Really, really overthinking my company sweater...
November 5, 2024 5:57 AM Subscribe
I have to wear a uniform at work, and we have an approved sweater with the company logo embroidered on the left breast. I want to move that logo to another more functional sweater that I prefer.
The donor sweater is a basic arcrylic pullover, and the logo seems to have the thickness and properties of a patch - to my uneducated eye, anyway.
Is it even possible to cut the logo out of the sweater and sew it onto another, better sweater? I know absolutely nothing about this kind of thing, and before I start shopping it to tailors around here I want to know if I'm wasting my time. I do not have access to a digital version of the logo - this is closely-held at the company (they're VERY brand-sensitive) so getting one-off embroidery done isn't an option here.
The donor sweater is a basic arcrylic pullover, and the logo seems to have the thickness and properties of a patch - to my uneducated eye, anyway.
Is it even possible to cut the logo out of the sweater and sew it onto another, better sweater? I know absolutely nothing about this kind of thing, and before I start shopping it to tailors around here I want to know if I'm wasting my time. I do not have access to a digital version of the logo - this is closely-held at the company (they're VERY brand-sensitive) so getting one-off embroidery done isn't an option here.
Sure, a patch can be moved from one item to another.
posted by DarlingBri at 6:04 AM on November 5
posted by DarlingBri at 6:04 AM on November 5
You don't even need a tailor, this is like 30 min with a needle and thread (and thimble). That's assuming you've never used a needle and thread before, so you'll want to learn with few test patches first. But then you have a needle and thread after, and know how to sew a patch, which is handy.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:15 AM on November 5
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:15 AM on November 5
Response by poster: Ok - so I may need to clarify something here....it's an embroidered logo, not an actual sewn-on patch - but there appears to be backing that is like a patch...it cannot be removed from the donor sweater without cutting it from the sweater and leaving a large, logo-shaped hole in the donor, which is why I'm not sure it can be transferred and sewn on as if it was a patch.
posted by Thistledown at 6:25 AM on November 5 [1 favorite]
posted by Thistledown at 6:25 AM on November 5 [1 favorite]
A company that is very brand-sensitive is going to be livid about you literally cutting and pasting their logo into a non approved material.
If you’re going to ask forgiveness rather than permission either way, I really don’t recommend cutting up the original uniform. They’d also hate this option, but if you vectorize a jpg of the brand logo and have your own sweater custom embroidered from that, at least that looks intentional and thoughtful and not Frankensteined. You’re going to get a slap on the wrist for either, but one looks more conscientious / in good faith.
IMO best solution would be to figure out what vendor they use and ask the marketing or procurement person in the org. if you can pick a different style. Bonus, make a business case for it (I will be X% more productive or be able to sell Y% more widgets) and that might expedite things.
Yes you risk it taking forever / getting a no but I really don’t think this is the hill you want to die on for a very brand-conscious org.
posted by seemoorglass at 6:30 AM on November 5 [5 favorites]
If you’re going to ask forgiveness rather than permission either way, I really don’t recommend cutting up the original uniform. They’d also hate this option, but if you vectorize a jpg of the brand logo and have your own sweater custom embroidered from that, at least that looks intentional and thoughtful and not Frankensteined. You’re going to get a slap on the wrist for either, but one looks more conscientious / in good faith.
IMO best solution would be to figure out what vendor they use and ask the marketing or procurement person in the org. if you can pick a different style. Bonus, make a business case for it (I will be X% more productive or be able to sell Y% more widgets) and that might expedite things.
Yes you risk it taking forever / getting a no but I really don’t think this is the hill you want to die on for a very brand-conscious org.
posted by seemoorglass at 6:30 AM on November 5 [5 favorites]
Best answer: The backing on the embroidery is because the fabric that's being embroidered is stretchy or super flexible; the backing prevents the embroidery stitches from tugging around the material and bunching it up.
So, it's not the same sort of thing as a patch -- the sweater itself is what's holding the embroidery together, and if you cut the sweater material it will start fraying and disintegrating. You could certainly try and see how it goes, but I'm not too confident that this will stay together once it has been cut and then stitched onto another garment.
It definitely won't look like your coworkers' sweaters, because your logo will clearly be stuck to the outside while everyone else's will be embedded in the surface.
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:31 AM on November 5 [16 favorites]
So, it's not the same sort of thing as a patch -- the sweater itself is what's holding the embroidery together, and if you cut the sweater material it will start fraying and disintegrating. You could certainly try and see how it goes, but I'm not too confident that this will stay together once it has been cut and then stitched onto another garment.
It definitely won't look like your coworkers' sweaters, because your logo will clearly be stuck to the outside while everyone else's will be embedded in the surface.
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:31 AM on November 5 [16 favorites]
Best answer: (they're VERY brand-sensitive)
If you're doing this for personal use I mean go for it I guess, but if you're doing this to create a new article of clothing to wear at work that's probably not going to go well for you. A brand sensitive company isn't going to be pleased with you breaking brand form to go rogue on your uniform.
Get your target sweater approved first before destroying the source clothing.
posted by phunniemee at 6:39 AM on November 5 [8 favorites]
If you're doing this for personal use I mean go for it I guess, but if you're doing this to create a new article of clothing to wear at work that's probably not going to go well for you. A brand sensitive company isn't going to be pleased with you breaking brand form to go rogue on your uniform.
Get your target sweater approved first before destroying the source clothing.
posted by phunniemee at 6:39 AM on November 5 [8 favorites]
Response by poster: The backing on the embroidery is because the fabric that's being embroidered is stretchy or super flexible; the backing prevents the embroidery stitches from tugging around the material and bunching it up.
So, it's not the same sort of thing as a patch -- the sweater itself is what's holding the embroidery together, and if you cut the sweater material it will start fraying and disintegrating. You could certainly try and see how it goes, but I'm not too confident that this will stay together once it has been cut and then stitched onto another garment.
This is the information I was looking for - thank you.
As for compliance - it's correct that I'd be in policy violation and certain areas of the company would get pissy about it. It's also a situation where I could likely get away with it anyway, but the arguments against doing this are well-founded. I'll forego this idea. Thank you, all.
posted by Thistledown at 6:43 AM on November 5 [1 favorite]
So, it's not the same sort of thing as a patch -- the sweater itself is what's holding the embroidery together, and if you cut the sweater material it will start fraying and disintegrating. You could certainly try and see how it goes, but I'm not too confident that this will stay together once it has been cut and then stitched onto another garment.
This is the information I was looking for - thank you.
As for compliance - it's correct that I'd be in policy violation and certain areas of the company would get pissy about it. It's also a situation where I could likely get away with it anyway, but the arguments against doing this are well-founded. I'll forego this idea. Thank you, all.
posted by Thistledown at 6:43 AM on November 5 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Ok so your logo is embroidered directly into the sweater. The white stuff on the back is called stabilizer or interfacing, and it's a non-fraying fabric that's there to keep the knit of the sweater firm and not stretchy, so it can support the embroidery rather than just stretching apart with the knit of the sweater.
If you cut the embroidered logo out of the sweater, the stabilizer will help the cutout keep its shape BUT the edges of the cutout fabric, since they are made of knit, they will will fray and unravel - this will look bad, and will also eventually make the logo unravel and fall apart too.
The sewing name for what you're trying to do is "cut out an embroidered logo from a knit fabric that has been reinforced with stabilizer on the reverse side. Then finish the cut edges of the fabric to turn the logo into an appliqué patch".
This is sort of doable - people embroider things onto non-fraying materials to make their own appliques all the time - BUT in this case it's tricky because yours is already embroidered onto a material that will fray when cut.
So, if you want to try this, you should give it to a tailor. They will cut the logo out with a shape of your choice (maybe following closely around the logo if it's a clean shape, or, if the logo is irregularly shaped or made of letters, then a square or rectangle would be better. And then the tailor will need to finish the raw edges - either by turning them under and hemming them, or by stitching a thick border around them. This will make the logo into a patch that can then be sewn onto the new sweater - an "appliqué".
Caveats - it probably won't look great, sadly. Both sweaters are probably pretty thick materials for this kind of patching, especially if the edges need to be turned under, thus doubling the thickness. So the appliqué patch will look thick and chunky around the edges.
To be honest, if your workplace is strict enough to give you a uniform, they will probably protest at this kind of DIY as it will definitely be noticeable. Even if done by a decent tailor, it will most likely look homemade and not very professional.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:45 AM on November 5 [1 favorite]
If you cut the embroidered logo out of the sweater, the stabilizer will help the cutout keep its shape BUT the edges of the cutout fabric, since they are made of knit, they will will fray and unravel - this will look bad, and will also eventually make the logo unravel and fall apart too.
The sewing name for what you're trying to do is "cut out an embroidered logo from a knit fabric that has been reinforced with stabilizer on the reverse side. Then finish the cut edges of the fabric to turn the logo into an appliqué patch".
This is sort of doable - people embroider things onto non-fraying materials to make their own appliques all the time - BUT in this case it's tricky because yours is already embroidered onto a material that will fray when cut.
So, if you want to try this, you should give it to a tailor. They will cut the logo out with a shape of your choice (maybe following closely around the logo if it's a clean shape, or, if the logo is irregularly shaped or made of letters, then a square or rectangle would be better. And then the tailor will need to finish the raw edges - either by turning them under and hemming them, or by stitching a thick border around them. This will make the logo into a patch that can then be sewn onto the new sweater - an "appliqué".
Caveats - it probably won't look great, sadly. Both sweaters are probably pretty thick materials for this kind of patching, especially if the edges need to be turned under, thus doubling the thickness. So the appliqué patch will look thick and chunky around the edges.
To be honest, if your workplace is strict enough to give you a uniform, they will probably protest at this kind of DIY as it will definitely be noticeable. Even if done by a decent tailor, it will most likely look homemade and not very professional.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:45 AM on November 5 [1 favorite]
Sorry, I took your word that it was a patch. To be 100% sure, just look at at the back from inside the sweater. If it's an embroidered patch that's sewn on, you'll only see stitching around the outside, and you can cut that off with a seam ripper. But if you see the logo colors in blurry reverse on the back, you can't really transfer it as everyone else has explained.
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:00 AM on November 5
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:00 AM on November 5
I'll forego this idea. Thank you, all.
At my previous, brand-sensitive company, we had a situation where the official clothing wouldn't work for a couple of people and we gave the specs for the logo embroidery to a local shop, and then the steps for getting your own clothing made official were:
1. The employee had to pay for the clothing item but we paid for the embroidery
2. The clothing item had to be approved in advance for cut and colour (ours was black, and some necklines weren't okay.)
Maybe this is something your workplace would consider longer term. For us, our official polos were made out of an athletic wicking fabric, and for some people those are torture, so that was where it started. It might be worth asking.
posted by warriorqueen at 8:45 AM on November 5 [10 favorites]
At my previous, brand-sensitive company, we had a situation where the official clothing wouldn't work for a couple of people and we gave the specs for the logo embroidery to a local shop, and then the steps for getting your own clothing made official were:
1. The employee had to pay for the clothing item but we paid for the embroidery
2. The clothing item had to be approved in advance for cut and colour (ours was black, and some necklines weren't okay.)
Maybe this is something your workplace would consider longer term. For us, our official polos were made out of an athletic wicking fabric, and for some people those are torture, so that was where it started. It might be worth asking.
posted by warriorqueen at 8:45 AM on November 5 [10 favorites]
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posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:04 AM on November 5 [5 favorites]