Letterman Jackets and Chenille Patches - The Perfect Combo

Letterman jackets—they're chic and look great for a casual outfit. Though once limited to high school and college basketball team's leading members, letterman sweaters and jackets are now a part of modern fashion and even appear in popular street styles for men and women.

So, what makes a letterman jacket—also known as a varsity jacket—so special? For one, it's the specific two-tone style with a striped collar. The other and more significant feature is the big chenille letter patch. Hence the name "letter"man!

Letterman Jackets – Sports & Fashion Wear

On original letterman jackets, these patches are customized according to the school's logo or initials and the team player's status/level. It's also a reward for team players; in certain schools, when a team member has participated in a certain number of play-offs and performed well, they get a letterman jacket.

To draw the line between outclass team members and other participants, many school teams have set a minimum number of games/scores for an individual to become eligible for their very own personalized jacket.

The kind of sports you will commonly find letterman jackets for include basketball and American football, and sometimes in tennis and golf. The chenille patchwork on these can be on the front and back. The front part is typically emblazoned with the team or organization’s logo. The back chenille patch consists of the name of the wearer.

As far as the overall look goes, chenille patch jackets look very attractive, even in women’s clothing. In fact, it was Princess Diana who was one of the first leading personalities who brought about varsity aesthetics. One of the amazing examples of her popular casual looks was a green-and-silver Philadelphia Eagles varsity jacket, which she first donned in 1991 and then again three years later.

In short, if Princess Di can pull off chenille patchwork on her outfit, who're we to say it isn't a superb fashion choice? You can wear chenille patch jackets to support your high school sports team or a local or national team, or wear one for no reason other than for aesthetics.

Designing Chenille Patches For Letterman Jackets

The best part about the patchwork on letterman jackets is that these can are customized and added afterward. If you've got a sports event coming up (the FIFA World Cup 2022 is around the corner) or maybe something edgy for a themed party, such as a bridal shower where you want bridesmaids to wear "team" clothes honoring the bride—why not order custom chenille patches for varsity jackets?

You will find non-standard and non-sport letterman jackets with different embellishments, such as rhinestones and glitter. You can get standard, plain varsity jackets and add custom patches or custom-order both elements. These jackets look great with short or crop tops and pants, and you can also wear a varsity letterman jacket over your daily jog or gym wear.

Regardless of how to choose to style a letterman jacket, it’s a dashing fashion choice. If you’re looking to custom patch yours, let’s go through the steps of designing the chenille patch.

Preparing Artwork

Chenille patches can be attached to more than just varsity jackets; you can get artsy and logo these patches for different caps, hats, beanies, bags, and keychains. You need to know what sizes work best on which article.

For varsity jackets, the front patch can be as small as 3x3 inches and go 6x6 inches. When choosing patch sizes for the front of the jacket, avoid a too-small or large patch; a large patch will ruin the visual appeal, and a tiny patch may be illegible. The back patch should cover at least half the area of the jacket, or the lettering should be at least large enough to read from a distance.

Choosing Colors

Chenille patches look great, and the yarn colors show up much more vibrant than threads on embroidered or woven patches. However, these patches work best with a few color combinations. You’ll find that traditional varsity jackets usually contain very few colors. The logo is designed with minimum colors (no shading). The rear lettering is generally crafted from two colors, one for the fill and the other for the outline.

Since chenille work has a unique, rug-like finish, choosing too many colors or intricate designs may not be ideal. Few colors and thicker designs will appear well on the final product and are easier to apply.

Backing Options

When buying chenille patches for varsity jackets, you can choose between two kinds of backing: sew-on and iron-on.

Sew-on patches are better suited to sports jackets. Professionally sewn patches resist wear and tear. Iron-on patches are only durable if you choose quality backing but are more likely to start peeling off after a few washes. However, if you need a temporary chenille patch for your letterman-style jacket, go for iron-on patches, as these are easier to remove than removing stitches from sewn-on patches. Check out Creative Ways To Wear Iron-On Patches for more about iron-on patches.

When placing an order for custom chenille patches, submit high-resolution artwork for the best possible final design. We recommend submitting a minimum 300 dpi image file to turn your artwork into a patch. Search on the internet for free patch templates for letterman jackets. You can ask for standard lettering templates from your patch artist.

Once you’ve finalized your image file, send it for a quote. When ordering custom patches, choose a manufacturer who offers free quotes and the ease of no minimum order limit.

Let’s Design Your Chenille Patches Together At Elegant Patches

A great-looking and sturdy chenille letterman jacket patch require more than just an artistic design. Superior chenille patches are manufactured from high-quality material, a perfect stitching process with an aesthetically pleasing and secure outline, and an expert cutting process.

At Elegant Patches, we have the expertise to turn your artwork into letterman jacket chenille patches. We also know other kinds of yarn-made custom patches. Our artists have years of experience making embroidered, woven, chenille, leather, sublimated, and other kinds of personalized patches for different types of brands. We facilitate free quotes and timely delivery!