What on earth makes CarniWear ART Patches so very special?

We all know the traditional fabric badges that usually are machine stitched. They can be very beautiful and made with rich colours, but at the same time they remain so very flat and don't truly stand out.

My fabric badges are nothing like the traditional stiched ones, because they are sewn with appliques. I have always loved applique technique in sewing, and by combining that to my love for on my love for drawing and graphic design, I one day came up with the idea of appliqued fabric badges. And because they are so full of ARTistic flavour and features, they are obviously called ART Patches.

Generally applique is needlework in which pieces of fabrics in different shapes and sizes are sewn together to form a picture. It is commonly used as a decoration, especially on garments. The technique is accomplished either by hand or machine stiching.

How CarniWear ART Patches are done

In CarniWear ART Patches I use applique as the main technique, but I enrichen them with embroidery, beads, jewelry, feathers, silk flowers, fishing lure parts, all of which give them more texture and vibrancy, and also a bit of three-dimensionality that really brings them to life.

I choose to use fabrics that already have some flair in themselves. They can be glittery, hairy, lace, textured or patterned, and they always have that special something that fits exactly to the impression I'm aiming for in all of my ART Patches.

My drawing style is a bit cartoonish and/or tattoo-like, and I just love to use strong, ink-like outlines when drawing. For my ART Patches, I go for the similar feel with black stitching of different thicknesses.

A bit more about the procedure

  • The first step is to draw the design and choose the right fabrics and other materials for the ART Patch.

  • After that it's time to cut all the pieces of the design from different fabrics and start joining the bits and pieces into an ART Patch.

  • The next step includes joining the different layers together, that is: the main figure, the background design and the supportive felt layer.

The final step is to sew it all up into a neat and cool ART Patch.

That includes sewing all the lines to get the wanted impression the design's been drawn with stitches, sewing all the free stitching in order to achieve the desired effects, and also attaching all the other materials, in this case the jingle bells and the sequins.

Then the black, strong backing fabric with CarniWear logo is glued to the back side of the patch, and the patch is stitched around with very tight zigzag.

As a finishing touch the ART Patch is neatly cut, lightly pressed and all ready for your use.

BTW, this Hummingbird is my very first attempt in making my patches.

Just before Chritmas 2020 I took part in a Brooch workshop by fabulous Terry Fox, a British couture fashion and wedding dress designer, and immidiatelly fell in love with the idea of using applique for something like this.

It took me few months to figure out what to do with my ideas and how to turn them into products, but here I am now, creating unique CarniWear ART Patches!

Give some TLC to your ART Patch

Based on the use of different materials such as beads and feathers, you surely understand why CarniWear ART Patches are not washable products. They may withstand dry cleaning, but this is also at your own risk. Therefore, I recommend that you always remove the patch before washing your garment, and then reattach it again when your garment is clean and dry. The fastening can easily be done by sewing either by hand or with a sewing machine.