Had a pair of jeans I patched with iron-on denim and it peeled off after 2 washes

I was working on a custom distressed jacket design for a friend's band last weekend, and I figured iron-on patches would save me time. The patches looked okay at first, but after two cold washes they started curling at the edges and left a sticky residue on the fabric. I had to rip them off and redo the whole thing with hand-stitched patches, which took like 5 hours. The worst part was the sticky gunk got all over my sewing machine needle and I had to stop and clean it mid-project. It convinced me that shortcuts in garment construction never pay off, especially if the piece is meant to last. Has anyone else had iron-on stuff fail like that on a project you cared about?

2 comments

2 Comments

simonp471mo ago

That sticky residue always finds something expensive to ruin, like a universal law of disappointment.

graygonzalez1mo ago

Isn't it wild how the one thing you forget to clean is always the thing that gets totally wrecked? A book of mine got absolutely destroyed by a sticker a friend slapped on the cover, still bugs me.