Attaching your patch to a hat

In order to provide patch buyers with a head-start at attaching a patch to their own hat, I tried the process with mixed results. The hat I used was a cotton-like fabric hat. Nylon ones may be a bit different.

My mistake

Most important, I learned that the professional heat attaching must have taken place on a table (and iron) that has a rounded surface to match the hat. My first try on the flat home ironing board was not successful, since I was putting a strait line patch on a curved hat that I had smashed flat on the ironing board , so it came out with the center of the patch up from the edge compared to the corners.

Much better

My second attempt worked fine. I set the iron for Cotton (just a guess) which was the second hottest setting - # 2 out of 3.  I used a damp, wrung out handkerchief between the patch and the iron - to keep the patch threads from browning.

Then, I put the hat at the tip of the small end of the ironing board and put only half of the hat front on the board. I let the left half, for example, hang (curve) over the side of the board. I warmed up the hat surface for a couple of seconds with the iron and placed the patch so that the right half of the patch bottom followed the line where the bottom of the hat matched the bill.  In this position, the other half of the patch would have gone straight and actually overlapped the bill of the hat.

I then covered the first half with the damp hankie and pressed fairly hard for 15 seconds.  Then I bent the patch in the middle and forced the second half to follow along the line of the bill. I moved the hat so the finished half was hanging (and curving) over the edge of the ironing board and placed the handkerchief over the second half and pressed the iron for 15 more seconds. Make sure that you have forced the second half of the patch to stay above the line of the bill of the hat.  ( This curving maneuver sort of makes you feel that the top of the patch will bulge out, which is right since it is ending up in a curve). I then touched up the center of the patch at the top with a little more heat.

It would be best to bend the patch before you start, to curve it to the general shape it will have when on the hat. Then iron it on one half at a time.

I noticed that the threaded border did not seem to glue on like the factory done hats, so, with the patch glued in place, I will sew the border edge by hand, starting with the corners, in case I get bored before I make it all the way around the patch with stitching.

Hot, or Cotton iron setting
Damp cloth
do half of the patch at a time
press hard 15 seconds

General patch attaching tips

I have found that sewing on any patch without the glue is hard since at the start the stitching wants to come loose and the patch flops around on the hat.  I also now know why I had so much trouble sewing patches on straight (I have put Ford Oval patches on some hats).  The trick is that you have to curve the patch to match the curved contour of the hat. If you are sewing on patches that don't have glue backs, you could try "stitch witchery" or a similar product to hold the patch in place while you sew it.  That is an iron-on  hem tape that has glue in it and is available at sewing or fabric stores.