3D Printed Patch

I created a 3D printed patch featuring a drawing I made to cover a new tear in my pants (one of many). For garments, hand washing cold is recommended after applying the patch. Machine wash may be too rough. The same process can be used for other drawings and to attach the patch to clothes, hats, bags, or fabric. 

Supplies

1. Requires a 3D printer and filament of your choice.
2. Requires needle and thread.
3. Requires an image software to create an SVG. I use the open source software Inkscape.
4. Requires an Autodesk account to use Tinkercad.
5. Requires a slicer software to convert the 3D model to gcode to send to the 3D printer.

Step 1: Convert Your Drawing to SVG

1. Download and install Inkscape, or open equivalent vector image software. We'll use Inkscape in this instructable.
2. Load your drawing image file.
3. From the top menu, select Path > Trace Bitmap. Choose the settings that capture your image best. I used Single Scan, Brightness cutoff with defaults.
4. Save the result as an SVG file: File > Save.

Step 2: Create Patch in Tinkercad

1. Open Tinkercad
2. Import your SVG file.
3. Scale the file to the patch size you want.
4. Reduce the height (Z) to 2 mm
5. Create a backing panel 1 mm high. I used the basic cylinder shape with max sides.
6. Crop the form to fit the shape you want. I used the tube basic shape as a hole and scaled it to remove the parts of the image that fell outside the panel.
7. Create holes 2 mm in diameter around the border of the patch. I used the basic cylinder shape for this as well. For a circular patch, I found that aligning the hole cylinder with the bottom of the patch, grouping them, then rotating the patch and repeating with the next hole worked well for spacing.

Step 3: Print It

1. Export the patch from Tinkercad as STL.
2. Load up your slicer software to slice the STL to gcode.
3. Use your 3D printer to print the gcode.

Step 4: Attach the Patch

1. Align the patch on the spot of the garment or accessory you wish to improve.
2. Optionally apply glue adhesive between the patch and garment.
3. Attach the patch by guiding the needle and thread through the fabric of the garment next to a patch hole, then back up through under and through the patch hole and fabric of the garment. Repeat for the adjacent patch holes. When all are done, tie the thread down.
4. Optionally color the patch with a washfast ink or paint.

Step 5: Wear It!

You're done, now go wear it!