How to sew on shoulder straps, important rules, overview of the main methods

Military service or work in special forces for both men and women has always been and remains honorable and prestigious in Russia. Such activity is accompanied by certain responsibilities, one of which is the care of uniform. Every serviceman must know how to sew shoulder straps on a uniform in compliance with the requirements. If young people in a military university receive certain skills in addition to basic knowledge, then their spouses learn this tricky science by trial and error.

Basic rules of wearing

In Russia, shoulder straps are worn on the uniform of employees of the following organizations:

• Armed Forces of the Russian Federation;
• prosecutor's office;
• police (they have the same insignia that they had during the times of the militia);
• Ministry of Emergency Situations;
• IFTS;
• State Environmental Inspectorate;
• Marine inspection.

Despite the fact that the insignia of the units of the governing bodies are different, they also have something in common: shoulder straps should only be sewn onto a pea coat, tunic, uniform jacket or coat made of thick cloth.

Distinctive marks are not sewn onto the shirt. This is due to the fact that an outer uniform can be worn on top. But in the summer, shoulder straps on a shirt are a mandatory attribute, because when warm days come, coats and jackets are removed. During this period, temporary stripes are used. They are enough to fasten with a button located on the shirt, using a small loop attached to the back of the shoulder strap.

Rules for sewing on shoulder straps:

1. Find out what type of shoulder straps they are: soft ones are sewn on, while hard ones are fastened.
2. Determine the type of fabric to which you need to sew.
3. Place the military attribute evenly and press it as close to the material as possible.
4. Make an indent from the top edge of the shoulder strap to the shoulder seam exactly 10 mm.
5. Maintain the distance between the side seam and the button (it should be no more than 5 mm).
6. Sew with small stitches so that the seam is not visible (otherwise the shape will look untidy).

The most important thing is to always rip off or unfasten any sewn-on insignia before washing.

What tools will you need?

The work requires endurance, concentration and a place with daylight. A set of tools is also required:

• sewing items – scissors, thimble, needle and black thread (ideally, if the color matches the color of the piping);
• ruler;
• tweezers;
• pliers.

The thimble is necessary to protect the finger from being pricked, because the material of the military attribute itself is quite dense, and the needle is difficult to push through it. When attaching such a product to outerwear, pliers and tongs will be excellent helpers. They are necessary to pull the thread with a needle through the resulting hole. Other tools may also be needed for the work (depending on the chosen method): a pin, paper clips, a match, scotch tape, a cutter.

Preparing insignia

Shoulder strap insignia (stars, sewn-on or metal squares) must be present. They are intended to indicate military ranks, official position, and affiliation with a branch of the armed forces. Insignia are attached in a special way. Before attaching them to the shoulder straps, you need to make sure that their position is correct. Stars are attached using various devices. To do this, it is enough to measure the required interval, approved by the order, and make a hole with a sharp needle, mounted on the handle, into which the insignia is inserted (the paws must be bent beforehand). Then fix the star to the material.

As for the field uniform of a serviceman, here fake attributes come to the rescue, on which stars are sewn in a factory way. Such products are used in field conditions, because during military exercises, real insignia can fly off. Every serviceman must know how to attach stripes to shoulder straps. The number of sewn-on or metal corners depends on the rank, and they are fixed on clothing like stars.

To avoid damaging the epaulette, before making a hole, you need to mark the future mounting location. Even a simple pencil will do for this task.

Attachment methods depending on the type of shoulder straps

Since military attributes fixed on the shoulders are different, the methods of attaching to clothing are also different. Soft insignia are usually sewn on, while hard ones are fixed with rivets. Each method has its own characteristics.

Technique of sewing to clothes:

1. To prevent the shoulder straps from becoming skewed, they should be tacked along their entire length.
2. To avoid the formation of folds in the fabric, it is recommended to carefully monitor the needle during the sewing process - it should pass through the outer fabric and not catch the material inside.
3. The length of the working thread should not be more than 20 cm, otherwise it will twist or get tangled.
4. The stitching should be invisible - the ideal option is if the threads are matched to the color of the shoulder straps.
5. Stitch length: 3–4 mm.

You should try to make the seams straight and as invisible as possible.

The method of attaching to the piping (a small rectangular piece of fabric) is not considered the most reliable, since the insignia is constantly moving. Usually it is sewn to the back of the attribute, and then to the shirt. The method has another drawback: before each wash, the shoulder straps must be ripped off.

Another well-known method is the use of rivets. The method involves fastening the shoulder straps with rivets. The fixation occurs in the following way: a round metal part with a bolt (riveted to the shoulder strap) is inserted into another one with a recess (hooked to the hanger on the clothes), after which it snaps into place.

Quick methods with improvised means

Attaching distinctive labels can be done very quickly. For this purpose, improvised means are used. For example, a pin, a paper clip or a match can serve as such.

Pin

A pin is not a reliable method and is rarely used. An item secured in this way is constantly in motion and can open anywhere and at any time. It is not safe to wear shoulder straps secured in this way. Step-by-step instructions for attaching an item with a pin:

1. Turn the fabric inside out and take the tape that runs along the bottom.
2. Thread it through the loops on your clothing that are specially designed for this purpose.
3. Insert a button (or rather, its shank) into the shoulder strap and pull it through the special holes on the clothing.
4. At the end, you need to secure the clasp with a pin.

Clip

This method is the most accessible and simple. True, it will require preliminary ironing of attributes, and then the shirt. This is done so that the shoulder straps and badges sit perfectly on the uniform.

Step-by-step attachment is carried out as follows:

1. The paper clip needs to be straightened and cut in half.
2. Bend part of the product into a “W” shape. Bend the middle slightly upwards.
3. Take a button on a leg and insert it into the hole on the shoulder strap specially designed for this purpose.
4. Carefully place the paper clip in a "W" shape inside the button shank.
5. Wrap the thread around the paper clip several times with a needle and push it through the button leg.

All actions must be confident and at the same time careful to keep the fabric intact. A button secured in this way is held well, so the distinctive attribute will not fall off the shoulders.

Match

There is no description in any of the regulations on how to secure shoulder straps with a match. However, this method has been known to everyone for a long time. To secure a shoulder strap with a match, you need to do the same as with a pin. Only instead of the latter, a match is threaded through the button leg. The downside of this method is its unreliability, since this fragile piece of wood can break at the most inopportune moment.

Nuances of fastening for different types of uniforms

All the nuances of how shoulder straps are sewn onto a uniform are considered when a man serves in the army. Even despite this, many still have questions regarding this process. But first, you need to decide where and how to attach the shoulder straps.

On the shirt

The process of attaching shoulder straps to a police officer's shirt is not at all complicated. And it does not take much time. After all, in this case, the shoulder straps are simply fastened to a button, but not sewn on. The same method is suitable for attaching the insignia to the shirts of children studying at the Suvorov School, the police school, and so on. For cadets, you can also use pins and matches.

On the jacket

The tunic is a part of the uniform not only of the employee of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the police of the new model, but also of the military. This element of the wardrobe can be everyday, field and ceremonial. Fixing distinctive signs is a job that requires attention, effort, and, in addition, it takes a lot of time. To sew shoulder straps onto a tunic, you must follow the instructions:

1. Position the attribute correctly: during sewing it should be in one position and not move.
2. Baste the edges with a few stitches, it is best to additionally apply a couple of stitches in the place where the button is attached.
3. Pull the lining slightly and stitch the edges of the shoulder strap along the entire perimeter.
4. The stitching should be strong and barely noticeable. If it is impossible to notice it when standing nearby, it means that the insignia is sewn to the jacket correctly.

Not everyone knows how to sew shoulder straps to a police jacket if one of the sides is rounded. It is difficult, but quite doable. Recommendations on how to sew shoulder straps to an MIA jacket:

1. The length of stitches should be no more than 2 mm.
2. The thread is brought out to the surface of the material in points, and the rest remains inside.

The rounded section on the police uniform is the only thing that distinguishes the process of sewing on attributes from a similar procedure for military personnel. In general, the entire algorithm is the same.

Once you have an idea of ​​how to sew shoulder straps onto a tunic, before you start working, you need to firmly attach insignia to them that help identify rank and affiliation with different branches of the military. This will be much more difficult to do later.

On a uniform jacket

As for the uniform jacket, the method of fastening depends on the material from which the distinctive attributes are made:

• if it is soft, the shoulder straps are simply sewn on;
• if it is rigid, it is fixed with a clamp or improvised means.

A person who does not know how to sew shoulder straps to a shirt or a tunic will have a hard time keeping his uniform in order. In this case, he can contact a tailoring studio or try to do it himself. True, first you need to understand how to wear insignia correctly, and only then how to attach shoulder straps to the uniform. After all, any uniform, be it junior sergeant or junior lieutenant, requires distinctive marks. Attaching them is not an easy task. How to do this is clearly spelled out in the general military regulations of the Russian Federation. Violation of the requirements specified therein can lead to quite serious consequences.

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