This pink sweater was a lucky find at a sale; it’s 70% silk and very wearable but just a tad boring. It makes an ideal subject for a makeover with 2 sets of Vintage-Patch Cerise Butterfly Heart Shape patches. Why two sets?  You’ll see in a minute… for now choose two sets of heart shaped patches – matching or contrasting.

Vintage-Patch Cerise Butterfly Heart Shaped Patches

As the sleeves are 3/4 length on this sweater, we positioned the elbow patches carefully. They can look really great on a shorter sleeve, but there’s not so much room for error, so try on the garment and pin into place, then bend your arm and check the position is still where you want it.

Once you’re happy, lay the sleeve flat, peel off the backing paper of one patch and iron into position.

We recommend using a damp ironing cloth when pressing the patch into place. A thin tea towel is ideal.  Although it’s not strictly necessary to use one for lightweight cotton or cotton blend fabrics, it can ensure a firmer bond so we prefer to use one for all patches. (It is essential to use a damp cloth for heavy fabrics like our denim or corduroy patches).

The ironed on patch in place.

Match up the position of the second patch, and apply as before.

Voila – the sleeves are done!

Now for part two of the makeover.   Collars are all the rage at the moment, and we’re going to add one.  Take your second set of patches and cut one heart in half lengthways as shown.

Fold edge of half patch to follow curve of sweater collar.

Trim excess carefully.

Placing patterned sides together, use the trimmed piece as a template to cut the second half of the collar.

The trimmed collar pieces are ready to apply.  We also cut a small strip of leftover patch to join the collar as seen in the next photo.

Pin the centre of the neckline

Now you’re ready to iron the collar into place.  Position the pieces from the centre outwards, following the neckline of the sweater.

The centre strip could be left plain, or you could add one or more  fancy buttons.  We liked this heart shaped pin

The finished sweater.

To finish off, you should secure your patches permanently by stitching around the edges – a simple running stitch looks effective, or a more traditional finish is blanket stitch.  You can also stitch by machine running or zig zag stitch.

Oh, and yes… you should have one heart shaped patch left over.  Ideal for the knee of a pair of jeans!

All featured patches are iron on, cotton or cotton blends, woven or occasionally, knit fabrics (except the ultra suedes which are synthetics).  Our patches are perfect for elbow or knee patches, repairs or customising.  Adult and child sizes available.

Buy these and other designs on Ebay or visit our website www.vintage-patch.co.uk.  You can also email us if you have a bespoke request.

NB: Our patches are made from variety of Vintage Style New, Reclaimed or Authentic Vintage Fabrics.  Full details are in the order descriptions.