How to Sew Badges on Uniforms

Uniforms in the military, service industries or scouting teams, etc. often have insignia. Sometimes you need to sew a new badge onto your uniform when you get a promotion or get a new badge. Stitching badges onto uniforms is quite simple, easy to do and can be done by hand or with a sewing machine.

Table of Contents

Sewing by hand

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Wash, dry, and iron the uniform before stitching begins. If it’s a new uniform, be sure to wash and dry it before stitching the badge, otherwise the fabric will bunch up unevenly underneath the badge after first washing and drying.

Many uniforms are made of cotton fabric. Cotton fabrics often shrink after the first wash. If you sew the badge without washing the uniform, the fabric underneath will shrink and push the badge up causing wrinkles.
You should also flatten the fabric you’re going to attach the badge to before stitching. Wrinkles in the fabric will be smoothed out when ironed. If you sew your badge onto wrinkled fabric, your uniform will be permanently wrinkled.

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Select needle and thread. You can choose to only match the color of the uniform or the color of the badge border.

If you can’t find just the same color as the uniform or badge border, you can use a darker color that is as close to the desired color as possible.
Just darker colors are easier to harmonize and not stand out too much than just lighter colors. You can also use transparent thread to make it harder to see.

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Place the badge in the correct position. Certain types of insignia, such as military uniform insignia, need to be placed in a certain position.

For example, if your badge has an American flag on it, you’ll need to place the flag on the shoulder/biceps part of the sleeve. The flag needs to be placed so that it rotates out in the correct direction. The American flag should always be sewn in the right position so that when the wearer moves forward, it creates the effect of the flag flying in the wind and moving forward. ^{[1] X Research Source}
Check with your supervisor to make sure you have the badge in place.

Attach the badge to the uniform with a pin. This step is for you to check that the badge is in place, or you can ask again and again to be sure.

If you use a pin to pin your badge, you need to be careful when trying on your uniform lest the needle hit you.
The reason you need to try it on after temporarily attaching the badge is because the fabric will swell when you put it on and will affect the shape of the badge.

Fix badges for stitching. Use a pin or a pin to attach the badge to the fabric. You can also use fabric tape to attach the badge to the shirt.

Even if you don’t use heat-sealable badges, you can use duct tape to stick them on. Tape is often better than a pin because it holds the badge in place while stitching. You won’t have to worry about stitching around the needle and fear of getting stabbed.
Cut and glue the tape. Place the badge on the tape and let it stick to the fabric.
If you don’t use duct tape, you’ll have to pin the badge to the fabric.

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Cut a piece of thread. If you are not used to sewing, you should start sewing with a thread no more than 45 cm long. The long thread is often tangled and more difficult to manipulate than the short thread.

You can also try not cutting the thread away from the bobbin. That way there won’t be any confusion.
You also won’t have to worry about running out of thread and having to re-thread the needle.

Thread the thread onto the needle and tie a knot at the end of the thread. Threading the needle can be a bit difficult. You can use a needle threader to save time.

If you don’t have a needle threader, you should wet and thread the thread in your mouth. Saliva will act as a temporary adhesive for the thread’s tiny fibers to stick together. This will make it easier to thread the thread through the eye of the needle.

Begin to poke the needle through the fabric and badge. Starting from the wrong side of the fabric, poke the needle out, through the badge.

You should start from the wrong side of the fabric so that the knot is not exposed on the right side. Start inserting the needle from the left side up.

Sew with a straight stitch . Insert the needle down through the fabric at a position about 0.5 cm from the up stitch.

When sewing badges to a shirt, a straight stitch is not only the easiest, but also the fastest. You don’t need to use complicated stitches, especially once you’ve glued the badge to the fabric.
The straight stitch is also the least visible.

Continue sewing the badge into the fabric. Continue using a straight stitch to sew around the badge. The stitch needs to end where it started.

When stitching badges onto uniforms by hand, it’s important to sew slowly and try to align the stitch lengths as evenly as possible. Regular stitches will make the patchwork on the shirt much more beautiful.

Knot the thread. Once you’ve sewn the entire hem around the badge, loop the thread and thread the needle through the loop to tighten the knot.

To finish stitching the badge, you need to insert the needle through the reverse side and make a small loop of thread. Thread the needle through the loop and pull the thread up tightly. This will create a tight knot.

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Cut off the thread head. Cut the thread outside the knot.

You should leave a short length of about 1 cm. Leave this thread on to make sure you don’t accidentally cut the knot. Tuck the thread underneath the badge.

Sewing with a sewing machine

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Is fabric. Before stitching the badge, you should iron the uniform to smooth the wrinkles.

Pre-stitching the fabric is to prevent you from stitching up wrinkles that will permanently wrinkle the shirt.

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Place the badge on the position to be sewn. You should try on the badge on the shirt first to make sure it is in place before stitching.

If you do not pre-wet but keep sewing the badge on the shirt and accidentally sew it in the wrong place, you will have to remove it and sew it from the beginning.

As badges for sticking to the shirt. Even if you don’t use iron-on badges, you may still want to use heat-stamping tape. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Cut and place the tape on the fabric. Place the badge on the tape and let it stick to the fabric.
If you don’t use heat press tape, you’ll have to pin the badge to the fabric. If you use a knitting needle, it will take more work than with a sewing machine.

Place the fabric on the sewing machine. Make the stitch length shorter for badge stitching and use a straight stitch. Raise the presser foot high. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Different types of sewing machines will have different characteristics and features. It is best to see the manual to do it right.
Make sure you sew the badge to only one layer of fabric. This is quite difficult if you sew the badge onto the sleeve. You need to pull the fabric behind to avoid sewing the two layers of fabric together.

Thread the thread into the sewing machine. Tap the transparent thread. The manual will guide you through this step correctly. In general, you will thread the bobbin that is inserted on the shaft. Rotate so that the thread wraps around the bobbin. Depress the pedal to hit the bobbin thread. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

When the bobbin is finished, you will have to put the bobbin in the correct position depending on the machine, and then thread the thread through the sewing machine components to thread the thread into the needle. Each machine has a different threading process. Please see the manual. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
Remember to choose only the correct color. You should use only colors that match the color of the badge or just transparent.

Adjust the sewing machine to a slow speed when starting to sew.

Sewing machines usually have a variety of speeds. The speed of the sewing machine determines the speed of the needle movement. You need to slow down to make it easier to control when stitching badges.

Start sewing. Press the pedal to move the needle and slowly move the fabric until the badge is stitched. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

When rotating the fabric and badge, you need to move both at the same time. Make sure the presser foot is raised but the needle stays in place.
When you need to rotate the fabric, you must raise the presser foot to move, but keep the needle in place for an even stitch.
Once you have sewn around the badge, you need to sew back a few stitches to prevent the thread from coming off.
Take the scissors to cut the thread. You should leave a short length of about 1 cm. Just leave a little so you don’t accidentally cut the knot.

Sew the badge to the sleeve

Use a thread remover to remove the badge that needs replacing. If you need to change your badge because of a promotion, you must first use a thread remover to remove the thread, and then remove the old badge.

Remove each stitch around the badge.
Use the tweezers of the thread remover to remove loose threads.
Do not use the razor blade to avoid the risk of cutting your hand or cutting into the fabric.

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Is fabric. You need to iron the sleeves so that there are no wrinkles left.

Once ironed, you will be able to smooth out the marks and needles left after removing the old badge.
Flattening the fabric before stitching also saves you from stitching up creases and permanently wrinkling the garment.

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Place the badge in the correct position. Be sure to put the badge in place before sewing or gluing it to the sleeve. If you sew the badge onto your uniform, you will have instructions for the specific location.

For example, navy stripes need to be about 5cm above the sleeve cuffs. See the instructions you are given to place the badge in the correct position.
You can use a pin to pin or use an iron to fix the badge.
Sticking the badge to the fabric is not a permanent solution, but only works to keep it in place while stitching. You are also not afraid of touching the needle when sewing if you do not use a knotted needle.
If you’re using a badge to stick to the fabric, let it cool before stitching.

Sew the badge to the uniform. You can sew by hand or sew by machine. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Use only the right color. Choose to match only the color of the badge’s border or to be transparent only.
If you’re using a sewing machine, you’ll need to pull the backing of the fabric so you don’t stick the two layers of fabric together.

Advice

If the stitching machine has access to the spot where the badge is attached, you can sew the badge by machine. If the sewing machine uses top and bottom thread, you need to select the top thread in the same color as the badge border and the bottom thread in the same color as the underside of the fabric.
If the knot makes the badge bumpy and difficult to sew, you can temporarily clip it with a clip and remove it after stitching. Adhesive fabric can also be used to temporarily attach badges to uniforms prior to machine stitching.
If the badge and fabric are so thick that it’s hard to get a needle through, you should use a hand-sewn dam to protect your fingers.
Gluing badges to uniforms with heat press tape can be easier than stitching (you can read the article “How to apply stickers with heat press tape” for more details.
Stitched badges look good for years and hundreds of washes.
Glove needles or leather sewing needles are very suitable for sewing badges.

Warning

If you only use an iron to stick the badge to the shirt, over time the badge will curl up and peel off. Depending on the activity when you’re wearing your uniform, your badge may get caught on sharp edges or branches. You should sew to make the badge stick more firmly.
Many organizations now produce badges that can be ironed, so you need to check this feature before sewing your badges by hand.

Things you need

Only match the color of the uniform or the border of the badge
Drag
Needle
1-2 knots or pins
Optional: needle threader and/or hand-sewn dam
Sewing machine if available
Tape
Iron

Steps