Tutorial: D.I.Y Punk Patches

Here is my fun and easy simple to follow tutorial on how I make my D.I.Y punk patches. There a few different ways in which this can be done - I cant say I have tried them all and that this way will work for you but it works for me so if you fancy giving it ago then please read on and enjoy D.I.Y crafting!

You will need:

• A stencil of your choice
• A cut of fabric of your choice
• Cardboard
• Fabric, acrylic or spray paint (any will work)
• Paint brush or roller
• Scissors, craft knife and tape

I have used acrylic paint - normally I would use spray paint but I do not have any at this moment in time. I have. As you can see to the right I have cut out a square from a old black t shirt which I will trim to my liking once the stencil has been printed on.

I am using this Bikini Kill stencil from stencilpunks.org

Step 1. First you will need to decide what kind of stencil you want, you can either draw it your self with a sharpie, scanner or print one from the internet. I found a lot of cool patches at this very popular website for stencil making here: www.stencilpunks.org or if you don't find anything you like there you can also try:  http://stencilry.org

Step 2.  Next you need to find your fabric. You need fabric that is thick and not to stretchy as this will make it harder to sew onto what it is you want. I used an old black t shirt but you can also try fabric stores.

I cut out the fabric with some scissors to fit the size of my stencil. Don't worry if your cutting is a bit wonky you can always neaten this up afterwards or leave it if your not going for that neat look!

Step 3. Once you have printed out your stencil and found your fabric you need to tape the stencil on to a piece of card board that is thick but not too thick that you will not be able to cut out your stencil.

Step 4. You need to cut out your stencil. I used a craft knife as my design was quite tricky to cut out and I could not of used scissors. The more you do this the better you will get. Don't worry if it a bit messy this can add to the affect.

Step 5. Remove the tape and the paper so you are left with the cardboard cut out - your stencil!
Place this onto the fabric ready to put your paint on.

Step 6. You will need to put your paint into a pot or tray (if your using a roller)
I used white acrylic paint which means I will need to iron both sides of my patch once it is dry so it wont wash out. If you are using fabric paint or spray you will not need to do this.

If the paint is too thick for rolling or painting add a very small amount of water to it to loosen  it up. 

Step 7. Start painting! You can do this by either rolling on the paint using a roller or by using a paint brush or you could even use a sponge. Once your happy remove the stencil and wait for the paint to dry. To hurry the process you can use a hair dryer on your patch. If you use acrylic paint make sure once it has dried you iron the patch on both side for a couple of minuets (use a old bit of cloth over the paint so the iron wont damage it) This ensures that it wont come of in the wash or rain. This only needs to be done when using acrylic unless you want to iron your patch if it is creased.

Trim edges if you like and don't be afraid to do any touching up afterwards.
I recoomend hand sewing your patch and not using a machine as that can stretch the fabric and distort your design unless you use pure not stretch cotton.

And there you have it a really easy way to make a punk patch! Don't be afraid to try different colours and different patterned fabrics! You can have loads of fun!
I will be selling some of my own very soon for a small amount so if you don't fancy making your own then keep an eye on my shop there will be lots of goodies coming soon!

Dirty Grrrl <3