Custom patches are a fun and creative way to add personal touches to clothing and accessories. However, choosing the accurate fabric for your custom patches can be tricky, as different materials have different properties that can affect the outcome. To help you make an informed decision, here is a guide to the best fabrics for embroidering patches.
- Twill Fabric is a popular material for embroidering patches because of its durable and smooth surface. This fabric is made from tightly woven threads and has a distinct diagonal pattern. They often use it for baseball caps, backpacks, and bags. It is easy to stitch on and holds the design in place well.
- Canvas Fabric: Canvas is another excellent choice for custom patches, as it is sturdy and long-lasting. Canvas is a heavier-weight fabric, often used for items like tote bags, jackets, and more. The tight weave of canvas fabric provides a stable surface that is easy to embroider, and the patches look great.
- Fleece Fabric: Fleece is a soft, warm, and fluffy fabric that is ideal for custom patches. It is lovely for winter accessories like hats, scarves, and gloves. Fleece is relatively lightweight and easy to stitch, but it may require a bit more time and effort to get the patches to adhere.
- Polyester Fabric: Polyester is a synthetic fabric that is lightweight, durable, and easy maintenance. It is an ideal choice for a custom patch because of its smooth surface and ability to maintain vibrant colors. Polyester is also great for bags, hats, and other accessories.
- Cotton Fabric: Cotton is a natural fiber that is breathable and soft to the touch. It is an excellent choice for custom embroidered patches, but it can be a bit more challenging to work with because it tends to stretch and shrink. You can still make beautiful patches with cotton. But be sure to stabilize it properly before customizing.
The best fabric for custom patches depends on the item you want to add the patches to and the desired outcome. Twill, canvas, fleece, polyester, and cotton are all excellent choices, but each has unique properties that will affect the final result of your patch. Consider your project, the design, and the fabric's properties before making your final choice.
A few alternatives for custom patches:
These may not be popular as their mentioned counterparts but provides an option.
- Denim Fabric: Denim is a heavy-duty cotton fabric for jeans and other clothing items. Denim is durable and holds up well to frequent wear and tear, making it an excellent choice for custom patches for heavy use.
- Linen Fabric: Linen is a natural fiber that is lightweight and breathable. It has a smooth and crisp surface, making it easy to embroider. Linen is helpful for table linens, napkins, and other home goods, but we can use it for custom patches.
- Wool Fabric: Wool is a warm, soft, and durable fabric that is great for custom patches. It can be a bit more challenging to work with than other fabrics, but it's worth it for the beautiful finished product. Wool is valuable for winter clothing items like coats, scarves, and hats.
- Silk Fabric is a luxurious and smooth fabric ideal for custom patches. It has a beautiful drape and is easy to stitch, making it perfect.
- Polyurethane (PU) is a polymer synthesized from a combination of organic and inorganic components, including petroleum. People utilize it in various industries, including the textile sector, because of its versatility, durability, resistance to abrasion, and other forms of wear and tear. PU is also known for its smooth and flexible texture, making it an ideal choice for custom patches where the material will come into contact with other surfaces.
- Acetate is versatile, lightweight, and luxuriously made from natural fibers. It is a cellulose-based fabric known for its durability, smoothness, and resistance to wrinkling, fraying, and stretching. These properties, combined with its easy-to-manipulate and highly drape-able texture, have made acetate a popular choice for various applications, including custom patches.
It is particularly sought-after in the fashion and clothing industry due to its versatility and ease of use. It takes dyes and prints well, making it suitable for various designs and patterns. Its soft texture also allows easy embroidery, making it a popular choice for patches and other embellishments. Additionally, its natural resistance to mold, mildew, and moisture makes it ideal for humid and damp environments.
These are just a few alternatives to the fabrics mentioned above. Consider desired outcome and the properties of each fabric when choosing a material for custom patches before making your final decision.
What are the things to look at when choosing the fabric?
When choosing the fabric for custom patches, there are several important factors to consider:
- Durability: Consider how the item with the patch will be used and choose a fabric strong enough to hold the subjected wear and tear.
- Stitch-ability: Some fabrics are simple to stitch on than others, so consider the fabric's ability to hold the design in place and maintain its shape over time.
- Texture: The fabric can affect the final look of the custom patches. Some materials, such as twill, have a tight weave that makes them easy to stitch on and produce a clean and smooth surface. Others, like fleece, have a softer and fluffier texture making the embroidery appear more plush and textured.
- Colorfastness: If the embroidery design includes multiple colors, choose a fabric that will not bleed or fade, affecting the vibrancy of the final product.
- Fiber Content: Consider the fiber content of the fabric, as some fabrics, like wool or silk, may require special care or handling, whereas synthetic fabrics like polyester may be more low maintenance.
- Stretching and Shrinking: Consider the fabric's tendency to stretch or shrink, as this can affect the final size and shape of the embroidery design.
- Project type: The items on which it will attach will also play a role in the fabric selection. For example, if the product is a hat, consider the hat's material, shape, and how the patch will fit.
Considering these factors, you can choose the best fabric for your custom patches and achieve the desired outcome.
Conclusion:
We have various fabrics available for custom patches, each with unique characteristics and advantages. Ultimately, the choice will depend on the specific needs and requirements of the patch project. But the fabric choice can go only that far, and you need a reliable manufacturer with experience and expertise to bring your patch ideas to life. EverLighten has helped startups, corporations, sports teams, scouts, the military, EMTs, universities, etc., for nineteen years.
The Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute (GVJCI), a nonprofit community center for seniors and youth, has been working for over 70 years in the South Bay for the needs of the Japanese-American community. They were looking for a reliable manufacturer for making custom patches as gifts for martial arts students of the dojo class. They could not find a supplier because they had an old patch picture with unclear details and wanted to make a few changes. Fortunately, they connected with EverLighten after numerous reviews. Their designers helped to convert the image into digital format and helped to make high-quality patches with the exact design.
Read the complete story https://everlighten.com/blogs/success-stories/custom-patches-jci-gardena
Create premium-quality custom patches with EverLighten:
Best value: They manufacture custom patches in their factory, which helps you to get the best cost in the industry.
High-grade: Clients receive products with premium materials, techniques, backings, and packaging.
Timely delivery: They provide fast and efficient delivery of all their projects.
Full-time assistance: The customer service team is available 24/7 for your support needs.
Customer-first: They love helping people and accept every order.
100% customization: Customers can customize every aspect - materials, colors, size, artwork, embroidery coverage, etc.
Low order requirement: They offer the lowest minimum order quantity in the industry.
Global shipping: EverLighten delivers to any location worldwide, and customers can monitor the status of their orders using an online tracking tool.
For more advice, inspiration, and ordering, visit https://everlighten.com/collections/custom-patches
