BDU Grade Insignia - help and tips

biomed441 · April 07, 2009, 06:39:38 PM

Hey ya'll, I've just got some questions about these nasty little cloth insignias going on the BDU's.

1) What size are the blue borders sopposed to be. 39-1 doesn't specify the grade insignias, at least not to my knowledge. I could have overlooked something.

EDIT: Found the answer 1/8th inch boarder(Sure enough, i overlooked something). Thats tiny.....with 1 1/4 blue boarder on it right now, question 2 is a biggie.

2) Any tips on how one goes about sewing these things on. I'm dealing with the butterbars at the moment so there seems to be a significant excess of blue and I have no Idea what to do with it.

Any tips or tricks that you may have developed over the years would be a big help. Also feel free to use this thread to talk about other cloth badges, insignias etc. I'm sure im not the only one with questions.

Appreciate it!

Phil Hirons, Jr. · April 07, 2009, 06:48:38 PM

CAPM 39-1 page 34

11. All white on blue insignia will have 1/8-inch of blue showing at the widest and tallest point of the insignia, except the Civil Air Patrol and name tapes.

Rob Sherlin · April 07, 2009, 06:54:42 PM

Cut a liitle off the butterbars and fold them under. Use an iron with someting on top (a thin towel or something) to get a clean fold and crease...You should have better luck with this.

Pylon · April 07, 2009, 06:55:24 PM

Option 1 might look a little something like: Trim it down to a little over 1/4" border, fold all the edges under, iron those edges into sharp creases, machine sew in place.

Option 2 is to take to a local uniform shop/tailor/seamstress/dry cleaners, show them what it needs to look like and ask them to do it. It's what I do with mine!

biomed441 · April 07, 2009, 07:00:57 PM

Thanks for the tips. Also, I heard something back when I was a cadet, that you should run your patches/taps/insignias through the wash seperately before they are sewn on. Soposed to prevent them to scrunch up on the uniforms or whatever due to shrinking. Can Anyone second this?

Rob Sherlin · April 07, 2009, 07:05:53 PM

I've never had patches scrunch up on me after washing. That saying could have been something of the past, but today they make patches out of fibers that don't shrink like that.

biomed441 · April 07, 2009, 07:11:55 PM

Thanks Rob. Makes sense that It would be an older practice.

Hawk200 · April 07, 2009, 07:26:31 PM

Quote from: Captainbob441 on April 07, 2009, 07:00:57 PM
Thanks for the tips. Also, I heard something back when I was a cadet, that you should run your patches/taps/insignias through the wash seperately before they are sewn on. Soposed to prevent them to scrunch up on the uniforms or whatever due to shrinking. Can Anyone second this?

It wouldn't hurt. Wash your BDU's, and stick all the insgnia in one of the pockets. If your nametapes are cotton (which a lot of them are), they may shrink a little. When active duty, I've known of people that would boil them before they put them on.

Pylon · April 07, 2009, 10:45:47 PM

I don't think it's an older practice. I run all insignia and nametapes through a wash and dry along with new BDUs before sewing anything. Insignia is made out of natural and synthetic fibers; just like clothing made of the same fabric, it can shrink. I'd rather get the majority of the shrinking out of the way before it's tightly sewn to my uniform.

I have had BDU shirts where pucker marks have appeared around the nametapes after some wear and washes, so it's definitely not a problem of the past.

jimmydeanno · April 07, 2009, 10:55:00 PM

That pucker problem is solved using the fabric strip nametapes. I've never had the pucker issue on collar insignia. I switched from the woven nametapes to the fabric ones and haven't had an issue since.

But to the OP, I do what everyone else does above. I prep the insignia first, trimming some of the excess off, folding it and ironing it flat. Then, I pin them down and sew away. As your using the machine, you can adjust as necessary.

I do all my own sewing and people ask me all the time where I have them done. The biggest issue has been finding the same colored thread...

Hawk200 · April 07, 2009, 11:52:32 PM

Quote from: jimmydeanno on April 07, 2009, 10:55:00 PM
The biggest issue has been finding the same colored thread...

I do all my own sewing too. I usually go to a fabric store to find thread, since they usually have a massive selection. It's entertaining the couple times I've been in a uniform. Got a few wierd looks.

cap235629 · April 08, 2009, 02:40:23 AM

you could just do what I did, it has to be the easiest way yet:

Take them to a police uniform store and tell the nice seamstress what you want.

My whole BDU shirt (including removing the right pocket and sewing squadron patch on then sewing pocket back on thus keeping the use of the pocket) cost like $12.00 for all patches and insignia

Money well spent

jb512 · April 08, 2009, 05:02:37 AM

+1 on the alterations shop.

I also get mine starched regularly which keeps everything down and flat where it's supposed to be.

SarDragon · April 08, 2009, 05:15:40 AM

I fold the top and bottom, run a basting stitch close to the fold, fold the sides, another basting stitch, then sew onto the shirt. The basting stitches don't show, and it's much easier to pin and sew.

NIN · April 08, 2009, 10:58:54 AM

I learned a couple summers ago to use some of the Elmers water soluble spray adhesive to spray on the back of insignia and then fold. Quick spray, fold the long edges and let the adhesive setup, then spray again, fold the short edges and let those setup. (I have also used a quick spritz of the adhesive to hold it in place while I sew, but thats awfully close to using StitchWitch, which I am adamantly opposed to, so YMMV.)

I have insignia upstairs that I folded two summers ago that's still folded up and glued (and not sewn on a uniform yet).

It looks like a million times better, because its a LOT easier to get the 1/8" dimension.

DC · April 08, 2009, 11:01:27 AM

I keep most of the excess on there when folding it, I have found if you trim it too much it becomes very difficult to fold properly.

I fold and iron down each side of the insignia, once all four sides are done I take some straight pins, place it on the collar in the proper place, and sew it on myself by hand. Even if you are terrible at sewing, with the right thread color no one will ever notice, just as long as the insignia is in the right place.

I do let someone else do tapes and other patches on a machine, trying to do the whole thing by hand is a task I did not enjoy the one time I tried it.

gistek · April 08, 2009, 04:31:08 PM

I fold and press each side of an insignia then fold the ends in, fold the sides over them, and make sure anything that sticks out from underneath gets tucked under. Then I stitch everything underneath so it won't unfold.

Next I pin the insignia on at the right place and hand stitch it from underneath. I do my best to match the blue background color, run the stitch up from under, catch the edge of the insignia, then push the needle back to the underside under the insignia.

I use the same technique for patches and name tapes. With the name tapes I turn the ends in and trim the corners diagonally, that way I don't have to go through two layers of name tape.

At one point I machine sewed the name tapes and insignia, but had problems removing them when changes had to be made.

Eeyore · April 08, 2009, 05:28:36 PM

I usually use little pieces of masking tape to hold the folds down and then sew all of it down. The masking tape on the back has never caused any problems with ironing or washing. I got the idea when I pulled some AF insignia off of a flight suit and it had masking tape holding the folds in place.

O-Rex · April 08, 2009, 09:21:23 PM

Quote from: jimmydeanno on April 07, 2009, 10:55:00 PM
That pucker problem is solved using the fabric strip nametapes.

Those are absolutely great, aren't they?

biomed441 · April 10, 2009, 07:41:28 PM

Thanks for the tips everyone! Finally got the insignia sewn on the BDU's. I got one more question though about the BDU cover. There was an update saying that thecloth grade insignia goes on the BDU Cover now. It says centered on the front of the cover, but in the 39-1, if you referance the cadet BDU cover it says 1/2" from the bill? Im a little confused. is it centered or 1/2" for senior members?

MIKE · April 10, 2009, 07:53:07 PM

1/2" from the brim looks hella stupid... Especially considering AFI 36-2903 says centered vertically and horizontally... But that is the ignore CAPM 39-1/ICL photo captions and don't look anymore like a dork than you have to answer.

NIN · April 10, 2009, 07:55:49 PM

I've always done it more or less visually, and nobody has ever said a word to me about it.

"If it looks right, it probably is right."

SStradley · April 14, 2009, 12:48:26 AM

Quote from: NIN on April 10, 2009, 07:55:49 PM
I've always done it more or less visually, and nobody has ever said a word to me about it.

"If it looks right, it probably is right."

You mean to say "if it looks right, it probably is wrong"

But I also centered the patch, so it looks right, and if someone one day chases me down in the field with a tape measure, then I will tell them thanks, and I will get it fixed (someday).

Hawk200 · April 14, 2009, 11:29:32 PM

Quote from: SStradley on April 14, 2009, 12:48:26 AM
Quote from: NIN on April 10, 2009, 07:55:49 PM
I've always done it more or less visually, and nobody has ever said a word to me about it.

"If it looks right, it probably is right."

You mean to say "if it looks right, it probably is wrong"

But I also centered the patch, so it looks right, and if someone one day chases me down in the field with a tape measure, then I will tell them thanks, and I will get it fixed (someday).

Or could be more of a case of "We're all right, if we're all wrong together".