At Stadri, we know how creative our customers can be. The sheer volume of awesome designs they send us to make into patches speaks for itself. Some of these designs simply blow us away. Since you’re all so creative with images and design, we decided we’d like to see how creative you are with words. Hence, our first ever caption-the-patch contest.

Yes, it’s a simple as it sounds. Below is a real patch we’ve done for Warren Wilson College. The text is blurred out; we need you to fill it back in with something clever and witty—in other words, caption the patch!

What are the blue unicorn and the purple seal saying to each other?

First Prize:
The individual with the best caption will receive $100 Stadri dollars! You can use these 100 Stadri dollars any way you choose. You could end up getting a smaller order for free.

Second Prize:
The individual with the second best caption will receive one of our Fallen Heroes Commemorative Embroidered Patch in your choice of full-color or subdued, shipped for free within the continental US. (a $44.45 value).

Third Place:
The individual with the third best caption will receive 10% off his or her next order!

A little bit of fine print: Your $100 Stadri dollars can only be applied to an order you place with Stadri Emblems; they have no cash value. If you end up placing an order with a value of less than $100, the remaining balance will be applied as a discount off your following order. Second and third place prizes also cannot be redeemed for cash.

If you’re especially clever and witty, you can enter as many times as you’d like, with many different captions. While this may increase the chances of your winning one of our prizes, you can only win either first, second, or third place. For example, even if you’re a comedic genius and have the best three captions, you will only win first place—second and third place will go to the second and third most genius comedians.

And one more thing: Keep it clean! Our site receives visitors of all age groups.

So, what are the blue unicorn and the purple seal saying to each other?

Leave your caption in the comments below! There is no limit on the number of captions you can submit! This contest will end Friday, May 25, so get cracking on your creativity!

Like us on Facebook to follow the progress.

There are few finer ways to see the world than on a motorcycle; a combination of exotic locations and an exhilarating mode of transportation offers an experience that is as memorable as it is unique. Even with this in mind, however, there are still steps you can take to maximize your enjoyment and provide yourself with special mementos of your trips and the clubs that you have ridden with. Custom embroidered biker patches offer this in abundance, and allow you to build an entire collection that reflects your riding history.

 How Do Patches Improve the Rider’s Experience?

 A Reminder of Happy Times: Being part of a biker group or club is a wonderful experience, and only enriches the sights that you see while on the road. By having an embroidered patch that commemorates every specific experience, it is possible to build a collection of patches that grows for as long as you travel and join in with biker groups. These patches also help fellow members to recognize you wherever you are in the world, so that it is possible to share your experiences with members of all ages.

Develop a Sense of Community With Fellow Riders: When traversing the vast and open planes of the world, it is far better to do so as part of a community than on your own. This sense of communal belonging is one of the key benefits provided by custom embroidered biker patches, as they afford people a sense of camaraderie and identity in the pursuit of something they love. In this respect, patches go far beyond simply providing a nice visual aesthetic or relevant imagery.

Use Custom Photo Patches to Create a Realistic Memento:
If embroidered patches are not to your taste, this does not mean that you cannot benefit from something that can distinguish you as the member of a specific group or biking organization. There are now a wide range of patches on the market, with customized photo patches and woven patches among the most popular on the market. These deliver a photographic realism unachievable through traditional embroidered patches, and a greater representation of your group or vision.

The Bottom Line

Just as purchasing shark helmets from the online Mick Byrne store serves a purpose for all riders who wish to keep safe, seeking out embroidered or custom patches can benefit all those who aspire to be part of a riding group or community. Whether you wish to make a purchase as an individual rider or the leader of a group, remember that they can offer tremendous benefits either as mementos of an experience or a way of identifying kindred spirits from across the world.

PNC Thunder is just one of the many ministries of the Puyallup Nazarene Church in Washington, which is usually the starting point of most rides. The ministry started as merely a group of riders who would meet together throughout the summer months to ride. These individuals were realizing the great opportunity they had to get in touch with other motorcycle enthusiasts. So, in the early spring of 2004, they were officially organized.  They refer to themselves as a ministry for their motorcycle enthusiasts, providing the opportunity to participate in organized rides, with one of the many benefits being fellowship with people of varied interests.

To the left is the patch PNC Thunder ordered from Stadri for the Nampa Iron Butt Ride. The Iron Butt Association is a program dedicated to safe, long-distance motorcycle riding. It has over 50,000 members and hosts several long distance riding events, the most memorable being Saddle Sore and the Bun Burner. For this event, the members of PNC Thunder started riding in Puyallup, WA, and ended in Nampa, ID—a distance of over 500 miles—well worth warranting having a custom patch made in commemoration.

The PNC Thunder in the Valley Motorcycle Ministry holds extremely organized rides, even designating a “ride captain” to each group.  Among the riding captain’s responsibilities are planning where the route will be, as well as where the group will stop for gas and food, and of course, leading the pack. All riders receive instructions before taking off from the Puyallup Nazarene Church.

Although being highly organized, they are greatly accepting of all who want to ride, regardless of age, type of bike, or whether or not the riders are church attendees. The group is open to anyone who likes to ride motorcycles of any make or model and anyone who wants to enjoy the ride and fellowship. The ministry’s main objective is to create an atmosphere of fun, fellowship, and outreach.

Usually, the qualities of being highly organized and those of planning ahead go hand-in-hand. In 2013, PNC Thunder will celebrate its 10-year anniversary ride, and they’ve already designed and purchased the custom patches for it!  The round patch with attached rocker you see to your right reflects that unique event. The design is clever, with the ends of the rocker extending into the center of the patch to form the outline of the road.

Year rockers can be tricky—it takes the perfect amount of tweaking and an expert graphic designer to make them fit together. The curve at the top of the rocker is different from the curve at the bottom. Additionally, the bottom curve of one rocker and the top curve of another have to fit together. Stadri’s Art Department has had years of experience designing year rockers to customer’s exact specifications, so you’re in good hands with us. We keep your artwork on file for a minimum of six years, so reordering is a breeze. Oh, and did you notice how PNC Thunder already has their year rockers ordered for 2017?!

After receiving his patches, before any talk of our Customer Highlight blog series, Jim Pasinetti, Vice President of the Puyallup Nazarene Motorcycle Board, sent in the following testimonial to Stadri: “Guys, you did an amazing job on our 10 year ride patch and rocker. If you would like to use that as an example on your website you have my approval.  Thanks again; your service is excellent and the process you have in place makes it very easy to bring ideas to reality.  We definitely will be back.”

-More information about rocker design

-More information about PNC Thunder

Instantly recognizable to all who see it, designers have been creating emblems and logos for years and even those with a limited fashion knowledge can differentiate between the main brands. Establishing a logo is a key part of a business’ development but not all brands are able to project the prestige which they desire from something as simple as a Scottie Dog–so what is the secret?

For a UK-based luxury bag company called Radley—the brand behind the iconic canine—the secret lies in the simplicity. A brand developed from the creative designs of a native Londoner, the Scottie dog first began appearing on the bags when Ms. Lowell Harder–the woman responsible for their creation–was still making them for the Camden Market.

A self-confessed dog lover, Harder chose to include the beloved Scottie dog (West Highland Terrier) on her designs in what was an endemically British and quirky decision. The design soon gained popularity with the public and before long, the Radley brand was in high demand.

Why put a pooch on a pouch?

In the world of consumer psychology, meanings are found behind just about anything. Yet Radley make no attempt to hide their reasons for including the famous pooch on their pouches.

The small dog represents the fun and playful nature of the brand, demonstrating their dedication to creating items which act as our perfect companions. Faithful, loyal, and reliable–Radley bags embody all the positive characteristic of the Scottie dog without needing the same level of care and attention.

On top of this, the groomed appearance of Scotties helps to represent the stylish and attractive styles which Radley implement across their bags. The purity of the dogs white fur is represented in the cleanliness and simplicity of the bags which, whilst available in numerous color combinations, are always sophisticated and classy. The Scottie dog also has an affinity with those of higher social standings whilst remaining familiar to the British public as a whole–somewhat akin to the position Corgi dogs have due to their affiliation with the Queen.

The secret to their popularity

This is one of the main reasons why Radley has become such a popular brand with consumers. The carefree and simplistic nature of their logo combines with striking styles which are not dictated by fashion trends and allow buyers to create their own look based around iconic accessories.

Even other companies have recognized the iconic status which Radley has gained, with Handbag.com commenting, “What really gets everyone ooh-ing and ahh-ing is the trademark West Highland Terrier dangling from each bag.” Whether customers are shopping for statement shoulder bags or charismatic purses, Radley UK offers a vast selection, all of which are adorned with one of the biggest style icons in Britain: the Scottie dog.

What does this have to do with Stadri Emblems?

Plainly and simply, we can provide you with the emblems you need to brand your products. Yes, we provide embroidered patches, but we also can place your design on 80,000 other promotional products. If you’re looking for something similar to what Radley does with their Scottie emblems, consider visiting our Lapel Pins and Metals page. A well thought out design makes for a better emblem; in turn, a better emblem makes for a more happy and satisfied customer for years down the road.

This article is provided by Radley UK. Radley UK is a London based, luxury bag company offering everything shoulder bags to travel luggage. They sold their first bag in 1998 and have since become one of the leading bag specialists in the UK.

United Martial Arts Self Defense Academy, located in South Salinas, CA, is a school for learning methods of Self Defense. According to their website, it has a “mission of providing uncompromisingly high quality training with the exclusive focus on Self Defense applications.”

WHAT THEIR NAME REPRESENTS:
United Martial Arts: Their coursework originating from several mother systems of training
Self Defense: Their training focus
Academy: A place of learning

Founded in July of 2005, they have a varied curriculum, with their coursework being modeled around the collegiate scholastic model. Under this model, prior to a student’s being able to advance, he or she must demonstrate—on multiple levels—comprehension of what has been learned.

UMASDA puts a different spin on self-defense. While many participate in martial arts programs with the intent of training for tournaments and engaging in cage fights, UMASDA’s aim is “to improve knowledge acquisition and retention,” and impart skills that translate into real life situations, such as street altercations.

UMASDA wanted to have its own identifying custom patch for its school members. The final design agreed upon is very eye-catching and vibrant. It is a patch that is worn by all of the students, and has even been made into a US Registered Trademark.

Two versions of this custom patch were ordered: a silver and a red border.  The silver is the general use patch; the red border version (shown here) is for the 1st generation students.

This patch is a good example of Stadri’s ability to provide custom patches in unique shapes and with a variety of colors. Unlike the competition, Stadri gives you ten different thread colors for free, thereby allowing for greater creativity in patch design.

With Stadri’s high quality, computerized looms, Martial Arts styled fonts stitch clearly and legibly—even in lowercase. As long as fonts are a minimum of the equivalent of 14pts in a standard word processing program, text will stitch legibly (lowercase should be a minimum of 17pts).

A quick aside about how memorable this patch is: I used to work in Stadri’s Art Department back in 2006 when this patch was first ordered. Coincidentally, I was the artist who set this patch up for production. When Steve Zalazowski, Executive Director of UMASDA submitted his information and patch image to Stadri a couple months ago for an opportunity to be featured here, I immediately recognized and remembered the patch—a true testament to the success of this custom patch design, considering the amount of patch artwork I came into contact with on a daily basis.

How happy is UMASDA with Stadri Emblems? Well, they ordered more patches! In addition to re-ordering several times the patch already shown, they also ordered a Lotus Yang patch—its significance being the lineage patch of UMASDA’s Executive Director, Steve Zalazowski. Worn on the sleeves of the uniforms, this 100% embroidered, diecut patch has a green lotus leaf with a US flag yin/yang and a gold fan superimposed on top.

Is that the end of that patches? Nope! Check out the image below, submitted by Steve Zalazowski, which shows even more patches being worn by members of the UMASDA!

For more information about United Martial Arts Self Defense Academy, visit their website

Do you have a Martial Arts patch you’d like to show off? Leave a comment with a link to it!

Here at Stadri, we thought our customers would get a kick out of seeing some of our most impressive embroidered patches, categorized by theme. Hence, we’re beginning a new series entitled “Top 10 Countdown.” This will feature our favorite patches from the last five years, organized by theme. Like most countdowns, it will go in reverse order, with number one being our favorite.

The first theme in this new blog series is Dragons. Dragons have major spiritual significance in various religions and cultures, sometimes revered as representative of the primal forces of nature, religion, and the universe. They have thus been the inspiration for many designs.

So, without further ado, let the countdown of embroidered dragon patches commence!

Drum roll please . . .

#1: Flying Dragons

This is by far our favorite dragon patch. Some of us here even have overrun versions of this patch hanging by our desks. A center patch for a motorcycle group, it utilizes all ten free thread colors as well as metallic silver thread for the text. The brilliant choice of colors puts a different spin on our usual conception of a dragon. While most biker patches are greater than eight inches to accommodate their detailed designs, this patch delivers perfectly clean stitching at just eight inches.

Disagree with the ranking?

If you think a different patch deserves to be number one, just vote for it in the comments below. You have the power to change the outcome if we get enough comments!

ARTacles is a line of hand-made totes, purses, and clutches. Alisha R. Tillman, the artisan behind ARTacles, observed an unbalanced ratio between young and fashionable people seeking functional yet attractive handbags and totes and the number of such handbags available. Hence, ARTacles was born, providing bags that were designed with the intent of creating a multi-sensory experience for the owner—to be both seen and touched. She says handbags are the perfect way to offer people an opportunity to interact with her art.

The Inspiration

Alisha reveals that she always had a love affair with being able to carry around with her just the right things for just the right moments, and by the age of three she was to carrying a plastic grocery bag around the house, putting into the bag things she thought she would need later. A year later, on her fourth birthday, she was given her first purse. From that point on, she always carried something.

Although Alisha loved bags, making them for a living wasn’t her childhood aspiration. A friend of hers who is a fervent quilter needed a large bag to carry her equipment, and since Alisha was already a sewer, she made a custom bag for her friend. It was on this occasion that she discovered her passion for bag designing, and has been doing so ever since.

All ARTacles are unique in the sense that since they are hand made, even similar bags will have subtle differences. And because they are not mass-produced, very few individuals will have similar bags—it’s unlikely two individuals with similar bags will ever cross paths. If you want a truly unique and one-if-a-kind bag, Alisha offers custom made bags, as well as what she calls ‘twindividuals’ or two-of-a-kind. With custom bags, only one or two of a kind are ever made, allowing the purchaser to rest assured that her ‘work of ARTacle’ is authentic.

Looking through the ARTacles website, I picked the above purse out as my personal favorite. Alisha calls this her interpretation of two of her favorite paintings: Sunflowers and Starry Night by Vincent VanGough. It also shows, affixed to the inside, a great shot of the woven label made by Stadri.

Because ARTacles bags are often bursting with vivid colors and elaborate patterns, designing a very simple, minimalist woven label for these bags was a very smart move. Sometimes less is more, and in this case, a simple, solid-colored woven label stands out more on these bags than a multi-colored, detailed label would. Alisha’s woven label needs are classic example of the necessity of considering the label’s final location/application when designing it. Her choice of blue text on a black background was smart as well—black blends nicely with any color, and blue has a nice neutralizing effect, not clashing with the vivid colors present on the bags. About her woven labels, Alisha says, “I love my labels. They are so wonderfully crafted and exactly what I wanted!”

To view beautiful examples of ARTacles made for Alisha’s previous customers or to order your own, visit artacles.com.

To order your own woven labels, visit QualityWovenLabels.com.

When it comes to sports jerseys and uniforms, many organizations opt to have their logo or insignia embroidered directly onto their garments in an attempt to avoid affixing dozens of embroidered patches themselves. But could buying embroidered patches separately be more cost effective?

The coach of the WYSA Youth Soccer team, who ordered 50 embroidered patches from us for his team, explains.

“Custom soccer jerseys are very expensive, but you can [obtain] the professional soccer look on a budget with Stadri . . . By buying low cost jerseys (one red and one white) . . . we kept costs down and then just sewed on the patch. The patch gave the instant look of a custom, European style club.”

He also explains how using embroidered patches rather than direct embroidery offered him greater flexibility. “When new players joined we did not need to switch out uniforms; [we] just bought the extra jersey and sewed on the patch. With only 8 players and 50 patches, we also created coaches polos [and] a couple of hats.”

With embroidered patches being less expensive than direct embroidery, this coach’s strategy was smart—with the money being saved, he ordered extra patches, creating the ability to affix the patches to other sports apparel as well; in this case it was polos and hats.

But his creativity didn’t stop there. He used a left over patch in the creation of a custom tumbler, which he got from www.tervis.com. He simply sent one of his patches to the company and they incorporated the embroidered patch into the tumbler. Custom tumblers make a great gift and are a perfect tool for promoting your brand, and are just one of the many uses for custom embroidered patches. Offering the lowest custom patch minimums in the industry—six pieces—Stadri is the perfect company to supply patches for tumblers.

Don’t want to sew? Order your embroidered patches with heatseal backing and they will stay affixed for up to 50 washings. Sewing is required for longer wear. Still not convinced of the advantage of embroidered patches over direct embroidery? That’s OK! We do offer direct embroidery!

What is the most unusual way you have used custom patches?

“They made many promises but only kept one . . . they took our land.”

The beautiful embroidered patch you see here was designed and inspired by Rick “Spider” Kramer of Spider Tattooz. Rick—who prefers to be called Spider—became a custom tattoo artist in 1986. He was originally a painting and airbrushing artist but decided to start Spider Tattooz as a hobby extension of this and had a small studio put together in a back bedroom of his house; this has now become a full-blown tattoo studio in Sycamore, Illinois. Spider has many other interests—one in particular is highlighted in this article.

Spider is a volunteer firefighter who belongs to a group called Fire Nation. He observed that within this group, out of all the sub-groups that existed, none of them were related to the Native American culture in any way. Setting out to change this, he started the Native American Fire Fighters Association. Referring to the Native American people he says, “It’s about time America really remembers and never forgets what happened to these people.”

The Native American Fire Fighters Association is a collection of Native American Indian Firefighters from all over, including several reservations. Its purpose is to be a place for Native Americans to get together, talk, and share ideas with each other. Spider goes on to reveal, “I think it is important that we keep the ‘native’ part alive and not just bury it in history. We lost 343 Firefighters on 9-11 but we also lost thousands of Native Americans at the hands of the US Calvary; these too should also be remembered and never forgotten.”

The main purpose of the Native American Fire Fighters Association patch is, of course, for Native American awareness. Each member of the association owns one, and many collectors own one as well. This patch is one of a kind—Spider does not trade them, but makes them available for $8.00 each, with shipping. This is a good deal considering the beauty of the patch and the fact that it is larger than an average patch, measuring in at just under five inches in height.

This custom patch uses nine thread colors and is embroidered onto a medium blue twill background with a yellow merrowed border. The thread gradient effects on the fire further add to this patch’s appeal.

To learn more about the Native American Fire Fighters Association or Spider Tattooz, visit the Spider Tattooz website.

Visit Stadri’s section for fire patches to view custom fire patches we have done for previous customers.

Carters Martial Arts, located in Hamlin, West Virginia, started up about three years ago. They have trained many students primarily in the field Chun Kuk Do.

Chun Kuk Do was actually founded by Chuck Norris; it is a Korean-based, American hybrid martial art style. It combines elements from several different fighting styles that were created by Chuck Norris

Billy Carter, owner of Carters Martial Arts, started taking Tae Kwon Do classes when he was in Jr. High School—about 30 years ago. he went on to teach for his instructor, but then decided to go out on his own, thus forming Carters Martial Arts.

He primarily teaches Chun Kuk Do, but also teaches Muay Thai, boxing, and grappling—skills he picked up over the years. He has classes for individuals ranging form under five years old to seniors. He features basic self-defense classes for firefighters and police departments, and women’s self defense; he even teaches how to handle bullies. “I think everyone should have some sort of basic self defense,” he says.

The Carters Martial Arts Patch is a simple one—simpler than the majority of martial arts patches Stadri has designed—but it works for them, as it blends well with the students’ uniforms, becoming the perfect complement. It features only three thread colors: black, red, and blue. These threads have been sewn onto a white twill background with a black merrowed border. Billy Carter says he will order more of these embroidered patches from Stadri as soon as he runs out.

To learn more about Carters Martial Arts, visit their Facebook page. They could use some support!

Or view other custom martial arts patches by Stadri Emblems.