What you’ll need:
– Assorted fabrics
– Felt
– Threads of different colours and weights
– Needles
– Scissors
– Embroidery hoop
– Air or water dry fabric markers
– Safety Pins
– Plant inspiration – scribbles, print outs etc.

1. Begin by choosing a fabric and design for your first patch. Sketch an outline of the pattern onto the fabric with a fabric marker. You can trace over your drawing or a template easier by holding the paper and fabric up against a window. You may need to touch up the outline with your marker if it begins to fade too quickly.

2. Secure your fabric in the embroidery hoop with the pattern in the centre and choose which colour threads to start with.

3. Stitch over the outline of the pattern. Backstitch is a good stitch for creating solid lines – from underneath your fabric, space the needle out the length of the desired stitch, pull up through the fabric and bring the needle and thread back down to join the end of the previous stitch.

4. Fill in your plant patch. Use different colours of thread and stitch styles to add character and depth to your pattern.

5. Cut around the outside of your fabric, leaving a selvedge of around 3cm.

6. Cut a piece of felt larger than your embroidery to go beneath the patch. You may find it easier to secure the felt in an embroidery hoop and stitch the two layers together before you cut the felt.

7. Following the selvedge of your fabric, stitch the two layers together using closely spaced parallel stitches. Make sure the edge of the fabric is secured by the stitch to stop fraying.

If you want to hide the stitching on the back side of your patch cut a second piece of felt the same size as the first and either stitch or glue this backing on.

8. You’re ready to add a safety pin and begin wearing your new plant patch!

Try experimenting with different patterns, fabrics and felt. Any combination will work, just make sure you secure the edge of the cut fabric so your plant baby doesn’t fray away. Happy patching!

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Lucy Munro is a textiles designer in NSW – if you want to get in touch with her about getting your own custom made plant patch you can contact her via Instagram here or here!