Dec
08Embroidered patches have been around for centuries dating all the way back to ancient Asian civilizations. However, it is only recently that we have been able to attach them to our clothing using heat activated glue and a hot iron. It is possible to attach them to nearly all fabrics without having to get your needle and thread out. This is good news because it is less painful, quicker and much easier. The only problem is, you can’t iron patches to leather – at least in the traditional sense.
Hot Temperatures and Leather Do Not Go So Well Together
When it comes to attaching embroidered patches to clothing with a hot iron, what you are actually doing is heating up the glue on the back of the patch until it gets quite soft. That requires a lot of heat; heat that can damage the sensitive finish of leather.
Despite the fact that leather is quite durable, too much heat will damage the surface of it. So we are left with two problems. First of all, the glue will not adhere to the damaged leather and the patch will fall off. Second, once the patch does fall off you’ll be looking at an ugly burn mark left by the glue. There are other materials like faux leather and vinyl that will also have these issues. You also need to bear in mind that even if you could find a way to heat the patch alone so that it would stick to the leather, if your hand slips at all and the iron comes into contact with other parts of the leather, a scorch mark will be left. That is why you should never have a hot iron anywhere near your leather.
There Is Something Else You Can Do
Earlier we mentioned that attaching iron on patches to leather was difficult in the traditional sense. When we said you can’t iron on patches to leather in the traditional sense we meant that there is a non-traditional way to do it. What this means is that there is special glue that you can use along with an unheated iron. Yes, an unheated iron. You’ll be using it only as a press.
Because leather can be quite difficult to work with, you are going to need special glue in order to make this work. You may find this specialized glue in high end leather goods shops, craft fairs or at sewing shops. It is important to make sure that you can use this glue on leather and the way to find this out is to read the instructions on the bottle. You may end up wasting your money if you fail to do this.
To attach the patch to the leather, you will need to spread the glue onto the back of the patch and then put it carefully on to the leather where you want it to be. You can then use the cold iron to press down on the patch until it sticks. You can then release the iron and wait for the glue to dry. It is important that you know where you want to have your patch before you lay it down. Once you have placed the patch on the leather, you cannot remove it or you will be left with a stain.


