Index
Guides
Everything published here, newest first. Placement guides name the publication they were checked against and the date it was checked; everything else describes conventions.
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Which fabrics can take an iron-on patch, and which cannot
Cotton takes a heat-seal patch. Leather, nylon, shells, fleece and stretch do not. What to use instead, and why no one should rank fabric glues.
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How to iron on letters so the word sits straight
Mark a baseline and align the letters on it, not by the tops of the tiles. Spacing, centring, and why letters lift before patches do.
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Motorcycle patches to avoid if you are not in a club
Avoid a three-piece back, a territory rocker, the MC cube and the 1% diamond. Everything else is yours to wear — and here is why the line sits there.
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What the patches on a motorcycle vest actually mean
Three pieces, the MC cube and the 1% diamond are real conventions. Most numeric patch meanings are folklore, and this page says which is which.
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Air Force OCP patch placement, quoted from DAFI 36-2903
Flag on the right sleeve with the blue field forward, unit patch and duty identifier on the left. Quoted from the February 2024 instruction and dated.
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Army OCP patch placement: what side each patch goes on
The U.S. flag goes on your right sleeve, your unit patch on your left. Why this page gives no measurements, and where to get ones you can act on.
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Scouts BSA uniform patch placement, position by position
Where every badge sits on the Scouts BSA field uniform shirt, quoted from publication 33066 and the June 2024 field uniform checklist, and dated.
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How to identify and date an old patch
You cannot date a patch from its design, but you can read its construction. The six features to record, and where to take it next.
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How to build a patch jacket that looks composed
Choose a flat, unlined jacket, lay everything out and photograph it before you sew, and start with the back panel. Layout, placement and attachment.
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How to display a patch collection without damaging it
Light and adhesive are what ruin a collection. Four reversible mounting methods, how to frame a patch properly, and how to arrange the wall.
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How to put a patch on a backpack without ruining it
Backpacks are coated nylon, so heat is out. Sew it, stitch down a hook-and-loop panel, or use the MOLLE grid. Check behind the panel first.
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How to iron on a patch without an iron
A heat press is the real substitute, and a hair straightener works on small patches. A steamer and a hair dryer do not, and here is why.
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Embroidered patch sizes, and how quotes are measured
Suppliers quote a patch on the average of its height and width, so a 3 by 5 inch patch is a 4 inch patch. Sizes, limits and price.
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What is a hook-and-loop patch, and how do you fit one?
The patch carries the hook side and the garment carries the loop panel. The panel takes every pull, so it is stitched down, not glued.
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How to iron on a patch — and why it lifts after one wash
Iron-on patches lift at the edges because a household iron can’t hold the heat, pressure and dwell time the adhesive needs. How to press one properly.
How the guides are organised
Four areas, and most questions sit in one of them.
Placement — where a patch goes, measured from a named reference point rather than judged by eye. This includes the regulated cases, each quoted from its governing publication and dated. Placement guides.
Patch types — how a patch is built, and what each construction can and cannot do. Embroidery has a detail limit; woven and PVC have different ones. Compare types.
Application — getting a patch onto the garment and keeping it there. The fabric decides the method far more often than the patch does. How-to guides.
Insignia — what a mark claims, and who is entitled to wear it. Insignia reference.
If you only read two
Two pages answer most of what people arrive looking for: which fabrics can take an iron-on patch, because that is the question behind most failed applications, and how patch sizes are quoted, because a “4 inch patch” is not four inches on any edge.
How these pages are maintained
Regulated placement figures cite the publication they come from and the date they were checked. Where a figure could not be verified against a current source, the page says so rather than filling the gap with a number that looks plausible. Anything that has gone out of date should be corrected and re-dated rather than quietly left standing.