Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Sneak Peak: Patches

When I was a child, patches were something some kids had on the knees of their jeans, usually little boys. Patches also showed up on Girl Scout and Boy Scout uniforms, but that was pretty much it. However, the concept of decorative patches currently seems to play a big role in handmade children's clothes here in Germany. I decided to jump on the bandwagon and picked up a couple of patches for the project I made for my nieces.
I told them I was making a surprise and they couldn't see what I was sewing, but I said I'd give them a hint. The four year old loved this word and promptly began using it incorrectly for the remainder of our Skype call, ha ha. I love kids! Anyhow, I held up the big owl patch and said it was going on big sister's secret project -squeals and thrills abounded as owls are a favorite, phew. Then I held up the little matryoshka doll patch for little sister; big sister deduced. "she gets the little one because she's little." Rightly so. More smiles, my own included. I'm glad they liked what I picked!

So now I'm holding up the patches for you, a little taste of what's to come. Remember when I asked for tips on attaching patches to fleece? Well, ironing worked for the owl, but the other quickly peeled off. They came from two different companies, so I think that was the determining factor. I had to hand stitch the doll to the fleece, which was a hassle, but worth it. I can't wait for them to get these in the mail, along with their necklaces and little jewelry pouches!  

What have you been working on? What do you think of decorative patches? Do you/would you use them? Where do you buy yours?

2 comments :

Lizzie said...

I think I could do with some patches for the hole in my jeans!
Love these little embroidered patches, they're gorgeous. I remember when patches were "in" some time ago... but they were of the grungy, grubby denim kind!

I'll look out for your "big reveal" of the project - presumably once the girls have had the chance to seem their presents first.

BTW, I would always stitch patches, even after using iron-on adhesive, as it does lose its sticky in the wash or over time.

What did you make? Eeee...

Juliette said...

Thanks Lizzie! Yes, I've already got the reveal blog post ready, but I have to wait until the mail gets to them. I wanted to surprise my sister as well as the girls, so these items are the 'big surprise' in the box. They've seen pretty much everything else. =)

I'm hoping that owl stays put; it seemed really stuck down when I tried to mess with it. The doll peeled up with the smallest tug, so I'm glad I checked.

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