Let’s Create a Patch!
Our professional design team looks forward to working with you and turning your wonderful patch idea into reality! We’ve been making patches for a long time and we know what works. While there are a ton of different ways to manufacture a patch, not all patches are created equal.
Here at Jolly Pedro, we place a high value on quality. We’ve made a lot of mistakes over the years in refining our process and sourcing the right manufacturers. We now intentionally limit our options to what we feel, in our humble opinion, are the best for high-quality patches. At the end of the day, that is really what you want. So please learn from our mistakes and allow our professionals to guide you through the easy patch making process.
Questions along the way? No problem. Shoot us a message or give us a call and we will help walk you through the process. We’re here to help and make this as painless for you as possible.
About our patches…
What are the best options? Well, that really is subjective, but if we are making a patch for ourselves, our favored defaults are 4” patches (round or tall) with merrowed border, and Velcro (hook & loop) sewn on back. Whether Embroidered or PVC, it will be visually pleasing, fill the right amount of space, and give you that classic patch aesthetic. With that said, we can make all kinds of shapes and sizes. With hot-cut border technology, you are no longer limited to the circle and square designs. The sky is the limit in designing your patch shape. A good rule of thumb is to limit patches to 9 colors (6 is the sweet spot. Too many colors can muddy up a design).
We also have the ability to make regulation patches that meet heraldry requirements.
Embroidered Cloth Patches
All of our cloth patches are 100% embroidered. We don’t waste our time with 50% or 75% that use cheaper twill backgrounds. Why?… Simple, they don’t look great. Whether you are creating a unit patch, a special event patch, or creating a patch to sell and fundraise with; you are about to sink your hard-earned cash into an investment. We want you to be happy with your final product.
We use vibrant embroidery with high stitch counts available in hundreds of thread colors. As always, our design service is free and included with any patch order. Allow our design team to take your ideas and turn them into reality.
The process starts when you contact us by filling out the form on this page. Within 4-5 days, we will have a digital mockup created and sent for your approval. Once approved, we will create a sample patch and email you the photo for approval. This generally takes about 7 days. Once you’re happy, we will go into full production which takes around 3-4 weeks depending on quantity ordered.
Embroidered patches are made by transferring the digital design to the embroidery machines. From there, the larger color sections are filled in utilizing a three-strand satin stitch with the colors of your choice until the whole area is filled. Next the finer details are added using black floss (or other color of your choosing) utilizing a backstitch technique to achieve thick and precise lines. A four-strand backstitch is then used to create a bold, thick border and offer protection to the fabric along the edges. Lastly, a backing is added to finish off the patch. We recommend Velcro (hook & loop), but can also do plain backings if you desire to sew your patch on.
Once we have quality checked the patches, we will package them and ship them to you anywhere in the world (usually 2-3 days).
PVC Patches
What are PVC patches? PVC patches are manufactured using custom molds, and then injecting those molds layer by layer with a colored liquid PVC material that cures solid, and then is finally backed with a base layer. The flexible PVC material resists tearing, abrasion, and extreme weather conditions, ensuring long-lasting performance in both indoor and outdoor environments.
The process starts with creating a vector-based design (which we provide free for you!) that is used to create an engraved or CNC-milled mold with recessed areas representing each part of the design.
Next, liquid PVC (a form of soft vinyl) is poured into the mold in carefully layered stages. Each color is applied separately and cured before applying the next. This ensures clean separation of colors and sharp, crisp details. The stacking process allows for some really neat 3-Dimensional opportunities in your design creating a distinctive tactile experience, giving logos and patterns a bold, dimensional appearance that stands out from traditional fabric patches.
Once all of the PVC layers are poured and cured, a base layer is attached to form the backing of the patch. Depending on use, this could include the sewing on of Velcro (hook & loop) for easy attachment to uniforms, gear, backpacks, etc.; or it can be plain to allow for sewing.
PVC patches also have the ability to be made with some pretty neat glow in the dark materials
