Chenille Patches

Chenille patches are made from looped yarn stitched onto a felt backing, which gives them their signature fuzzy texture and thick, slightly raised profile. They are the letters on a letterman jacket and the big block numbers on a hoodie sleeve — instantly recognizable, warm to the touch, and impossible to mistake for a printed graphic.

Two-color layering is standard: a base felt shape in one school or team color, topped with chenille yarn in another, often with a stitched outline to crisp up the edges.

Schools and sports programs are the natural fit — varsity letters, jersey numbers, mascots, graduation years, and award chevrons for letterman and bomber jackets. Beyond that, chenille has become a favorite for streetwear-style hoodies, crewnecks, and heavyweight tote bags where a soft, tactile mark stands out against smooth printing.

Chenille wants scale and simple shapes. A single letter, number, or bold mascot silhouette works beautifully; dense small type does not, because the yarn loops can only hold so much detail. If your artwork is intricate, we may suggest pairing chenille with a stitched border or moving to embroidered patches.

Chenille is durable but it is a textured yarn, so treat it gently: wash inside out in cold water, avoid bleach, air dry when you can, and never iron directly over the patch face. Sew-on backing is the most secure choice for jackets that will be worn hard for years, and it is what we recommend for varsity pieces.

You choose the letter style, felt and yarn colors, size, outline, and backing. We run any quantity from 10 to 10,000, send a free digital mock-up before production, and can apply the patches to your jackets here in our Mooresville shop. Custom patch creation starts around $5.57 for 100 pieces.