another way to add room for more patches (see more ideas here) is to add a sash for extra patches onto the back of a vest. This hack can be done one-half sash at a time.
other ideas
- Patch cape (post coming soon)
- Ribbons that can be added to any vest or tunic
- Add favorite patches to a hat or backpack (post coming soon)
too many patches
I know this story – you’ve got an active scout in an active troop, and a ton of patches that keep piling up with nowhere to put them. Follow this easy tutorial to add a sash for extra patches and get your scout back out there in style.
This quick and easy project will take care of this problem in a snap!
supplies
For this, you need an extra sash in the same level as your main vest, clear thread, and matching thread. And a good, if beginner, sewing machine. Here’s what I used:
Don’t like this project? That’s okay; please read my message for the uniform police.
“I understand that you feel the scout uniform is a sacred object which shall not be altered. I believe you when you say that you feel strongly about badges, uniforms, tradition, etc. We are allowed to disagree. I hear you and I understand. You will not change my mind; please don’t send me hate mail.”
cut up your sash
I love any project that begins with cutting stuff up. Yay for demolition!
First, cut your sash into two halves, once across the top fold, and once at the bottom seam. Now you have two half sashes. Lay them out on top of your vest like this.
Looks like they’ll fit great. We’re only going to do one half-sash in this post, but you can add the second half anytime using the same technique.
Do the bottom edge first
Really, it doesn’t matter too much, but I found that the bottom corner was just a bit trickier to do cleanly, and it’s easier to do the trickier bits first before other things get locked in.
You probably want it to look neatly done, so you’ll want to make a sharp corner on your sash that matches the sharp corner on your vest. To do this, fold up the bottom of the sash and tuck it under until it follows the hem of the vest. (You can iron it here if you want; I didn’t)
Then, fold the side in and under in the same way, being sure to match the corner of the vest. Just keep fiddling with it until you get it exactly how you want. Feel free to pin or iron for security; I didn’t. Once you feel like you’ve got a good corner on it, open up the vest and lay it on top, matching the side edge to the side seam, like this
start sewing
All the sewing will be top-stitching – we’re going to sew right on top of where we folded. Sew the sash to the vest, beginning at the top of the side edge (red arrow), then turn the corner, then end where the sash curves upward. For attaching the sash to the vest, I’m using brown thread in both the top and bobbin threads.
do the shoulder
For the shoulder, the overall procedure is the same – fold and tuck, then sew. You can choose how tight or loose you want the sash to be to the vest. For more tightness, sew further down the edges where the sash meets the arm and neck holes. For a looser fit, just sew the shoulder seam. Here, i did about an inch and a half each. It’s up to you!
add the extra patches
Once you’ve got the sash in place, you can sew on your patches. Switch the top thread to clear (Clear thread giving you problems? STEP AWAY from the tension knob and check out my tips) and remove the table from your sewing machine. Slip the sash over the top of the arm, and slide the vest underneath. Sew on.
You can also choose to iron after sewing on. It’s not necessary but it’s up to you.
All done!
I hope you like this solution to add a sash for extra patches. What other solutions have you found? Add your idea in the comments below.
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