How to do patches on clothing

Add elbow patches to jacket

I’ve been meaning to get around to this idea for a while now. The English country look is right up my street. Love the soft flowing florals mixed with autumnal coloured tweeds. Knee and  elbow patches give a sense of horsing around out in the countryside.

Since jodhpurs are so hot right now, I am also going to put knee patches on a few of my skinny leg jeans or trousers. Knee patches on jodhpurs tend to be on the inside area of the trouser leg.  A jacket to match my horsey style pants will be just the business. To make the patches, I made a newspaper pattern. It’s always best to get a sense of proportion. I used a tea cup to make two circles next to each other. The oval shape came from there. Once I was satisfied with the shape I cut the patches. Use a heavy grade knit fabric as you need a textile with a bit of give at an elbow or knee joint.

At this stage in the photograph I have pinned the patches in place. My intention is to use thick embroidery thread and blanket stitch the patches into place. Not sure if I want a contrasting colour for my jodhpurs to be? Am also considering a contrasting colour thread to sew the patches in place. But let me finish this jacket first. One makeover at a time.

The Greenie Galleries at the top of this page have 100s of photos of older and newer projects showing multiple ways to make your own clothing and accessories. There are also ideas to recycle or upcycle.

See you soon.

Greenie.