Merrowed border
A merrowed border is an overlock stitch wrapped around the edge of a patch by a Merrow-type machine, leaving a raised, rope-like rim about 3 mm wide. It seals the cut twill so it cannot fray and is the classic finish on round, oval, square, rectangular and shield patches.
Illustration — not a photograph of a specific order.
From our production data
Of embroidered orders that recorded a border choice, 28.5% (51 of 179) chose merrow — the rest are satin-stitched borders (69.3%) or another finish. That is a small, self-selected slice of orders: only 179 of 1,281 total orders (14%) have a border recorded at all, because border only became a required field on 17 Sept 2026. Older orders show the floor's own choice as a null, not a zero.
When to choose it — and when not to
Choose merrowed for the traditional look on a simple shape, and for patches that will be sewn or ironed onto uniforms that get washed repeatedly.
Merrow is not a style choice on a custom or die-cut outline — the machine cannot follow it at all, full stop. Anything cut to a custom shape gets a heat-cut edge instead, by necessity rather than preference.
Written by Imran Raza, Founder of Panda Patches
13+ years in custom patch manufacturing. Figures on this page come from Panda Patches’ own production records.
Published September 17, 2026 · Last reviewed September 17, 2026
Cite this entry
Source: Panda Patches Glossary — “Merrowed border.”
https://www.pandapatches.com/glossary/merrowed-border