Have you heard of reviving the ‘90s fashion vibe through the very charming patches? The world cannot stop talking about them ever since the GUCCI pre-fall premiere of 2016. That fashion walk almost gave patches a new life.
They are being seen again attached to jackets, denim trousers, travel bags, zippers and even t-shirts. The possibilities for styling them are endless; perhaps that is why you will never find a person being sceptical about them. Having doubts? Just sprinkle some little badges all over your garments and create an exceptional look.
However, there might be some suspicions about which attachment methods to use and if they are durable enough. Although, there is nothing to worry about. We have your back!
Iron-On Patches – Investigating Their Resilience
Almost all the vendors swear by the strong bond of their custom iron on patches, but the customers say otherwise. In their experience, the badges fall off very shortly after the exhaustive application process.
However, we can never identify who is to blame. It could be a mistake by either of them. Thus, we are writing this article to address all the possible things that can go wrong and to discuss the solutions.
Balancing the Positives & Negatives
| Specifics | Elaboration |
| Application | The application process is quite simple, quick and effortless. You just have to make sure all the instructions are followed. |
| Placement | Its placement is a tough nut to crack. They do not go well with all the fabric and surfaces, so when it is time to place them, you will face difficulties. |
| Skills Required | There are no additional skills required for this application process other than just handling the iron temperatures. |
| Heat Sensitivity | With extremely high heat sensitivity, sometimes it becomes difficult not to burn the patch and still heat it enough to stick. Therefore, not at all versatile. |
| Customisation | The iron-on patches can be embroidered as well. Hence, you can make the most of your creative freedom to fill the empty canvases with your unique notions. |
| Durable Bond | The adhesive is stronger than the sewing thread. As a result, the ironed-on patches last longer than the sewn ones. |
They Can Stay Longer If…
To make your iron patches last longer than regular ones, you first need to consider a few essentials. Let us begin with the quality of the patch itself. This includes the thread material, glue type, fabric and clear design. All of these elements are so visible that you can easily understand the difference with just a glance or touch. Hence, you must make sure that the vendor you picked does not use any low-quality glue or fabric.
Moreover, it is also significant that you evenly follow the instructions for applying a badge using the iron. You might not have done it before, so we suggest that you watch a video tutorial first. Once you watch a systematic enactment of what you are supposed to do, it will be smoother to implement.
Consequently, now you know that it is either your fault or the vendors, but there is a higher chance that you are at fault. The justification is valid. The vendor has very little to contribute to the badge not sticking; you have more than four solid pieces of evidence against you. Such as washing and drying blunders. Hence, here is a brief description of how ‘NOT’ to go wrong.
Correct Application Technique
- In the first place, you need to search for the garment – shirt, jeans or jacket, whatever it is for the tag on it. The laundry tag will tell you about what temperatures the apparel can bear. Then you see what high temperature the embroidered patches can handle. You might want to change one of them if they do not match.
- Then, before moving any further, you need to clean and dry the garment. This reduces the chances of any dirt coming in between and messing up the sticking process. You can even use a brush to scrape off any unnecessary dust settled down in the cloth. This is the first tip for keeping the badge on for months, at least.
- The next step after discovering the ideal spot for sticking is settling down the brooch in place. Then, you will need a tea towel (a little bit damp), and you must use it to cover the brooch. On the other hand, parchment paper will also be used. Just ensure that everything is positioned perfectly.
- After this comes the toughest part, where you use the iron to avoid any accidents, to begin with, you put the heat on the communicated temperature. Then, you slowly start pressing the brooch onto the fabric with a steady force. You might feel that the glue is taking forever to melt, but hold on a little more. Apart from this, do not forget to have 30-second intervals in between the ironing process.
- Spare a good amount of minutes on this side and then flip the fabric. Now, apply heat and iron to the other side (with intervals) for another few minutes. Once done, use a tweezer and budge the corners of the badge. Do you think it has made a strong bond together? If yes, then you can leave it to cool down. If not, then you should repeat the process until you finally find no loose ends.
Conclusive Thoughts
The bottom line is that if you do exactly what is in the manual that comes with the iron-on patch, then nothing will go wrong. It is all about making sure that you do not deviate from the guidelines.
However, if you are a perfectionist, you can go the extra mile for the secure and long-lasting attachment of badges on the garment. That additional mile that you can take is throwing in some colour-matched stitches in the nooks and corners. This is a foolproof idea, where you use two techniques to adhere the brooch to the apparel and ensure sturdiness. Moreover, you also need to pay special attention to their washing and cleaning methods.
To conclude, we would say that you might never be able to ensure the complete long-lastingness of a brooch, but you can do things the right way and extend their life.