What is Patch?
[[File:A stitch in time saves nine cph.3b11718.jpg|thumb|Clothing repair]] [[File:El salvador police patch.jpg|thumb|upright|[[El Salvador]] police patch]] {{Wiktionary|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 [[cushion]]s, [[teddy bears]] and [[blanket]]s. Patches are [[sew]]n on with a [[needle]] and [[thread]] or glued on using a hot iron. === For decoration === Many types of [[uniform]]s use cloth patches that have [[embroidery|embroidered]] [[word]]s or [[image]]s on them. For example, [[police officer]]s' 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 [[business]]es 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 [[teenager]]s have the names and logos of [[rock and roll|rock]] bands on them. [[Motorcycle]] biker [[gang]] members, such as members of the [[Hells Angels]] wear patches on their [[leather]] [[vest]]s 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 [[jacket]]s, or on the knees of [[pant]]s. Leather patches are [[sew]]n on with a [[needle]] and [[thread]]. == Rubber patches == [[Rub