InkStitch - embroidery patch

Objectives

• Create embroidery patch designs
• Stitch patches with the "cut first" method
• Hooping for patches
• Gluing patches

Prerequisites

• Inkscape
• InkStitch - basic use
• InkStitch - satin columns

See also

• Computerized embroidery
• embroidery patch

• Quality: to improve

• Difficulty: intermediate

Introduction

This little tutorial explains how to design embroidery patches with the free and open source Ink/Stitch software Creating a patch with only an embroidery machine requires a little bit of precision work.

Creating patches is explained in general terms in the Embroidery patch article. Here, we just summarize the method we like best.

Prepare the fabric

Cut out some appropriate stable fabric of the size of the badge. You can print out a paper version of the design and use it as model.

Ideally, you could cut the patches with a laser cutter. We use our Trotec Speedy 100R 50Mw with settings: power=23, speed=1.9 and Hz=1000. Since the fabric may warp consider weighting down the borders, e.g. with pieces of lead. Scissors will also do, but try to be as precise as possible.

Cutting fabric for embroidery patches

Hooping

• Hoop a self-adhesive tear-away stabilizer, sticky side up.
• Consider using two layers to add some extra stability

Hooping a stabilizer sticky side up, else use glue

Yes. Do not attach the stabilizer to the fabric (your pre-cut patch), wait !

Alternatively, for better results, you could use a heavy water-soluble or heat-soluble stabilizer. But then you'd have to rehoop after each patch...

Place the fabric

• Stitch a placement stitch (cut line) that has the size of the patch.
• Remove the hoop
• Stick the pre-cut fabric inside/on top of the cut line. (If you don't have a sticky stabilizer, glue the fabric)
• Put the hoop back

Tack down and stitch the border

• Stitch an optional tack down stitch followed by a zig-zag border first. The zig-zag's underlay will do as tack down.

Stitching an embroidery path in progress

Stitch the rest

Then stitch the rest of the embroidery.

Reuse the stabilizer in the hoop

Carefully remove the patch. It should "come off" very easily since the sating border will have perforated the stabilizer.

You now can just stick a piece of stabilizer on top of the round hole (sticky side up!) and start again without re-hooping.

If this is well done this will last for at least 10 patches.

It is probably best not to stitch a background color. Otherwise you will have to manage a pull/push effect and also make sure that the overlap between border and background looks good. The zigzag stitch should come first in order to make sure that it is correctly placed along the borders. Instead, use specialized fabrics for batches that look good, e.g. Twilly or Step from Gunold.

Glue the patch onto some cloth

Two versions glued to a shirt

In our very limited experience, the easiest way of gluing a patch to some cloth is to us some thermo film made of glue. Again, Gunold does have several products. We have HeatnBond Lite.

(1) Cut a piece of thermofilm, a bit bigger than the size of the patch

(2) Infuse the patch with glue

• Put the patch upside down in a heat press or on a table
• Put thermofilm on top, cooking paper on top. If it doesn't have its own cooking paper add your own.
• Heat with a heat press or an iron for about 3 seconds
• Remove the cooking paper

The patch now has glue on the down side. Alternatively, you can cut a larger piece of thermo film glue. Apply it is as shortly as possible (about 2 seconds) to the backside of the patch, then cut it.

(3) Apply the patch to the cloth

• Put the patch on top of the fabric.
• Again, put some cooking paper on top
• Heat for 5-10 seconds

(4) Sew the borders. Otherwise the patch might come off during washing.

Templates

Below are two 6.1cm templates with rather narrow zigzag borders and a 8cm one. You will have to put something inside

Patch templates - ready to go

SVG model for creating 61.5 mm patches. Positioning, tackdown/fixing lines and a light ZigZag underlay

SVG model for creating 81.5 mm patches. Positioning, tackdown/fixing lines and a light ZigZag underlay

SVG model for 61.5 mm patches. Heavy ZigZag underlay, no tackdown/fixing line (avoid)

InkStitch example

The following design is available from the Ink/Stitch web site. It nearly fits into the rather large 80mm patch. We just reduced it a little bit. We had to modify the design for the smaller 6.15 version, i.e. replace satin stitches in the needles by straight lines and remove some density.

6.15cm Version 1

SVG model InkStitch Logo patch

Simulation

First test

This design has quite a lot of pull. One probably could make the blue frame a bit smaller and use less density. The border may have to be improved (less underlay) and the placement stitch made a bit bigger. The hooping probably wasn't perfect. We should have used two layers of stabilizer.

6.15cm Version 2

SVG model InkStitch Logo patch

Second test

8cm Version 1

SVG model InkStitch 80mm Logo patch

First test with 8cm version

Of course, you are not really obliged to use the official colors.

Second test with different colours for under 20 and over 60 year olds

Creating rounded text paths

Inkscape allows to position a text along a patch as explained in several tutorials you can find. E.g. the semi-official Text on Path tutorial or the more detailed NASA mission styled badges with Inkscape tutorial by Nicu. So far (version 1.16, Aug 2018), Inkstitch doesn't have a lettering module. You either can create your own font, or copy/paste letter objects from some font file. See InkStitch - lettering and copy e.g. from InkStitch - Geneva-simple typefaces or Small embroidery font.

Rounded text with a simple fill pattern

Below we shortly explain how to create an embroidery patch using Inkscape fonts. However, since we only provide minimal instructions, please do read NASA mission styled badges with Inkscape first or concurrently ! Use the following as a checklist.

Step 1 Add a circle to guide the text direction for the text on the upper half

• Add the circle (hold down the CTRL key)
• Center the circle with the align tool
• Remove fill and set the stroke to something small, e.g. 0.5mm

Step 2 Enter the text

To use a font with a simple tatami fill pattern:

• Use a bold font size that is neither to big (it must fit within the patch) and neither to small. E.g. for an 8x8cm patch you could start with size=25
• Copy/paste the text (as backup)

Step 3 Align the text.

• Select the text and the path of the circle
• Menu Text -> Put on Path
• You could adjust spacing between letters or words (but this is not strictly necessary)
• Click twice on the circle, then rotate using the controls in the corners.

Step 4 Translate text to path

• If you are happy with the result..
• Translate the font to path: Select the text, then Menu Path -> Object to Path
• Remove the stroke and set a fill color.

Step 5: Add a second circle for the bottom text

• It should be as large as the prior circle (above) plus the text
• Insert a text
• Add to to path, using this second circle
• Rotate the text on top
• Flip vertically
• Space out the letters a bit: Double click to select all the letters, then add spacing between letters, e.g. 5px
• Re-adjust rotation: Select the circle (click twice) and rotate.
• Translate to path and set the fill color.

Step 6:

• Remove the circles
• Add other content, e.g. we used fist roots from the noun project made by corpus delicti

Result:

Patch for download (SVG). Text is not editable

Simulation

The font will not look very good and should be replaced a satin stitched font. But this is more complicated.

Template for download

The following template for a 8cm patch includes the two circles plus some dummy SVG that you can replace by yours.

• Click twice on the picture to get the SVG, then "save page as" in your browser window
• Change the text on top and bottom
• Rotate. Click on the circles (and not the text) to do so.
• Finally, translate the text to paths for embroidery, as described above.

Badge template for download (SVG). Text is editable (can only be seen in the SVG)

Rounded text with embroidery font objects

There are InkScape extensions that allow spreading an object(s) along paths.

Copyright modification

Contents of this page including pictures and SVG files are also available under the GNU Free Documentation License and the Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

The Inkstitch project can use any element (text fragments, SVG files, pictures) for the project's official docs without giving attribution (just copy and paste).