Sewing: Changing Numbers on Hockey Jerseys

About a year ago, he came to me with a request: change some numbers on some jerseys, and add new crests and name patches - all this because some men had left the team, and some new men had come on. It turned out to be a bit of a problem, because the manufacturer had used fusible numbers with some serious fusing on it - almost like rubber! The problem was that removing old numbers was difficult to do, and some residue was left behind.

Apparently I had solved that problem, because yesterday he brought some more.

But I had forgotten some of the gory details, because I made the same mistakes again!

So, theoretically, if I document this solution, then not only will I remember it for next time, but I can help you to do it the right way first! And we all win!

First, there is the problem of removing the fused-on numbers. They were both fused and zigzagged in place (kind of like wearing a belt and suspenders, don't you think?). I do know that when I sewed the numbers on a year ago, I only did zigzagging. For some strange reason, all of the numbers that had to be removed were fused-on numbers - the ones with just zigzagging were just fine! It's amazing how that works!

I was unable to figure out how to lift the number from the jersey. So, just like a year ago, I used the technique that I have heard about so many times - re-iron the patch, and it will lift right off. So I re-ironed just a small portion. This photo shows the result: major tarry residue on the jersey! You might even be able to see the faint residue of my efforts a year ago when I removed a 1 to replace it with a 2. But this 3 was just ugly!

Fortunately, after the initial lifting of the number, I was able to carefully lift off the remainder of the number without having to iron it to melt the fusing.

Unfortunately, the initial lifting of the number made that section really warp - I guess that heating it made it less stable!

Fortunately, I had my handy dandy Teflon pressing sheet. I stuck the 3 between two layers, smooshed it, and ironed it. It came out perfectly flat. Whew!!!!

But what about that ugly black blob that was on the jersey? In a stroke of good luck, what that spot needed was a 9 - which nicely covered the ugly black blob.

And in another stroke of good luck, I was able to figure out how to remove the old numbers without having to heat them. Using my handy dandy seam ripper, I just kept working at the edge of a number until I got to a spot where it would start to lift. Then, as long as I lifted gently and carefully, the number came off without any warping, and, most importantly, without any residue.

And when I sewed the new numbers (or the recycled/reused numbers) onto the jersey, I just used zigzag. This will make life so much better for next time when he comes over with his batch of jerseys to renumber.

Of course, I regularly ask why new people can't use old people's numbers - apparently it must be a culture thing amongst mature adult recreational hockey players. Sigh......

I hope this helps you if a similar situation occurs.