I have a family member who recently joined the military and needs patches sewn on the sleeves of a number of his uniforms. I can't figure out how to use my machine to do this. The patches are on the upper part of the sleeve about 6 inches down from the shoulder. He is trying to pay off his college loans and uses all of his money to accomplish this. I am trying to save him some money. Has anyone sewn on these type of patches using their machine?
I would think that alteration shops must have a machine with an extended arm to accomplish this, as I always see police uniforms with rank on the sleeves at the laundromat. Now this has peaked my interest as to what type of machine they use. I can't seem to find anything on the internet that would make this fairly easy. Does anyone know what type of machine a tailor would use at the laundromat? Very curious at this point.
Thank you,
Jeff
You can get the sleeve under your machine. Pin the patch in place and you can work it under. Start from the neck and work the rest under. Just don't sew two layers together or he will have a hard time getting it on. :)
The optimum machine for this is a patcher. They are designed for the shoe repair industry. They have a long narrow cylinder bed and the foot (which is also your feed dog) rotates 360*. This allows you to sew in any direction. You also have a nice big handwheel for stitch-by-stitch control in awkward spots like the wings of a Harley Davidson patch.
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I'd go see my neighbourhood cobbler. I'll also share two other "lessons learned"; Sew as close as possible to the perimeter of the patch to prevent puckering and lifting at the edges after umpteen washes, and provide the sewer with the exact specifications of where the patches are to be placed. I can't see your military being that much different than ours---6" to the tip of the chevron, is not 6 1/8" !! I've seen inspections where the removable "brass" like name tags and collar dogs were actually measured. Our favourite "Jar head" [heels together, wink] will attest.
When I was in Boy Scouts I hand sewed them all on. Don't know if that's military reg. but I'll bet that's how Martha sewed all of Georges Patches.
That was actually part of my job duties in the Army. It is easiest when done from the armhole. As regulation states, the patches need to be placed halfway between the shoulder and the elbow. I spray with temporary adhesive and don't have to mess with pins. Hope this helps.
Virginia
QuoteWhen I was in Boy Scouts I hand sewed them all on
Wasn't there a merit badge for that ? That had to be sewn on LOL