All you really need is a little plastic thing of needles ($1), some pins ($1), thread (varies but even good cotton thread isn’t that much), scissors (where you might actually consider investing a little - do not use these scissors for anything else, and consider a rotary cutter if you really get into it), and fabric.
Fabric might seem like the pricey part of the equation, but consider how much a thrift store is going to charge you for a duvet or a pile of t-shirts! I have something like 30 t-shirts I spent maybe $5 on several months ago, and I’ve been working through that pile for a while.
You can turn a t-shirt into a pillow, a reusable bag, use the scraps to patch clothing, make dolls, quilts… The bits that get to be so small to be unusable for a scrap quilt you can use to stuff things.
It takes a lot of time compared to machine sewing, but it’s an activity that can be done while watching a tv show.
Can you post a picture?
Love the patches. The pockets seem rather big, so the problem is not that you aren’t getting anything in, but that you cannot comfortably put the needle from inside to the outside? And I guess it is too thick to go in and out with the same stitch? If this would somewhat work you could consider a thimble, I recently rediscovered that little metal thing and it saved me a couple of times. Gets you through thick layers as long as your needle is stable (or you’re willing to sacrifice 4-5 needles for a project).
Are the patches decorative or functional? If they are decorative (i.e. covering up imperfections) you would only need a couple of stitches to hold them in place, right? Or try another glue? If they are functional (i.e. covering up holes and necessary for integrity) you would need a more profound stitch. In that case, would you consider ripping the seam on the side of the pocket to open it up? That would allow you to have better access. Once you’re done you’d obviously have to sew the pocket back on.
The other alternative is to find a friend with a kid that has small hands and pay them in gummi bears for their labor.
The pocket actually looks bigger on the outside; only about 1/4 of the whole square you see actually is the pocket, so yeah; I can’t comfortably get the needle back out once inside. If I could even use my sewing machine, I would have already done it. But also: I never knew that’s what thimbles were for. Now I’d have to find one that fits my fat thumb lol It would help sew the one on the pocket flap.
I was almost even just contemplating cutting the pocket out, sewing the patch on, then sewing the pocket back in place. But I don’t trust my sewing skills that much.
What you need is a curved needle: it will allow you to sew from the top without ever needing to have access to the underside. They are cheap and widely available. When you use one to sew your patch to the pocket, you can use your hand to keep the pocket expanded, or even better put something small and solid in it to keep the two layers separated while you whipstitch the patch down from the top. Watch a video on how to use curved needles for repair.
Going by name, there are two kinds of curved needles sold: upholstery and embroidery. You absolutely want the embroidery kind: the upholstery needles are huge, made for much larger projects, and would make the fine work you are trying to do very difficult. Also, if it’s there (doesn’t look like it is on your patch) you can pare down any hard coating on the underside of the patches around the edges without disturbing the patch itself, which will make it easier to get a needle through the patch when you go to put it on.
And wax your thread: pull it lightly across a candle to coat it a tiny bit, then pass it between two fingers to soften it into the thread. (There are also commercial products that you do not have, but a candle is fine in a pinch.) This keeps your thread from tangling more than it has to, and lubes it a bit for the sewing. It’s not essential, but it makes everything so much easier that I never hand sew without it.
If you get a thread that closely matches the beige of the patch it won’t matter how sloppy your stitches are, because they won’t be seen. But if you can, wash it and clean the grime off as much as possible before you do this, because it’s hard to match thread to dirty fabric. Also, when you are trying to match thread, sometimes value (light and dark) matters more than color. Because you’re sewing a lighter colored patch, if you can’t find an exact match, choose the closest one but go a shade lighter: the dark will stand out more on a lighter background. (It’s the opposite for darker materials, where you err toward the darker thread instead.)
If you have any problems or questions, feel free to hit me up. I’ve been doing my own hand and machine sewing for decades.
EDITED to add: Here’s a brief video on whipstitching a felt patch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NLr1r5ZMAM - she’s not using a curved needle, but this is the stitch you want.
A video showing how to used a curved needle for repair is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJUuPHDPTyc. He’s using an upholstery needle with pliers, you can see just how big and unwieldy that thing is, but that’s essentially how you use a curved needle to sew from the top only on pretty much any project.
Honestly, I have no clue what thimbles are for. But I realized at some point this year that instead of using some hard surface to push my needle through assy material and/or hurt my finger pressing too much, I can just… Use a metal thing that sits on the right spot.
Also I know this sounds weird but go to a shop and try them on. It’s weird how much a good fit helps.
The cutting out would probably be the way to go. I mean you could flap it, so it stays connected to the right spot, maybe it’s time for you to be brave and risk it. Especially since you have a sewing machine! That means the seam can turn out quite nice when put back in place. Anyway, good luck and updates are appreciated!
i’m just a novice, but this looks like maybe a narrow curved needle, like for darning socks and shit, might be your friend.
Iron on patches are your friend for areas like this. Curved needles as someone else suggested also work.
But because I hate my hands, I almost always just unstitch the pocket and lining, sew the patches on, and then reconstruct the pocket and lining. Probably don’t do this, I get hyper fixated on projects and do things the long way round.
These all are iron on, actually. The glue was because the adhesive that was on most of them sucked. The Trash Club patch was great; but it’s been 5 years and it’s starting to peel.
Yeah, you’re pretty out of option for an older iron on patch. Curved needles are your best bet if you’re comfortable using them. I hate using them personally, another reason I’ll unstitch and hand sew it back together. I’ve got a machine to do some of the heavy lifting, though