handmade bead & embroidery patches, and we are so lucky to carry them in our Shelf Life Satellite booth at Design Archives Greensboro!

You may, however, be wondering, "How do I attach such a lovely handmade beaded patch to my favorite denim jacket or bag?" And for that answer, good people, you have come to the right place!

This will require some sewing, so you can either ask your favorite crafty friend*, or try your hand at a simple stitch. First things first, DO NOT REMOVE, CUT, OR TRIM THE EXCESS WHITE FABRIC AROUND THE PATCH.

Now that that's out of the way, here's what you need.

Materials Needed:

- Embroidery floss

- Embroidery needle

- Safety pins

  1. Start by finding the perfect jacket, bag, or garment/accessory of your choosing upon which to affix your patch. For the purposes of this tutorial, we're going to call it a jacket from here on, but just know these instructions apply to many types of fabric items. 
  2. Decide where on the jacket you'd like to display your patch. The back of a denim jacket is a classic choice, but depending on the size of your patch, a lapel or sleeve would also work. Just make sure you have enough room for your hands to work as you stitch on the patch.
  3. Use safety pins to tack the patch into place around the white fabric margin. You'll want to keep the patch as flat as possible without creating a lot of tension. We recommend safety pins over regular straight pins so you aren't constantly poking your fingers as you sew. 
  4. Decide on the color(s) you'd like to use to stitch on your patch. The color(s) you choose will be visible around the edge of the patch, so it's best to pick something that either coordinates or contrasts the colors found in the patch. Do you need help picking the right color(s)? Leave us a comment down below, and our color geniuses behind the screen will help you choose!
  5. Cut a length of embroidery floss from the skein. I like to use approximately 1 yard to start (you can use more as you feel more confident with sewing). A good way to approximate a yard is to hold one end of the floss in your hand and stretch it out to your side, and touch the other end to your nose. You will end up needing to re-thread when this runs out, but if you string too much on your needle, it will get tangled, and you will end up in a heap on the floor using your jacket which now has a flap of patch dangling from it to wipe away your hot, angry tears. Don't ask me how I know.
  6. Knot one end of the embroidery floss, and thread the needle. Your "tail" should be about 1/3 shorter than the knotted end. 
  7. Starting on the inside of your jacket, push the needle & thread through the denim beside the outer edge of the white fabric until the knot catches. Push the needle back down over the width of the white fabric just beside the outer edge of stitching/beading on the patch. Your needle and thread should be on the inside of the jacket. Double-check that you're not tangled anywhere. Congratulations, you've made a WHIP STITCH. 
  8. Now we're just going to do the same thing over and over to whip up the rest of this patch. Start your next stitch very close to your first stitch, without going in the same hole. Push it up through just the denim, and push it down through the white fabric and the denim. You're making a circular motion with the needle and thread, and when you pull taught (not tight!), the threads lay flat against the surface of the fabric. 
  9. Stop sewing when your thread is about 4" long. It's time to secure a knot and start again with a new length of thread. There are a few methods of tying off a knot, but I like to make a pretzel with the thread close to the fabric. Then use one hand to pull the thread (your left hand, if you're right handed), and use the other hand to keep the knot right beside the fabric as it tightens. This can take some practice, so if you're super new to sewing, I would suggest trying it out using some scrap fabric until you feel comfy making knots. 
  10. For aesthetic & functional reasons, your goal is to cover all of the white fabric margin with whip stitches, so that you do not see the white fabric anymore. When you finish, if you have any white gaps that bother you, you can always go back in with separate stitches to cover those areas. 
  11. Voilá, you've got a bomb ass jacket and you're ready to slay... your mirror (because, um, we're still quarantining, right?).

Photo taken well before Covid. We do not endorse this proximity!


Tag @shelflifeart @dreamlandws @suzritz when you post your newly stitched beaded patch!

*The stitching queens behind the scenes at Shelf Life Art & Supply Co. are happy to be your crafty friend (for a fee)! If you don't want to deal with the hassle of attaching your patch on your own, please send us a message, and we'll gladly do it for you! We are local to Greensboro & Winston-Salem, NC, but can ship anywhere to and fro, no problem.