Will iron-on patches work on my luggage?

September 4, 2024 4:27 PM

I have a carry-on roller with an embroidered logo of my previous workplace. I'd like to cover up this logo with iron-on patches. Difficulty level: no sewing skills, and the patches won't stay stuck. Details inside...

The roller in question is this Timbuk2. The logo is embroidered on the big front flap. I have several iron-on patches that I thought could be great to cover it up (the company laid me off, so this is basically a big middle finger to them lol). The logo is rather large, so I need to use several patches.

But... while they stayed on for a while, eventually they would start curling and fall off the roller whenever I stuff it with clothes and whatnot. Re-ironing them didn't solve the problem, and the material melted a bit from the iron's heat.

I think it's a combination of: whatever rubbery or plasticy material is used for the front flap; ironing on top of the logo, so the patches don't adhere very well. Sewing them on won't work since the front compartment has some thick padded lining. The logo is near impossible to remove with any cutting tool.

What are my alternatives? Stickers have a hard time sticking as well. And I'd like to put the patches to good use.

posted by curagea to Grab Bag (20 answers total)

Have you tried using a seam ripper to remove the embroidery? I think it will be very difficult to get iron-on patches to stay attached to the kind of material your suitcase is made of, let alone to a bunch of embroidery, when you consider how roughly luggage is typically handled.
posted by ssg at 4:36 PM on September 4 [20 favorites]

Using some kind of fabric glue to attach patches may be more effective than trying to iron them on.
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 4:53 PM on September 4 [13 favorites]

i second the seam ripper, or in the past, i have carefully used a box cutting/utility knife to remove embroidery from things and it works well too.
posted by koroshiya at 5:11 PM on September 4

I might be wary of ripping out the original logo - it's a dense zigzag stitch and you might get a lot of needle holes left over. Then again it also depends on the fabric and thread, and hopefully depending on how the suitcase is constructed some pinholes would not compromise anything.

One makeshift measure would be to color the logo in the same color as the suitcase so it's not visible anymore (or just some of the letters - are you a Terminator 2 fan? - or parts thereof...)

You could try sewing in the patches using a curved needle, though that takes a bit of practice and it might be hard to get your stitches small enough (curved needles being usually for upholstery). But I think if you used it right up at the edges of the patch, like applique, letting the needle grab just a bit of the suitcase and a bit of the patch's edge, you could get the angle right to get small stitches.
posted by trig at 5:12 PM on September 4 [1 favorite]

Note that if the front expands a lot when it's full, maybe sewing on a patch isn't the greatest idea. Should be okay if it's just a slight bit, though.
posted by trig at 5:17 PM on September 4 [1 favorite]

I'd cut a pice of fabric as big as the flap, and sew or glue it on to cover the entire flap.
If you choose fabric like cotton or denim, cut it a bit bigger, turn under an edge all the way around (so it won't fray), iron that down before sewing it on.
You can sew right along the existing seam, but it would be easier to get the needle through the fabric part of the zipper, right near the edge where it meets the existing flap material.
Option to sew or iron the patches on to the new fabric before you put it on the luggage.
(Oh sorry, I didn't notice "no sewing skills." Glue on a piece of fake leather the full size of the flap? I think the edge would still curl though.)
posted by evilmomlady at 5:29 PM on September 4

Have you tried sticky back leather-like vinyl patches, like the ones used to repair car seats and chairs? I've used this sort of thing successfully on an old, overstuffed sofa.
posted by Ardnamurchan at 5:47 PM on September 4 [2 favorites]

The costumers and cosplayers I know swear by E6000 adhesive, so that's what I'd try.
posted by EvaDestruction at 7:55 PM on September 4 [4 favorites]

Yeah, I would probably try the e6000 in this case. Since these are iron-on patches it's going to be harder to hand sew through the patches, though I would likely do a loose basting stitch in 6-10 spots per patch with a big sharp needle, glue patch, then pull threads tight at the back of the fabric.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 8:04 PM on September 4

I would just paint it out with some fabric paint.
posted by effluvia at 8:30 PM on September 4

Attribution, dammit: Deviant Ollam.

Reduce the problem to attaching a big patch of Velcro loops to your roller, then sew Velcro hooks on the backs of your patches.

It's way easier to sew the Velcro to the back of your patches than it is to sew patches to your roller. And, if you (ahem) happen to have patches that aren't exactly TSA-friendly, you can remove them for travel and re-apply upon arrival.
posted by sourcequench at 8:49 PM on September 4 [1 favorite]

Came in to suggest E6000 as linked above. Make a big patch that you attach your other patches to first via sewing, then glue the whole thing over the hated logo. Since the front pocket is flexible and padded and all that, you’re going to have much better luck with sewing smaller, stiffer patches onto a flexible backing.

I like the chocobos you’ve got! Maybe a bit of fantasy map fabric, or something with daikon radishes/gysahl greens? Visit your local craft/fabric store and check their novelty quilting fabrics. A fat quarter should be all you need.

Use this as an opportunity to learn how to sew a bit! It’s a really useful skill. You can hem the backing fabric very simply, just fold the edges in and iron down the fold, then pin or clip it down temporarily and do a straight stitch along the edge. You can get fancy with the corners or not and just sew the folded corners on top of each other. For the patches, you pin them in place and then whip stitch around the edges. It’s okay if it’s messy, it’s supposed to look hand crafted! Since the back of the fabric will be glued down to something you can make all your thread ends super secure with a dab of glue too. There are many videos online for how to do all of these things and apart from the gluing everything can be undone and repeated until it’s to your liking.
posted by Mizu at 10:01 PM on September 4 [1 favorite]

Cover it with duct tape?
posted by mareli at 6:02 AM on September 5 [1 favorite]

I think a shoe repair or luggage repair shop could sew it on.
posted by elphaba at 7:04 AM on September 5 [3 favorites]

I agree that the basic sewing is not difficult but at the same time luggage does not tend to be made of nice, easy to sew fabric. It is much more likely to be something hard to get a needle through. So I’d not want to do that as first sewing project.
posted by koahiatamadl at 7:24 AM on September 5 [1 favorite]

I will say, if you do want to try sewing: I'd actually worry about the patches potentially being tough to get the needle through. If that's the case, you could do what leatherworkers do and use an awl (or just a big needle) to pre-make some holes in the patches all along the perimeter, which you can then use when actually sewing the patch on. That and a curved needle might make it doable.
posted by trig at 7:34 AM on September 5

OK - there are a number of things that are getting in the way of each other, but it comes down to one thing: you like the bag but you don't like the company logo.

So you have two options:

1. Remove the logo
2. Hide the logo

To remove the logo, you can use a seam ripper as was suggested. That will work, but it will take a very long time. Maybe you need that catharsis.

In covering it up, you've discovered one of the obvious traits of iron-on patches: ironing on never works, at least long term. Nor will fabric glue. Nor will pretty much any glue at all. When you have something that moves around, it will undo the adhesive over time. Therefore, whenever you can, favor sewing over glue. My experiences with iron-on patches is that the iron-on glue is useful for one thing only: positioning the patch. You still need to sew on the patch. Here is a picture of me in a Captain America suit that I made. There are 4 patches: two S.H.I.E.L.D. patches, an American flag patch, and a ROGERS name tag. All of them are sewn on. Here's my process:

1. Peel off the iron on glue
2. Position the patch
3. Tack it down with pins/a small drop of fabric glue or hot glue in the center of the patch
4. Sew on the patch

Now, I have been sewing on patches since I was a cub scout and if 8 year old me can sew on patches with no help then you can too. I've never used a curved needle (as mentioned), but if that makes sense to you, great. As a kid, I measured out roughly 5x the circumference of the patch, threaded the needle, knotted the two ends together and pulled it all straight. This gives you 2.5x the circumference with 2 threads, which is stronger. Today, I would run the thread through beeswax which helps keep it from knotting up on itself and helps it glide through the fabric. Poke up from the back, hopefully through the edging on the patch. Pull up until the thread catches. Poke down through the patch and through the backing at a suitable distance from where you came up and pull through (about an 1/8" inch). Congratulations! You're sewing a running stitch. Put on a podcast or a show you're binding and use your hate and spite to repeat this around the perimeter of the patch. This is a video that shows a bunch of basic hand stitches.

I will add, that if you look at the suit, all the silver stripes are made of craft foam and are glued on. I wanted to sew those pieces on, but my goal was to match what the studio did and there are no visible stitches. In this case, I used Barge Cement, which is a contact cement that is used to repair shoes. It is effectively industrial rubber cement and a I cannot recommend it for your task. Besides the nasty brain-rotting solvents, it's a real mess to work with and I don't have a lot of confidence that it will last.
posted by plinth at 8:03 AM on September 5 [2 favorites]

I'm afraid you are going to have to sew it. The problem with the iron-ons is that you can't really get the luggage fabric hot enough to properly adhere the patches without melting the luggage flap. It's going to need to be sturdy enough to withstand the rigors of baggage handling, which I am skeptical that the glue will withstand.
posted by sarajane at 9:12 AM on September 5

Response by poster: Thanks for all the answers, everyone!

For some added info, I've tried coloring in the logo. But the texture of the embroidery still stands out.

Guess it's time to get a seam ripper or carefully use an X-Acto knife. And really learn how to sew beyond just the back stitch. Unfortunately, due to the padded lining in the flap itself, it's too thick to sew through, and the rubbery surface isn't porous in the slightest. I'll look into Velcro too.

I like Mizu's idea of covering the entire flap with a map design. Filing it away as a holiday project!
posted by curagea at 10:12 AM on September 5

Good luck. I wouldn't bother with the Velcro. Putting hook and loop fastener on your bag either requires using the stick on Velcro, which I can tell you from experience peels right off after the 3rd or 4th time you undo the Velcro. I really wish they would discontinue that product. It promises so much and delivers so very little. So your other option is to sew on the Velcro and if you don't need the repositioning, you're wasting your time.

One hint about sewing on patches, especially those with borders along the edges, you can hook the needle through the loops of thread on the edge if you don't want to punch the needle through the fabric.
posted by plinth at 12:00 PM on September 5