Come with me on a journey to explore non-felt patch making!
I follow The People's Sewing Army (@thepeoplessewingarmy) on Instagram and I ADORE them because they connect with different charities in the Portland area that can benefit from handmade gifts. Their latest Mission (number 5!) is to create gender pronoun cuffs, bow ties, and pride flag patches from scrap fabrics. I also participated a few years ago when there was another mission to help the same group and I REALLY wanted to make some kind of patches but I couldn't figure out how to do it easily the last time around.
Handmade patches generally require felt, due to it being lightweight and having finished edges that don't fray. Felt is fantastic, but I almost never have any! I wanted to experiment with using the fabric I do have to see what I can come up with!
When I design things, I identify the biggest problem I need to solve in the project I want to do. In this case, my main obstacle is finding a way to avoid fraying edges that don't involve dousing it in Fray-check. Unnecessary chemicals? Hard pass!
Aside from felt, there are other fabric materials that won't unravel, like t-shirt knit, leather, fleece, vinyl, and other fabrics that get classed as "non woven" like medical masks or even some reusable grocery bags . Due to the various other obstacles those materials present, I quickly opted out of a felt alternative that would leave exposed edges.
I recently made a small pinch pouch following this tutorial. The way the sides are constructed involves gathering the fabric around a hard object and sandwiching two of these pieces together so that the raw edges are hidden. Perfect for what I want to make!
The tutorial I used for the pinch pouch used pieces of plastic from my recycle bin. So surely I have a few things around to try that are already patch sized? How about lids, key cards, or old cards?
Once I knew this was the construction I wanted, I decided it would be 3D and not very conducive to being a patch. I have a bunch of safety pins, so I figured I could try a pin-able patch. I kind of like the pin idea better as it has more versatility than an iron on patch. You can wear it on your favorite jean jacket, tote bag, or with a pretty scarf!
Design phase over! Let me walk you through what I did for this experiment. It's a pretty basic first attempt but I can envision adding sequins, frills, lace, beading, or fabric paint. You could really use this as a jumping point for your creativity! I put together a Pinterest board to get your creative ideas flowing!
Supplies I used:
Milk jug lid (any lid that is about that size should be fine)
Piece of plastic packaging (mine is #1, any should work fine or you could use cardboard)
Fabric scraps
Embroidery threads
Non- fabric scissors or x-acto knife
Embroidery hoop (optional)
Hand sewing supplies
To start, I traced my lid on the fabric so I would know how big I could make my embroidery design.
I traced out a larger circle over this, which is the height of my lid. You could also decorate this edge if you like, but it will be a little gathered so it may not sit right if you add something bulky! Decorate and embroider to your heart's content!
Done decorating? Good! Before you do anything else you should also trace your lid onto the piece of plastic for later as it will be harder after the next step. Don't be like me, I waited until much later and it was harder. Don't make life harder than it has to be!
After embroidering, I cut out my circle, leaving about 1/2 inch extra fabric from my outer most circle. If your fabric frays easily like mine, you may want to make whip stitches around the entire edge.
I gathered the edge by making a large running stitch around the back edge, put the lid in the middle, then pulled it tight.
If you're having a hard time getting it to stay tight enough, you can add a few stitches that go from the top to bottom and cross in the middle.
I then cut out my piece of plastic for the back, be very careful doing this as the plastic can be sharp! I trace this circle onto my fabric and cut out with about a 1/4" extra fabric around the edges. Secure the edge the same way as before if it's fraying.
I sewed a loop of fabric, to the right side so that a safety pin could be secured later. This method is functional, but my pin is visible when I wear it. If I make it again I would use a smaller piece of fabric or sew the pin on with tight stiches so it can't shift around!
I repeated the same steps for gathering the front as for the back.
To attach the front and back, I did an invisible whip stitch between the 2 pieces and pulled them tight. If your pin has a top/bottom, make sure your back piece is lined up so the pin will sit correctly. If you're impatient you could probably use hot glue, but I try not to take shortcuts!
The back of your pin should look like this now!
Your pin is ready to be shown off now!
I hope my experiment has inspired you to try making your own pins! I'd love to see any projects you make, tag me @sunny_salvage on Instagram so I can see your beautiful work! If you try this project, I'd love to see! You can also like my Facebook page to stay updated and follow me on Pinterest for more upcycling ideas!
Stay tuned for another pin making experiment using a different core!
Until next time!
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