Hockey Teams Score with Embroidered Patches

From youth leagues to the NHL, embroidered patches are an important part of a hockey player’s uniform.

From a 5 yr.-old Mite league player, ice skating and playing hockey for the first time, to a National Hockey League (NHL) superstar flashing down the ice, hockey players share a common uniform trait – embroidered patches.

The popular die-cut Toronto Maple Leafs patch is an icon from one of the National Hockey League’s “Original Six” teams.

Youth leagues, including the aforementioned Mite, plus Squirt, Bantam, and others, on to high school teams, the extensive junior hockey system in Canada (and around the world), professional minor league hockey and the NHL all use embroidered patches to signify their teams and promote their image among fans and supporters.

Participants in the NCAA collegiate hockey championship, known as the “Frozen Four,” proudly wear an embroidered patch on their sweaters (don’t call them jerseys!).

Embroidered “C” patch on this player’s jersey /sweater denotes the team captain.

Hockey jerseys, known as” sweaters” by truly dedicated players, can feature embroidered patches on the point of the shoulder, the chest, front upper shoulders and even on back.   Commemoration of championships, team names, secondary logos, participation in Final Four and other tournaments ( the NCAA Championship is known as the Frozen Four), all-star games and other hockey events are depicted on multi-colored embroidered patches.  Hockey’s team captains and assistant captains wear a prominent “C” or “A” patch on the upper front shoulder of their sweater.

Not just the team, even the hockey venue can be immortalized in an embroidered patch.

Chicago Embroidery Company works with numerous hockey teams, developing an image that is manufactured into vibrant embroidered patches.  Durable polyester threads provide bright colors to work with.

For more information about ordering embroidered patches or to get a quote for your team’s order, contact CEC at www.c-emblem.com or call 312/644-4232

Jamboree Embroidered Patches Celebrate Scouting

Boy Scout national gatherings, known as jamborees, are commemorated with an embroidered patch for all participants.

The Boy Scouts of America is a national organization and their ultimate gathering is the national jamboree, a rendezvous of scouts from across the country that has been held approximately every 4 years.   And while no Boy Scout event is complete without an embroidered patch to commemorate the occasion, the patches created for these jamborees are especially prized by collectors.

The combination of limited production runs and colorful patch designs makes national jamboree patches highly sought after by scout embroidered patch enthusiasts.

The 2010 Jamboree celebrated 100 years of scouting in the U.S. The pictured patch is especially prized by collectors due to it’s staff designation. Look closely and you can also see the use of golden metallic thread.

First proposed in 1935 to celebrate the twenty fifth anniversary of scouting in the United States, the inaugural event was postponed due to a polio outbreak in the Washington D.C. area, and not held until 1937, with thousands of Scouts camping on the National Mall.  Since then, 17 national jamborees have been held, with the 18^th scheduled for the summer of 2013 at a new site, The Summit Bechtel Family National Reserve in West Virginia.

Half a century of Scouting was celebrated with the Golden Jubilee patch created by the Chicago Embroidery Co. for the 1960 jamboree in Colorado Springs.

Patches from the originally proposed 1935 event are very rare and valuable (beware of reproductions), and each jamboree’s embroidered emblem is coveted by collectors.  As a supplier to the national Boy Scouts, the Chicago Embroidery Company made many different jamboree patches over the years, including the fabled “Golden Jubilee” patch in 1960.

Sites of National BSA Jamborees:

1937	Washington, D.C. (1935 postponed)
1950	Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
1953	Irvine Ranch, California
1957	Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
1960	Colorado Springs, Colorado (golden jubilee)
1964	Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
1969	This fully embroidered patch was given to attendees of the 1969 jamboree in Idaho. Farragut State Park, Idaho
*1973	Farragut State Park, Idaho, and Moraine State Park, Pennsylvania
1977	Moraine State Park, Pennsylvania
1981	Fort A. P. Hill, Virginia
1985	Fort A. P. Hill, Virginia (diamond jubilee)
1989	Fort A. P. Hill, Virginia
1993	Fort A. P. Hill, Virginia
1997	Fort A. P. Hill, Virginia
2001	Fort A. P. Hill, Virginia
2005	Fort A. P. Hill, Virginia
2010 2013	Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia (100 years of USA Scouting) The Summit, West Virginia

This 1973 jamboree patch is a good example of the use of a contrasting background material used as an accent.

*1973 was the only year that two jamborees, east and west, were held.  Scouting membership peaked during this period. 

For more general information about embroidered patches, check out the Chicago Embroidery Company, www.c-emblem.com, or call 312-664-4232

Stay Secure with Embroidered Patches

An embroidered patch replaces a costly metal badge on this security guard’s uniform shirt.

Security guards are major consumers of embroidered patches because the employees of private security companies are required by state and/or local law to wear uniforms.  In most states, private security guards must wear a company uniform to make them easily identifiable, and the easiest way to customize a uniform is through the use of embroidered patches.

Corporate security departments and private contract security firms use embroidered patches to project an image of professionalism.

Providing 24 hour uniformed security requires workers to have and wear a variety of seasonal uniforms and attire, so each employee guard needs long sleeve shirts, short sleeve shirts, a light jacket or sweater, a heavier cold weather coat, headgear and more.  To customize this security apparel, each item requires an embroidered patch to make the wearer readily recognizable as an employee of the security firm.

Single color patches are economical compared to multi-color patches and still show trained professionalism among the uniformed security officers.

Expensive metallic badges have also been replaced by less costly embroidered patches that serve the same function, identifying the wearer as an official of the security firm.

Companies with their own internal security force often turn to embroidered patches to provide a high visibility, professional look for their uniformed security officers.

No matter the size of the security force, appearance and image are improved with uniformed personnel with official embroidered patches.

Security firm patches are usually not as colorful and intricate as the embroidered patches worn by most police departments.  Due to cost considerations, simple one-color or two color designs predominate the field, though multi-colored fully embroidered designs are also used by some companies.

The Chicago Embroidery Company can make embroidered patches for your firm.  Learn more at www.c-emblem.com or call 312-644-4232.

 

Make Your Event Special With An Embroidered Patch

One of the best ways to commemorate a special event for your organization is the creation of a unique, limited-edition embroidered patch. These designs can be inexpensive, single or dual color patches in a standard shape or a more elaborate die-cut emblem using multiple colors.

On-going, annual events can be commemorated each year with an embroidered patch.

Embroidered patches are extremely versatile, with display options on shirts, coats, hats, tote or storage bags and luggage, blankets or any fabric surface. Durable patches with modern polyester threads stand up to repeated laundering, usually outlasting the life of a garment.
Patches don’t have to be sewn on in the traditional method with needle and thread. Instead, your embroidered emblem can be manufactured with a Velcro backing or with a peel-off self adhesive or with iron-on application.

A great way to recognize a significant anniversary is to give or sell an embroidered patch to all participants.

All of these manufacturing methods make it easier for members/participants to instantly display and enjoy their new embroidered patch.
If your organization has an annual event, participants will eagerly display multiple years of patches to showcase their experience and participation. Many groups hold a contest among members to determine the design for the next year’s patch. Local or regional chapters of organizations create individual identity through the use of custom-designed embroidered patches exclusively for members.

Participants love to display or wear several years of patches to show how long they have been attending or participating in an event.

Chicago Embroidery Co. can help design a vibrant patch for your group and suggest economical methods to maximize budget dollars. For instance, a large order has a lower cost per patch, and can be used to develop a vivid signature image for the annual event. An additional smaller and less expensive rocker patch can be issued each time the event is held (see our previous blog for more information on rocker patches and how they can extend the life of your design) and is displayed adjacent to the larger main emblem. Learn more about embroidered patches for your organization at http://www.c-emblem.com

BUYER BEWARE! Counterfeit Super Bowl Embroidered Patches Too Common

Ever since people started collecting things, part of the human race started making fakes to sell to them.

Some of the more famous ancient counterfeit items include Egyptian artifacts that were sold to European travelers. Thousands of viewers were fooled over the years by the “relics of Joan of Arc,” which turned out to include, among other things, an Egyptian mummified cat bone.

The ancient Romans were frequent victims of fake currency. Counterfeiters would mix various metals, cast them as coins and plate them with either gold or silver to create a much less valuable copy of the money. Old coin molds have been found that prove the existence of a widespread counterfeiting operation by Roman Empire-era criminals.

As in ancient times, embroidered patch collectors today can be fooled by fakes that are sold as the real thing. It is important to compare and contrast examples.

In the 1990s, the owner of a small patch company was arrested by the FBI http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1993-08-12/news/9308120250_1_jamboree-badges-traditional-civics-badges-michael-w-welsh for selling bootleg versions of unauthorized Boy Scout patches at a national jamboree. Rare Boy Scout patches are very desirable and as a manufacturer for the national Boy Scouts since the early 1950s, the Chicago Embroidery Company made many of the patches that are now collectable.

It takes a fine eye and knowledge of Schiffli embroidery manufacturing technique to spot a fake patch. Today, most embroidered patches are made using multi-head direct embroidery machines. These sewing machines produce great looking patches but the embroidery stitching tends to be “flat” compared to embroidery made on a Schiffli loom.

Schiffli loom embroidery machines tended to be used less, beginning in the 1990s when computerized sewing machines became more cost-efficient. Embroidered patches produced earlier than the 1980s were most likely made on Schiffli looms.

The pictured example shows a Super Bowl IX patch that was made on Schiffli loom, note the texture of the raised stitches. A counterfeit Super Bowl IX patch recently for sale on Ebay as “original” appears to be a fake, and shown here the embroidery looks tighter and flatter than the original. Note the difference in the backgrounds and other details.

To the embroidered patch collector, “buyer beware” is good advice to follow when buying old collector patches. For more information on ordering custom patches, visit the Chicago Embroidery Company at http://www.C-Emblem.com

Super Bowl Embroidered Patches Score Touchdown With NFL Fans

There are few more uniquely American events than the annual championship of

Roman numerals on the patch (this one is 14) denote the big game.

professional football, the National Football League’s Super Bowl.  First played in 1967 (the 1966 football season) as a contest between the NFL and the then rival upstart American Football League, the Super Bowl game and surrounding pageantry has grown into a de facto national holiday and major retailing event for a variety of products.

Players in the Super Bowl were an embroidered patch, usually on the jersey shoulder or sleeve.

Ever since the early Super Bowl games, players from each team have worn a commemorative embroidered patch on their jerseys.  Initially, these unique emblems were only available to players, but over the years, the patches have been sold to the public and a vibrant collectors market has developed.

The 1960s and 1970s games had simple, basic patch designs with just the Roman numerals used to designate the contest.  As embroidery technology developed and computerized, the art of the embroidered patch has grown increasingly sophisticated and Super Bowl patches included the host city, the name of the venue where the

This patch for Super Bowl IX (9), played in New Orleans, was made by the Chicago Embroidery Co.

game was played, and graphic depictions of footballs, the Super Bowl trophy and more.   This patch for Super Bowl IX was created by the Chicago Embroidery Co. for the big game in New Orleans.

Embroidered patches are a way for the regular fan to connect with their favorite team during

This patch marks the 40th anniversary of the Super Bowl.

this special event.  Some winning teams even commission their own Super Bowl patch, while many unofficial patches also appear on the market.

For more information about creating a unique, memorable custom embroidered patch for your organization, contact the Chicago Embroidery Company, www.c-emblem.com

 

Rockers Extend Life and Reach of Embroidered Patches

 

Annual participation in an event is signified by the addition of yearly rocker patches.

A good way to stretch the usability and life of an embroidered patch for your organization is the use of auxiliary patches, commonly known as “rockers.”  These patches, usually semi-circular in shape and resembling the business end of a rocking chair, are arranged around an organization’s circular patch to showcase accomplishments, dates, meetings/gatherings and virtually anything.

Specific, different locations are highlighted with individual rocker patches.

The cost advantages of employing rockers include the
ability to provide group members with a single, undated organization patch that can be purchased in bulk at considerable savings.  This patch, sewn on a pocket, shirt sleeve, or even a duffle bag or other item, can then be customized by individuals as they earn recognition, awards or attend events with the addition of rocker patches around the main organization embroidered emblem.

The addition of a rocker patch to the unit insignia pleased members of the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division.

Veteran members of the organization will proudly display their collection of rockers earned through many years of active participation.These rocker patches, being much smaller and simpler than the main patch, are considerably less expensive to produce.  Usually a single color and employing a basic design, rocker patches can be created for a single event or honor in a smaller and less expensive production run.

Rockers don’t have to be semi-circular, other designs use an inverted V chevron, bar, slash or other shape, building off the design of the main embroidered patch.

Different related activites are represented by rocker patches.

To learn more about increasing the visibility of your organization or building team spirit through the use of embroidered patches and rockers, visit www.c-emblem.com or call 312/664-4232..