How to apply iron on patches

Iron-on patches are a great way to express your individuality - and they're also useful for hiding damaged or torn spots on your clothes and accessories.

Fabrics like denim and cotton provide the best base for iron-on patches. As a general rule the fabric you choose should be at least as heavy as the patch. Be very careful with polyester fabrics, since applying the high heat necessary for ironing on patches can burn the fabric or cause it to get discolored.

Don't iron patches onto leather, it'll burn a hole in your vest. Instead, sew it on.

Prep the Iron

So turn the iron on and set it to the hottest temperature your fabric can handle (the iron should have different settings for different fabrics.) Do NOT use the steam setting and make sure there is no water in the iron.

Before you do anything with the patch, iron the garment first to make sure there aren’t any wrinkles. A wrinkle in the garment could lead to issues with the patch adhering incorrectly, so make sure your garment is completely smoothed out!

Position the Patch

Place the patch in the position you chose. The adhesive side should be flat against the base fabric.

Use a Pressing Cloth

Place a thin cotton fabric over the patch. Take care not to disturb the position of the patch. The fabric will protect the patch itself and the surrounding fabric.

Position the heated iron over the patch and press down. Hold the iron there for about 30 seconds. Apply as much pressure as you can by pressing down firmly.

Flip and Repeat

Turn the piece inside out and give it some extra heat from the backside, as well.

Allow it to cool completely before checking to see if it sticks. If you test it too soon, the glue won’t have time to set. To prevent iron on patches from peeling off after you iron it, you can always reinforce the patch with a straight stitch around the border of the patch for that extra hold. It’s especially helpful with the heavier, stiffer patches. If you can't do it yourself, ask a place that does clothing repairs/ alterations, and they should be happy to help. When stiching, try to match the thread colour to the edging colour of the patch, then you won't see the stitching. For example, for the rocket, use a black thread:

You can wash items that have iron-on patches properly attached, care must be taken. Only wash in cold to lukewarm water and where possible, hand wash the item. If washing in the machine, only use the gentle cycle. Always turn the garment with the iron-on patch inside out when washing it. Try to keep washing to a minimum, to preserve the patch.

When a patch falls off a garment, this usually indicates that either it has been subjected to too much heat (in the dryer) or too frequent washing. The adhesive is likely no longer sticky and you'll either need to add new adhesive or stitch the patch back on. If you're not keen on sewing the patch back in place, the best option is to apply fusible webbing to the back of the patch (cut to size), then iron the patch back on, following the manufacturer's instructions.