DIY Embroidery Patches for Denim Jackets

Laura Kelly Designs
by Laura Kelly Designs
2 Materials
$10
2 Hours
Easy

I love the whole idea of giving my old jeans a new life. Literally, I wear my favorite denims until they are falling apart and have holes all over. This super fun tutorial will show you how to give them another go round in the form of adorable and creative embroidered art. Patches are always a great way to add character and personality to apparel items. For this particular project, I made a whole bunch of patches so I could test and try stitches that are new to me. There are TONS of great videos teaching different stitches on Instagram which made it so simple to find and try them out. Lets learn to make a DIY Embroidery Patch and add it to a denim jacket.

Materials and Supplies Needed

  • Old Pair of Jeans
  • Anchor Embroidery Floss Spools in Variety of Colors
  • Scissors
  • Needles
  • Embroidery Hoop

Directions

The goal is to try new stitches and create patches that make you feel happy and joyful. That means that you can use whatever colors you love most. There are tons of tutorials on Instagram to teach you quick and fabulous stitches. I find that Feather Stitch House has videos that I can follow easily. One of the best things about this project making a DIY Embroidery Patch is that there aren’t any hard and fast rules.


Step One

Cut a square of denim from an old pair of jeans and put it in an embroidery hoop. While the hoop is not necessary, it really does help make the fabric stay taut while stitching. Thread a piece of embroidery floss about 28-36 inches in length and bring the two ends together then tie a knot. Pull that double strand through from the back to get started.

Step Two

Stitch a design, any design. This could be anything at all. I just tried random lines of stitches for this creation. One of the lines is a bunch of French knots and it is my favorite. Add as many lines of stitches as you would like in whatever sizes seems right for the piece of clothing you have in mind.

Step Three

Once you have your design done, cut it out, leaving a little space around the edge just in case you want to stitch the patch on to it’s new surface. If you plan to use an iron-on backing, the area around the design could be smaller.

Step Four

Either sew your patch to the piece of clothing OR use an iron on adhesive. This could be to cover a hole or a stain BUT it might also be totally meant to add a spark of happy. I used Therm-O-Web Heat-N-Bond for Dark Colors.

Once the DIY embroidery patch pieces are added to a jean jacket, it becomes an adorable work of art. I love that you could do it in such a wide variety of stitches and colors. The patches could be made in so many themes.

Some of the ideas that come to mind are:


  • School Spirit Colors and Mascots
  • Sport Team Colors and Mascots
  • Rainbow Themed Colors
  • Harry Potter Houses and Icons
  • Flowers and Gardening
  • Ocean Animals and Fish with Bubbles
  • Student Designs for a Teacher Jacket as a Gift

More DIY Embroidery Patch Ideas

Here are some more of the patches that I hand embroidered. It has been so fun to learn new stitches and try new things. I love how different the embroidery floss colors look on different shades of denim. I decided that they would be really fun to give to friends so I am working on a cute little gift tag to attach and spread some handmade kindness. For that, stay tuned in!

ANCHOR EMBROIDERY FLOSS SPOOLS:


No more tangled skeins- floss stays neat and tidy with the new Anchor® Embroidery Floss Spools. The floss rolls smoothly off the spool and doesn’t tangle or knot when pulling out a length to work with. Storage is neat and tidy with spools, no more piles of tangled floss.


More Embroidery Ideas with Anchor Embroidery Floss


Too busy to make this right away?! Pin it for later! Pin this project to your favorite craft board on Pinterest and it’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready.

This post contains affiliate links.

XOXO,

Laura

Suggested materials:
  • Embroidery Floss   (COATS AND CLARK)
  • Denim   (Recycled Jeans)

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Laura Kelly Designs
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