CUSTOM EMBROIDERY · EŁK · BEMOWO PISKIE
Custom patches for
NATO soldiers in Poland
Your insignia.
Our years of experience.
At Fabryka Haftu Ełk, we have made embroidered patches and clothing for British, Romanian, American and Croatian soldiers serving in Poland. Our archive includes NATO insignia, unit patches, national flags, deployment souvenirs and personal gifts.
FROM OUR WORKSHOP ARCHIVE
From the first NATO rectangles
to current FLF production
Our early American orders totalled well over 3,000 patches. We also made approximately 1,000 of the same patches for British soldiers. These large early orders became the beginning of years of embroidery work for NATO soldiers in Poland.
Our first NATO patches were rectangular, made in green and blue with the Alliance’s compass emblem. Later orders introduced shield-shaped designs, including the distinctive dark eFP Battle Group NATO-OTAN patches with contrasting orange borders. We also produced subdued colour variants.
Our archive includes later NATO-OTAN Land Forces designs associated with the FLF period. Today, we are producing blue-and-black FLF Battle Group NATO-OTAN patches for Romanian soldiers. The workshop footage shown here documents this current order in October 2026.
Fabryka Haftu Ełk has operated since 2013. The photographs on this page show our own production and the range of orders we have completed for soldiers connected with Bemowo Piskie and the Orzysz area.
eFP insignia on T-shirts
Our archive also includes khaki T-shirts with embroidered eFP Battle Group NATO-OTAN chest insignia. The dark shield, contrasting border and light NATO emblem show how the same motif appears across patches and clothing.
eFP clothing on the embroidery machine
This workshop photograph shows eFP insignia being embroidered directly onto garments held in hoops beneath the machine heads.
EVENT PATCHES
Bull Run and shared memories
Our history of work for NATO soldiers also includes patches connected with Bull Run. Event patches record a shared experience and can become a small reminder of time spent in Poland.
UNIT INSIGNIA & EMBROIDERED CLOTHING
British and Romanian projects
British soldiers
Our British projects include Legion Troop and OP CABRIT T-shirts and hoodies, embroidered Union flags, Roman helmet motifs, elephant designs and double-headed eagle patches. We have also made individual identification patches combining a regimental badge and name or abbreviation with a soldier’s identification number and blood group.
Different orders called for small chest designs, sleeve insignia or larger back embroidery. The photos show how unit identity can be carried across patches and clothing.
Romanian soldiers
For Romanian soldiers, we have produced national flags, unit insignia, medical patches, hoodies and T-shirts. Designs in our archive include Black Bats, a bear emblem marked 206, Romania Combat Life Saver patches and Black Scorpions clothing.
Our ongoing blue-and-black FLF production is another Romanian order, continuing years of embroidery work for soldiers serving in Poland.
The Light Dragoons: B and C Squadron patches
An archived email with a subject dated 1 July 2020 identifies B Squadron, “The Guards”, The Light Dragoons. The sender praised patches we had previously made for C Squadron and requested two B Squadron TRF samples, each 80 × 50 mm: one on MTP camouflage and one on plain Olive Drab. The supplied artwork combined an elephant’s head with the letter B. Our archive also includes completed patches with that design. The correspondence records a referral from one squadron to another within this British light cavalry regiment. Regimental background [5]
A personalised embroidery gift in appreciation of good service
This commemorative military embroidery was made as a thank-you for good service. The dedication names SSgt Richardson as the recipient and all ranks of B Squadron, “The Guards”, as the givers.
A gold stag and sabre appear on a blue shield beneath the personal inscription. The photograph shows the fabric still held in the embroidery hoop at Fabryka Haftu Ełk. It is another example of how a unit emblem and an individual dedication can become a lasting keepsake from fellow soldiers.
Lincoln Imp patches for British soldiers — a legend embroidered in Ełk
Among our custom military patches for NATO soldiers in Poland, the Lincoln Imp remains a memorable commission. The British soldiers were particularly keen to have this design. We produced light- and black-thread versions on olive fabric, each with a distinctive blue A.
Where does the Lincoln Imp come from?
In the local legend, two mischievous imps wreak havoc in Lincoln Cathedral. When an angel intervenes, one hides while the other defies it and is turned to stone. The cross-legged figure still looks down from the Angel Choir. History and legend [9–10]
Why do soldiers wear the Lincoln Imp?
The Imp is a recognisable symbol of Lincoln. Its silhouette with an A in the top-right corner matches a patch described as belonging to A Company, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment. This is a design-based identification; in that context, A is the company letter. The regiment confirms that A (Lincolnshire) Company maintains the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment’s traditions. That regional connection helps explain how the symbol can express shared heritage and belonging during service abroad. Patch and regimental heritage [7–8]
The Lincoln Imp also has a tradition as a lucky mascot. For our workshop, the task was to translate its distinctive face and crossed-leg silhouette into custom embroidered patches made in Ełk, adding another story to our work for soldiers serving around Bemowo Piskie and Orzysz. History of the symbol [9]
Cassino Troop, Black Horse Troop and ISR Company
Our British clothing archive also includes Cassino Troop, The Black Horse Troop and ISR Company. These orders combined unit names and distinctive emblems with chest, back and sleeve designs. We also embroidered separate British patches with a white stylised tree, on black and camouflage backgrounds.
British identification patches, up close
Close-up photographs show the crowns, wreaths, lettering and formation emblems on our British identification patches. The smallest letters in these designs are approximately 2.3 mm high. The detail view reveals the stitching, filled areas and border finish of the actual embroidery on olive fabric.
Blue Scorpions: embroidered clothing in production
Our Romanian archive also includes Blue Scorpions embroidery on T-shirts and sweatshirts. The design combines a blue scorpion, FOR EXCELLENCE and SEMPER ALTIUS lettering, and the Romanian flag. Photographs show both completed garments and several shirts being embroidered on our multi-head machine in Ełk.
Romanian flags and custom patch designs
Other Romanian commissions include rectangular patches with the blue, yellow and red national flag, ROMANIA lettering and a black border. We also made round green-and-black patches with a skull motif. Both photographs document our own production for Romanian soldiers.
Specialist and technical projects
Our archive also includes patches for Javelin operators, drone operators and Gepard air-defence crews. A separate commission involved General Dynamics Land Systems insignia for technicians repairing Abrams tanks and training Polish technicians. These projects illustrate the range of people and specialisms represented in our work.
Gepard air-defence crew patches
We also produced GEPARD patches for crews operating Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. The design combines a running cheetah, yellow GEPARD lettering, camouflage fabric and a black border. It adds another military specialism to our embroidery archive. Terminology source [4]
DEPLOYMENT SOUVENIRS, SPORT & HUMOUR
More than a uniform insignia
American orders: eFP patches and U.S. flags
American soldiers placed large orders from the beginning of our NATO work, totalling well over 3,000 patches in that early period. Our production photographs also show batches of eFP Battle Group NATO-OTAN shields, as well as U.S. flags in rectangular and waving-flag shapes.
Embroidered rank insignia for American uniforms
Our American production also includes embroidered rank patches on camouflage fabric. The photographs show two designs: paired black bars and a gold oak leaf. Close-ups show the symbol fill, outlines and border finish.
A closer look at the U.S. flag
This photograph shows the embroidered stars, red-and-white stripes, dark blue field and yellow border of a waving-flag patch. The close-up reveals the thread texture and stitch direction.
We have made commemorative patches for soldiers completing their mission in Poland. The circular Black Bats sixth-rotation patches, featuring national flags and NATO imagery, were commissioned by Romanian soldiers as deployment souvenirs. For the people who ordered them, these designs preserve a connection with a unit, a place and time spent together.
American projects include U.S. flags, occasional wizard patches and weight-plate designs for soldiers who train in weightlifting. We have also produced embroidered flags and insignia for Croatian soldiers serving in Poland. Each project reflects a different purpose, from identification to sport and shared humour.
THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN BEMOWO PISKIE
Patches for the civilian community alongside U.S. forces
Our work also includes orders from Americans with companies and organisations present in Bemowo Piskie alongside U.S. forces. One example is the USO Volunteer design, with a white-and-red outline of Poland and the words Bemowo Piskie Training Area. USO is an independent nonprofit supporting U.S. service members and their families. Source [3]
A separate sports commission features 1000 LB Club and 200 LB Club patches, crossed barbells and the words Bench, Deadlift and Squat. These designs also carry the name Bemowo Piskie Training Area.
A PERSONAL STORY
A gift that went home
During his time in Poland, a Romanian soldier commissioned a personal embroidered gift for his pregnant wife, who was at home in Romania. The design included the names Matei Daniel and a motif celebrating the expected child.
When his mission ended, he took the finished gift home to her. This small commission remains an important part of our workshop’s story: behind military orders are also families, time apart and plans for returning home.
ORDER FROM FABRYKA HAFTU EŁK
Tell us what you need
We make custom embroidered patches with hook-and-loop backing or a sew-on finish, as well as embroidery on hoodies and T-shirts. To prepare a quote, we need your artwork or idea, dimensions, quantity and intended use. Please also include your required date, preferred colours and backing.
- 01
Send your idea
Share a drawing, logo, photo or description, together with the size and quantity.
- 02
Agree the details
We confirm the price, schedule, materials and artwork before production.
- 03
Collect or receive
We embroider in Ełk. Collection and delivery details are agreed with your order.
FABRYKA HAFTU EŁK, POLAND
Have a patch in mind?
Contact our workshop to discuss unit patches, deployment souvenirs, morale patches or embroidered clothing.
Rzemieślnicza 18, 19-300 Ełk, Poland · biuro@fabryka-haftu.pl