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Watch the video: DIY Iron-On Patches with an Embroidery Machine by Little Bit of Whimsy
If you’ve ever wanted to turn your cutest stitch-outs into wearable art, this tutorial is your yes. We follow Little Bit of Whimsy’s kawaii avocado from hoop to jacket, so you can personalize anything with a clean, durable iron-on patch.
What you’ll learn
- How to hoop tear-away stabilizer so your stitch-out stays crisp
- How to layer felt for the patch base and add face details cleanly
- How to apply HeatnBond Ultra and press for a strong, even bond
- How to cut tight, safe edges without snipping stitches
- How to press your patch onto denim, bags, tees, and more
Introduction to Iron-On Patches Patches do more than decorate—they repair, personalize, and tell a story. In this project, the featured avocado design becomes a sturdy iron-on patch you can attach to jackets, totes, and gifts. The key is a stable hoop, precise felt placement, and a reliable adhesive bond.
Why Make Your Own Patches? When you stitch the patch yourself, you control every detail—from thread colors to felt layers—so the final look is cohesive and personal. You’ll also save materials by trimming felt to the traced outline before stitching the rest. embroidery sewing machine
What You’ll Learn in This Tutorial You’ll follow the same flow as the video: hoop tear-away stabilizer, stitch an outline to guide felt placement, layer a smaller circle of felt for the avocado seed, add face details, finish the outline, then bond HeatnBond Ultra before cutting and pressing to your garment.
Gather Your Tools and Materials Here’s what appears in the video before the first stitch: felt in beige and brown, coordinating threads (pale pink, black, and green), an embroidery hoop sized for the design (the example uses a 5x4 A hoop), tear-away stabilizer, temporary spray adhesive, a bit of fabric glue for small pieces, applique scissors, regular embroidery scissors, and an iron or a Cricut EasyPress with a cotton or Teflon cover sheet.
Essential Embroidery Supplies
- Embroidery machine and hoop sized for your pattern
- Tear-away stabilizer (hooped taut)
- Felt: beige for the body, brown for the seed
- Threads: pale pink (cheeks), black (face and seed outline), and green (final outline)
- Temporary spray adhesive and optional fabric glue (for small felt pieces)
- Embroidery and applique scissors
Adhesive and Cutting Tools
- HeatnBond Ultra (the video shows a roll; you’ll cut a piece just larger than your patch)
- An iron or Cricut EasyPress
- Cotton or Teflon cover sheet to protect your work
Embroidery Process: From Stabilizer to Stitch Hooping and First Stitch Out Start by hooping tear-away stabilizer so it’s tight like a drum. Tap the back—if it sounds taut, you’re ready. This is the foundation that keeps the avocado outline and face details crisp. Place the hoop in the machine and stitch the first outline of the avocado. That outline is your exact felt guide for right-sized cutting.
Trim a piece of beige felt slightly larger than the stitched outline so you cover the shape fully without wasting material.
Use embroidery scissors for clean edges.
Pro tip Use a small box to spray temporary adhesive onto the back of your felt so overspray doesn’t go everywhere. Then position the felt over the stitched outline, pressing it firmly so it won’t shift.
Layering Felt and Face Details Next, the machine stitches a small circle outline to mark where the avocado’s seed will go. Cut a small piece of brown felt just larger than the seed outline. For tiny shapes, a small dot of fabric glue in the center of the circle keeps the felt from wandering during stitching. Press it lightly into place and trim any obvious excess.
Then place the brown felt over the glued circle so it sits securely within the outline.
The cheeks stitch in pale pink, followed by the face details in black. After the cheeks, snip jump threads so nothing snags as you continue.
Final Outlines and Thread Changes The design then stitches the seed area and moves on to the final green outline around the avocado. When the last outline finishes, you’ve got the full stitch-out on the stabilizer, ready to pop out and clean.
Watch out Dark jump threads on the back can show through light felt after pressing. Before you add adhesive, remove black or other dark threads from behind the felt.
Quick check
- Stabilizer still looks intact and tears away cleanly
- Jump threads snipped from the front and back
- No loose bits likely to get trapped under adhesive
Finishing Your Embroidered Patch Cleaning and Applique Cutting Pop the design out of the hoop. Tear away the excess stabilizer carefully, including tiny bits inside the design. Removing these small pieces helps the adhesive sit flush. Then bring in your applique scissors to trim closely around the seed area—these scissors are designed to snip near the stitches without nicking threads. Go slow and keep the blades parallel to the surface for control.
Pro tip Applique scissors give you a very close cut while protecting the stitch line. They’re a game-changer for clean edges around small details like the seed.
Applying and Ironing On Adhesive Backing Cut a piece of HeatnBond Ultra slightly larger than your avocado. The shiny side with visible glue dots goes against the felt back of your embroidery. Align so the adhesive covers the entire design.
Set your pressing surface (iron or Cricut EasyPress) and cover the patch with cotton or a Teflon sheet. Press at about 150°C (300°F) for approximately 30 seconds with light pressure. Let it cool, then optionally flip it and press again from the front—this extra pass helps create a stronger bond. Be careful: it’s hot, and cutting while warm can gum up your scissors.
From the comments Several viewers asked about where to buy iron-on adhesive; one commenter mentioned finding HeatnBond on Amazon. As always, confirm it’s the Ultra variety if you want a strong hold like in the video.
When the adhesive cools fully, cut the patch out by following the embroidered outline. Keep the paper backing on while you cut; it makes the shape more stable and keeps adhesive off your blades. Small, sharp scissors (the creator shows little Fiskars) excel at tight curves.
embroidery frames
Quick check Peel a corner of the paper backing: the felt side should look uniformly shiny with adhesive, and the paper should be clean with no glue residue. If glue stays on the paper, re-press with the backing still on, let cool completely, and peel again.
Attaching Your Patch to Any Item Preparing Your Garment Decide on the placement and smooth the fabric—denim jackets are a great match for patches, but bags and tees also work. Remove the paper backing from your patch.
Heat Pressing for a Permanent Bond Cover the patch with cotton and press at about 150°C (300°F) for roughly 30 seconds with light pressure, the same way you fused the adhesive to the patch earlier. Let the piece cool before moving it so the glue sets in place. After it’s cool, run a finger gently around the edges to confirm everything is stuck down. If any part lifts, re-press just that area and cool again.
Watch out Don’t shift the garment while the glue is still warm—movement can weaken the bond or misalign edges.
Tips, Tricks, and Creative Ideas Other Patch Designs You Can Make The same workflow works beautifully for a range of designs. In the video, the creator mentions making other characters like foxes and pandas, and even round slogan patches. Once you’re comfortable with layering felt and managing outlines, you can adapt the approach to countless motifs.
Care Instructions for Your Patches The tutorial demonstrates pressing technique and edge checks but doesn’t specify wash instructions. If you plan to launder your item, defer to the recommendations on your specific adhesive product and consider testing on a scrap first.
Pro tip If you sell or gift patches, leave the paper backing on after fusing the adhesive to the patch. It helps keep the glue clean and protected until it’s applied.
From the comments: FAQs and Smart Fixes
- “Where can I buy the iron-on adhesive?” A commenter suggested Amazon for HeatnBond; look for Ultra strength if you want a firm hold similar to the demo.
- “Which machine was used?” The creator noted in replies: Janome Memory Craft 350e.
- “Can I do this by hand?” Yes, the creator replied that hand embroidery works—the iron-on process is the same. Machine stitches lay flatter, which can improve glue contact.
- “Can I use a regular iron?” Yes—an iron works as well as a Cricut EasyPress. Use a protective sheet and the same approximate temperature/time demonstrated.
- “Do adhesives gum up needles?” The creator hasn’t had needle issues but does clean sticky surfaces regularly and changes needles often.
- “Can I pre-cut shapes and border with satin?” One viewer suggested a technique: run a straight stitch, trim the fabric, then add a satin stitch. In the video method, the outline is stitched first as a placement guide, and cutting is done after bonding.
- “Is washing okay?” The video doesn’t state laundering guidelines. Check your adhesive’s instructions to be sure. embroidery machine for beginners
Troubleshooting at a glance
- Adhesive didn’t transfer (glue left on paper): Re-press with the backing on, cool thoroughly, and peel slowly.
- Edges lifting after application: Re-press the lifted area with a protective sheet, cool completely before handling.
- Dark threads show through: Remove dark jump threads from the back before bonding adhesive.
- Scissors getting sticky: Allow full cooling before cutting; keep blades clean and use the paper backing for protection.
Your Patch, Your Canvas Once you master the avocado, you can remix the palette for seasonal icons, team badges, or tiny mascots for bags and sleeves. The trick is to let each step do its job: taut stabilizer, minimal jump threads, precise adhesive contact, and cool, patient pressing.
Related gear terms you may encounter Crafters researching accessories often come across terms like magnetic embroidery hoops or a magnetic embroidery hoop for easier placement, as well as general categories like embroidery machine hoops. These aren’t specified in the video, but you may see them when exploring accessory options for your setup. magnetic embroidery hoops
If you’re upgrading your setup New to stitching and comparing options? You’ll see broad categories such as embroidery machine for beginners alongside mentions of embroidery frames and machine embroidery hoops in product listings. Use official manuals and product instructions to match accessories with your specific machine. embroidery sewing machine
Project recap
- Hoop tear-away stabilizer, stitch the placement outline
- Cut and adhere felt to fit the placement stitch
- Secure small felt pieces with a tiny dot of fabric glue
- Stitch details and final outline; remove jump threads
- Apply HeatnBond Ultra, press from back (and optionally front)
- Cool fully, then cut the patch shape with paper backing on
- Peel backing, press the patch in place, cool, then edge-check
Have fun personalizing denim, bags, and tees—and share your finished patches with your crafting community!