Displaying/Storing Patches

June 8, 2011 6:11 PM

How to store/display cloth patches from travel destinations (Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, etc.).

We have quite a number of cloth patches from our travels. Initially, we sewed them onto our travel vests but the vests filled up and frankly are a little gauche. The patches are great reminders of where we've been and the fun, or not, that we've experienced. My creativity has stalled. Any suggestions?

posted by KneeDeep to clothing, beauty, & fashion (16 answers total)

I'd put them on a denim jacket, and use it for display.
posted by theora55 at 6:17 PM on June 8, 2011

Put them on a quilt - even better if the quilt had a map on it.
posted by Wantok at 6:21 PM on June 8, 2011

Could you make a big tapestry type thingy out of it?
posted by AlliKat75 at 6:21 PM on June 8, 2011

Mount them on fabric in a series of nice, framed shadow boxes, grouped according to the chronology of when you visited the various destinations. Then display the shadow boxes somewhere in your home.
posted by The World Famous at 6:24 PM on June 8, 2011

I sewed mine on canvas tote bags for groceries
posted by bq at 6:25 PM on June 8, 2011

My mother sewed hers onto a piece of fabric that could be hung on a wall, if she so desired. I had a similar piece of fabric with some of mine on, but most are just loose in the same shoebox as my cloth is.
posted by hoyland at 6:29 PM on June 8, 2011

My wife has all her guide/scout leader/travel/camp patches sewn onto a big fleece wrap-around
(kind of like a poncho) that is perfect for sitting around the campfire on cool nights. And if you are ever stuck for conversation around the campfire, hey, there's a patch/memory to discuss.
posted by pixlboi at 6:35 PM on June 8, 2011

I would do this (scroll down to letter D). I am, in fact, going to do this for my kids' boy/girl scout patches, and a friend of mine did something similar with tickets of all kinds (transit, concert, etc.) in a smaller shadow box, with lots of different layers to the tickets. So, your patches don't have to be linear and all in a row; you can put some depth to them.
posted by cooker girl at 6:48 PM on June 8, 2011

A shadow box, maybe?

When the Webelos scouts cross over from our Cub Scout pack, their patches, awards, decorations, etc. get mounted in a shadow box. I also did one with my Grandpa's WWII stuff. It's easy, and you can start with a $15 box from the craft store and go all the way up to full-on museum-quality conservation.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:54 PM on June 8, 2011

My mom has sown a ton of patches onto a nice heavy duty cloth backpack (both the body and the straps), which she uses as a travel bag. It's a great conversation piece wherever she goes, as people talk to her all the time asking about the patches. It's getting to be pretty full now, but it's lasted 10+ years.
posted by gemmy at 8:51 PM on June 8, 2011

What about sewing them to a ribbon and using that along the moulding of a room for decor?
posted by rosa at 9:22 PM on June 8, 2011

Embroidery hoops! Sew your patches onto a backing cloth and mount them in embroidery hoops; the round shape looks more unique than regular frames, you can mix up different sizes of hoops for visual interest, group patches by place/year/type of destination/whatever, get different colours of fabric to complement the patches and/or your decor, and so on.
posted by sophistrie at 10:09 PM on June 8, 2011 [1 favorite]

Sew/glue them onto a large piece of felt and have that framed.

Whatever you do, don't wear them.
posted by Kololo at 5:14 AM on June 9, 2011

I would also sew one edge of each at intervals along a length of ribbon, or glue over a piece of twine - hey presto, you have yourself some awesomely unique bunting to hang wherever.

Or, if you haven't already, buy a bunch of big, plain photo albums for your travel snaps and decoupage the patches onto the covers.
posted by guessthis at 5:34 AM on June 9, 2011

Thank you very much, yesterday I had a container full of patches. Today I have options for display!
posted by KneeDeep at 8:37 AM on June 9, 2011

I'd put them on a denim jacket, and use it for display.

Whatever you do, don't wear them.

Conflicting advice; now that I'm way past Scouting age I agree with the latter. Lots of mission patches available in the NASA environment in which I work, but nothing looks dorkier to me than some non-astronaut sporting a jacket dotted with the things.
posted by Rash at 10:23 AM on June 9, 2011