Patch
A patch is a piece of a flexible material used to repair an object that has a hole in it, to protect an object from damage even before it is damaged, or to decorate clothing or other fabric items.
Cloth patches
For repairs
Cloth patches are rectangles of cloth that are used to cover up holes in clothing and other fabric items. Patches are usually used on clothes and soft things like cushions, teddy bears and blankets. Patches are sewn on with a needle and thread or glued on using a hot iron.
For decoration
Many types of uniforms use cloth patches that have embroidered words or images on them. For example, police officers' uniforms have patches that state the name of the police force. Military uniforms have patches that have the flag of the country embroidered on them and the military unit that the soldier is part of. Many uniforms for businesses have cloth patches with the name of the company and the company logo embroidered on them.
As well, many people wear patches on their regular clothing. Some patches are sold by tourist stores. These patches have the name of a region on them. Other patches worn by teenagers have the names and logos of rock bands on them. Motorcycle biker gang members, such as members of the Hells Angels wear patches on their leather vests that state the name of their gang and the logo of the gang.
Leather patches
Leather patches are rectangles of leather that are used to cover up holes in clothing and other fabric items. Leather patches are usually used on heavy-duty work clothes, or on the elbows of jackets, or on the knees of pants. Leather patches are sewn on with a needle and thread.
Rubber patches
Rubber patches are rectangles, squares, or circular pieces of flat, thin rubber that are glued onto bicycle tire inner tubes, car tire inner tubes, and inflatable toys to repair holes.
