Do you have any Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts or other scouts in your house? If you do, I am quite certain you have had to figure out how to get the patches on the vest or uniform. If you are like me, ironing them on doesn’t always work. I set out to figure out how to get the patches on to stay. I figured out how to sew on a patch and I have a tutorial for you! Yay!
Getting patches on a uniform really shouldn’t be that hard, but it seems that half the time when I iron them on, they end up looking like the patch in the picture above, half on half off. At least when I make the uniforms for our American Girl Dolls, those patches stay on! For the Girl Scout patches, I tried this magic sheet from the Girl Scout store that was supposed to get them on without ironing them or sewing, but that didn’t really work either.
I had heard of sewing them on, but sewing in a circle and changing thread colors for all the different color patches sounded about as fun as a root canal to me.
Then I heard (I don’t remember who told me or where I read the idea…sorry) that you could buy transparent thread and use it to sew the patches on. AhHa!!! That I can do. Then no one can see how badly I sewed the patch on and I don’t have to change thread for all the different patch colors.
I found the Coats Transparent thread (affiliate link) at my local JoAnn’s in the specialty thread section, got my sewing machine all set up and set to work sewing on the patches.
(affiliate link) at my local JoAnn’s in the specialty thread section, got my sewing machine all set up and set to work sewing on the patches.
I quickly learned that sewing with the transparent thread was not a slam dunk in the easy department. You can see above how the thread got super messed up on the back of the patch. I did however figure out a few things that make it better than the alternatives. I’ve got the tips for you so you can use the method for all your patches this year.
On my machine, I needed to set the tension just slightly lower than my usual 3 setting. By setting the tension at 2 the thread seemed to not get tangled or break quite so much.
This was the biggest key for me. I had to keep the thread away for the end of the spool holder. I also had to watch that thread like a hawk. It tends to come off the spool more than other threads I have worked with. Then it easily gets tangled or stuck causing the thread to have too much tension and break or make the big mess on the back of the patches you saw above.
If I kept a watch on the thread here, not letting it get tangled and keeping it loose (like in the picture), and the tension at a 2, I was able to get the patches sewn onto the vest and the back of the patches looked good as well.
Still not totally perfect, but so much better then when I hadn’t figured out the tension and the thread getting stuck on the spool holder.
The fronts of the patches look really good. You can’t tell that I can’t sew a great circle to save my life! Problem solved. As much as this was a bit fussy, I will definitely be using this method to sew patches on vests for many years to come!
Do you have any tips or tricks for getting patches on vests? Please share! I would love to learn more tips for this oh so fun task. 😉
More Fun Ideas for You:
Thank you for sharing this tutorial!! I had to sew down a bunch of patches last year. I didn’t think about using invisible thread. I’ve linked to your tutorial on Craft Gossip:
https://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-sewing-scout-badges-on-to-a-uniform/2013/08/30/
–Anne
Thank you so much, Anne! I’m glad I could help you with how to get those patches on. I appreciate your linking this post up at Craft Gossip. Have a great night!
KC
That’s exactly how I’ve been doing it for both of my daughters. I have a sewing machine that does automatic tension though and I don’t have to adjust it at all (Bernina), and you can’t see the stitching!
So glad to know someone else uses this method and likes it as well. Sounds like a great feature your sewing machine has…would be very handy!
KC
I do all our patches with invisible thread (girl & boy scouts). From the pics, it looks like you used the invisible thread in the bobbin also. My 20+ year old Kenmore/Singer doesn’t like invisible thread in the bobbin at all. So, I use regular thread in the bobbin – usually in a contrasting color to make it easier to remove if I need to. I also don’t cut the thread between patches – just backstitch & move to the next until I run out of patches or space. Then I trim the threads on the front. I don’t trim the bottom threads if it was a small jump. So, my backs don’t look as neat as yours. But it helps me get through 4 sets of patches quickly – especially when I can hand off trimming threads to the owner of the patches.
I did use the invisible thread in the bobbin and I love your idea of using a regular thread in the bobbin. I bet that would help. I could use a thread that matched the color of the vest.
Great tips! Thanks!
KC
Great post! I use the invisible thread just like you did but I use the zig zag stitch around the edges so I don’t have to worry about sewing in a circle and it keeps the edges down tight. Sewed a ton of these on last year when other Girl Scout mothers asked me do to their daughters!
See, I would find zig zag stitching around the edges even more challenging! I’m so glad it works so well for you. I bet you made a lot of other Moms super happy by sewing their patches on for them!
Take care,
KC
Use the transparent thread and sew them on by hand. Doesn’t take that long. I still have my Girl Scout sash–not many badges as our leader would only let us work on two or three each year.
If sewing them on by hand works for you, more power to you. I can’t stand hand sewing…so machine it is for me.
Thanks for your idea!
KC
I like to do handwork (patches, mending, crochet…) while sitting with my husband who loves to watch TV in the evenings. At least we’re together and I feel productive!
Glad that works well for you. I so wouldn’t find it relaxing in the slightest, but I know there are tons of people who really like the handwork of sewing.
Take care,
KC
Excellent! Pinned!
Thanks, Diana!
KC
What a wonderful idea to use the transport thread. Sure beats changing the bobbin and thread for each patch. C3
Thanks, Mom! Yes it sure does beat changing the bobbin and thread and I think you know I would have about 3 minutes of patience for that…lol!
Love you,
KC
I hand sew all of mine and change colors with the patch. If I even knew that this thread was available it would have made things so much easier!! Definitely going to make a stop at Joann’s for this! Thanks for this time saver! ~Allison
So glad I could help make things a bit easier for you! Puts a smile on my face! You are most welcome. I hope it works really well for you.
Take care,
KC
I always keep a bobbin ready with thread to match the vest. Then I only have to change out the upper thread.
Yeah, that is what I had thought of…I just lack patience for these types of things. So the transparent thread solves the issue of me lacking patience! 🙂
Take care,
KC
Thank You SO much!! I have a girl scout, a boy scout, and this year, 3 cub scouts. I always pray that no one looks too closely at my poor kids’ uniforms, because I’ve always had issues with getting the patches on decently. I guess I’m out to buy some invisible thread!
I totally feel your pain. My girls vest were pretty bad before I gave this a try. I hope the invisible thread works fantastically for you! Fingers crossed. 🙂
KC
Good for you! You have helped so many people! My days of sewing patches are long gone but back then I suffered doing it by hand. Congratulations!
Awww…you are so sweet! I hope that this posts helps a few people. My daughters vests were a mess. Now I know they won’t ever look bad again (unless it is like normal and it takes me forever to get the sewing machine out to fix them…sigh).
Take care,
KC
Good for you! You have helped so many people! My days of sewing patches are long gone but back then I suffered doing it by hand. Congratulations!
I sew my son’s scout patches on by hand. The best tip I ever got was to staple the patch on before sewing. That way I can keep it straight and right where I want it as I work at that circle. Then, when it’s sewn on, I simply remove the staples. I wish I’d known this when I started.
I love your idea of stapling the patch on before you get started. I think whether you are sewing by hand or machine…it is a genius tip! Thanks!
KC
Many moons ago when I was in the Guides, I used to sew my badges on by hand. Sewing by machine would be so much faster.
It sure is faster and doesn’t make me want to hit something. LOL! I can’t stand hand sewing.
Take care,
KC
Been using the transparent thread for a long time. However, I use the vest color thread in the bobbin. Transparent thread really should not be put in a bobbin.
Thanks for your tips. I was just doing this again this week! More patches. I’ve been using the transparent thread in the bobbin just fine. It usually isn’t the bobbin that is the problem in my machine. It is the other thread. Though since you brought it up, how well does it work to mix the transparent thread with a traditional thread? Seems to me like they wouldn’t work very well together.
I also use a piece of painter’s tape or masking tape across the patch to hold it in place. No staples…no pins. I remove the tape once I reach it and the patch is always perfectly aligned!
I love your idea of using the tape to hold that patch in place. Fantastic!
I can’t adjust the tension on my machine. So I figured out that if I use clear thread on the top and vest colored thread on the bobbin, I had no problems with the tension.
Another tip I use is double stick tape behind the badge before you sew it. I use color thread in the bobbin because the invisible thread breaks and unravels under stress when both top and bottom are invisible. It’s a pain to have to resew. Thank you for posting this! As a leader it makes me sad when the girls lose all their patches. Especially the ones that can’t be replaced.
I know I sometimes am behind the times, but I was using this invisible thread, BUT now my machine won’t work at all. The mechanism that goes up and down is stuck and I don’t know how to fix it. It maybe goes only a half inch. I thought it was the glue from the back of the patches, but that is not it. Any suggestions? Do you think I have some thread caught somewhere inside and I am just not seeing it. I am hoping I don’t need another machine as I have had this one since I got married. It is a Sears Kenmore. My granddaughter is earning patches faster than I can get them sewn on. Right now hand sewing with the clear. Hard to get the needle through the glue and it is killing my fingers. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much for this post! I’m a new daisy mom and had no trouble at all using your advice. Thanks so much!!