Elbow Patches

       Elbow patches are one of my all time favorite trends, primarily because they maintain a very stylish air of scholarly practicality. They are the lab coats of the English major, and there’s nothing sexier than a brilliant and exceptionally dressed woman (or man). In the following post, I’ve provided a quick low-cost tutorial that you can use for any sweater, blazer, or jacket.

You need:

• Sweater, jacket, or blazer. I used the same sweater that I used for a previous tutorial on metal studs.
• Iron-on patches. I purchased a package of two large (5in by 7in) brown twill patches for only a few dollars.
• A permanent marker
• An iron
• Scissors 

Pre-crafting Prep: Pre-wash! You’ll avoid a lot of trouble if you start with a sweater that’s already as small as it’s going to get. Shrinking after the patches are applied can lead to them peeling off or fitting oddly.

Step One

Start by planning out where exactly your patches will go. I put the sweater on, and after making sure my sleeves were straight and even, marked the center of my elbow with a marker.

Step Two

The next step is to draw the shape of your oval elbow patches on the backside of the iron-on patch. I traced two circles (diameter approx. 8 cm) and then connected the sides with a straight line. You should have approximately even ovals when you’re done.

Step Three

The last step is to iron on the patches. I used high heat for about 25 seconds, but you should consult the package for the best results. To center them, I folded them in half (hamburger style) and then lined up the folded edge with the center of the elbow mark. I then straightened the edges, and ironed. Don’t worry too much about getting them exactly centered – they just need to be relatively in the middle. It is, however, important to make sure that the edges are completely ironed on, without any gaps. Gaps can lead to peeling patches, which make me sad. :(

Voilá! Your spiffy new(ish) sweater is ready to wear. I think this would be really cute in other colors as well. My favorite color is pink, so I might try blush colored patches on my next sweater. Let me know what you think!