Fashion Blogs

How To Decorate With USA Made PVC Sew On Patches and Heat Seal Custom Patches
Pet Items

-Pvc labels are an easy way to decorate pet items such as collars, leads, beds and pet accessory items. The pvc material is long lasting, does not fade, crack, unravel or tear. The easiest way to apply them is to sew them on. Either a regular sewing machine or you can also use your embroidery machines to do this. We suggest using a #46 nylon thread, a size 16-20 needle, use a narrow or one sided presser foot(Teflon coasted is preferred) and a walking foot sewing machine if possible. If we do not do the decoration, we often ask the distributor if they would like us to add a tacking adhesive to the back of the label for placement. If not, we also suggest using a 3M or similar spray to hold the item in place.

Wine and Beverages
Recently, we were asked to create a silicone band that wrapped around a wine bottle. Instead of using a paper label, the wine company had asked our distributor to locate a company who could make this new idea for them. It was a special release of a wine that the company wanted to celebrate and do so in an unusual way. The response from the retail market was very good and we are working on the next two vintages that will be released this year.

. Flip Flops
Flip Flops are a popular spring/summer promotional product. The pvc labels are able to be heat sealed onto most flip flops. We ask to have at least one set sent to us so that we can test our bond to the particular rubber/plastic sandal.
The degree of detail that one can achieve in a pvc label is very good. Unlike embroidery or silkscreen, you do not have to go big to get the detail you want at the size you want.
1. We decorate the flip flops on site. However, if a distributor would like to do this on their own, we walk them thru the steps and assist them through the learning curve. The common heat seal tips that we offer are:

• USE APPROPRIATE HEAT SEAL EQUIPMENT TO ADHERE THE FLEXSYSTEMS LABEL TO YOUR PRODUCT.

• APPLY BOTTOM HEAT SO THAT THE HEAT IS NOT DIRECTLY APPLIED TO THE FLEXSYSTEM PRODUCT. IF YOU MUST APPLY TOP HEAT, PLACE A THIN BARRIER OVER THE LABEL AND THE HEAT SEAL MACHINE TO PROTECT THE LABEL. (A TEE SHIRT IS A GOOD BARRIER)

• WARM UP THE SURFACE OF THE PRODUCT YOU WILL APPLY THE LABEL TO, IF POSSIBLE.

• APPLICATION TEMPERATURE OF 175F-225F HAS PROVEN TO BE THE BEST FOR MOST FABRICS. BUT FEEL FREE TO TEST THIS EITHER HIGHER OR LOWER.

• DWELL TIME OF 10-15 SECONDS AS APPROPRIATE TO THE FABRIC.

• 60-80 PSI AS APPROPRIATE TO THE FABRIC TYPE AND THICKNESS.

• PLEASE VARY THE ABOVE TO FIND YOUR BEST SETTINGS IF INITIAL TESTING IS NOT SUCCESSFUL.

Goggles

One of the popular items to offer in the winter are ski goggles…..the strap portion of the goggle is the best area to decorate. It is easy to get to and makes sewing them on a breeze. The width of the label is determined by the strap and we can go as long as the distributor wants us to in terms of the overall billboard space. The pvc labelsdo not crack in cold weather and can withstand harsh environments and are perfectly suited for this type of application.

Seats and Game Chairs
A popular item for the youth market, the game chairs are large but easy to decorate if there is a vinyl area on the chair and most chairs are made of 100% vinyl. Our pvc labels can go up to 12 x 16 inches and we can heat seal them on most areas of the chairs.
Due to the bulky nature of the part and difficultly handling them during decoration, we normally suggest that we not only make the custom label, but do the application in house. Our heat seal material is added to our labels at the end of production. And once they are cut and ready to apply, we set up the decoration production line.
HEADPHONES
A year around item that our distirubtors send to us to decorate, the most popular head phone to date has been the Beats by Dr. Dre model pictured above. The material is very conducive to heat seal and the area that we can decorate is easy to get into for the heat seal process. Most of the pvc labels that we use for these head phones are on the larger size or about 2-3 inches in diameter.
BAGS/LUGGAGE/CASES

Each bag is different in terms of the material that is used in its construction as well as the areas that a decorator is able to get into to sew or heat seal. Pockets and padded areas sometimes create obstablce to where a logo can be placed. As a procedure, we require that a bag be sent to us and we do the testing to ensure we are able to work with the bag. And we then send the bag back to our distributor to ensure that they and their customer like the bond and the location that we are suggesting.
Often there are multiple logos that need to go onto the bag. And we can either make the several labels and apply them or we can cobrand onto one label and this helps to cut costs.

Bags-How to Use Zipper Pulls To Decorate

Often we will get in bags and jackets that do not require a pvc label to be sewn or heat sealed. The distributor and their customer prefer using zipper pullsto brand the product. We have done one zipper pull in a prominent area of a bag and we have also done multiple zipper pulls on one bag. We can do the assembly here at Flexsystems in San Diego or we can send the zipper pulls to the distributor to put on. They are easy to apply.
It is a low cost and more subtle method of branding. As well as a faster way to add a logo if you are in a rush.

GLOVES

There are a variety of areas to decorate gloves. Depending on the material, we can heat seal many areas and we can sew. And we can also add a velcro cuff tab if needed or simply sew or heat seal a pvc label onto the existing velcro cuff tab.
The pvc does not perforate and is well suited for harsh climates and heavy wear and tear that gloves experience.
We always ask that the distributor send us a pair to test before we commit to the decoration so that we are 100% certain that the bond will hold.

Ear Buds
A pvc zipper pull was an easy way to brand the ZipBuds Accessory item. This involved not only adding our custom zip pull but taking off the existing metal zipper pull. As well as taking the buds out of the packaging and putting them back in again in the proper position.
Zipper pulls can act as a nice billboard for a logo and are easy to apply and are also functional.