Soft, fuzzy and bold, chenille is the patch behind every classic letterman jacket. We make custom chenille patches for varsity jackets, hoodies, team wear, clubs and streetwear brands, with your colors, your shape and your logo. Send your design and get a free mockup before we start stitching.
"Chenille" is French for caterpillar, and one touch explains the name. A chenille patch is made by looping thick yarn up through a felt base, which leaves a raised, plush surface that feels like a soft towel. Most patches combine chenille with layered felt borders, and many add embroidery for small text and fine lines.
The look goes back to early 1900s American high school and college sports. Athletes earned a chenille letter for their jacket, and it's still a badge of pride today. Brands have picked it up too: chenille patches on hoodies, caps and totes give streetwear a vintage, collegiate feel that flat embroidery can't match.
We craft good quality chenille patches with dense yarn loops, clean felt edges and strong stitching, so they stay fluffy and in shape season after season.
Start Your Chenille Patch
| Feature | Iron-On Chenille Patches | Sew-On Chenille Patches |
|---|---|---|
| Attachment | Heat-activated adhesive, applied with a heat press or iron | Stitched around the edge by hand or machine |
| Speed | Fast, done in under a minute | Takes longer |
| Best fabrics | Cotton, polyester, blends, canvas | Wool, leather, nylon and any fabric |
| Durability | Good. Add stitching for heavy wear | Highest, built to last for years |
| Best for | Hoodies, sweatshirts, totes, merch runs | Varsity jackets, uniforms, heirloom pieces |
Heat can scorch leather sleeves and flatten wool, so we recommend sew-on backing for letterman jackets. Ordering custom chenille iron-on patches for hoodies or merch? A heat press gives a stronger, more even bond than a household iron.
Your letterman jacket tells your story, and chenille is how you tell it. We make varsity jacket chenille patches for students, schools, booster clubs and alumni groups:
Ordering for a full team or graduating class? We keep colors and sizing consistent across every patch.
Design Your Varsity Patch
A look at custom chenille patches we've made for schools, teams, clubs and apparel brands.
As a custom patches manufacturer, we make every style. Compare:
Most chenille patches use 2–4 yarn colors, plus one or two layered felt colors for the border. That keeps the design bold and readable. You can add more color with embroidered details. Send your artwork and we'll tell you exactly how many colors it needs.
We make chenille patches from about 3" up to large jacket-back sizes of 10" and over. Below 3", the yarn loops don't have enough room to show their fluffy texture, so we may suggest embroidery for very small designs. Varsity letters usually run 6"–8".
Iron-on patches have a heat-activated adhesive on the back and attach with a heat press or iron in under a minute. They're ideal for cotton and poly hoodies and merch. Sew-on patches are stitched around the edge and last the longest. They're the right choice for wool and leather varsity jackets, which shouldn't take high heat.
Yes, and most of our customers do. Chenille fills the large shapes, and embroidery adds names, years, small lettering and fine lines that yarn loops can't hold. You get the plush texture and the sharp detail in one patch.
Absolutely. Upload a logo, sketch or photo, and tell us your colors, size and backing. We turn it into a chenille-ready design and send a free mockup for approval. You don't need design software or a finished file.
Turn the garment inside-out, wash on cold and gentle, and air dry. For wool varsity jackets, dry cleaning or spot cleaning is safest.
