Anybody who has been reading Gi Reviews for a while now knows that we love the bling.  Bull Terrier, Break Point, a yellow Vulkan, Tatami's Terere Gi, Ronin's Samurai Gi.. SIGN US UP!

But, a lot of you don't prefer so much bling.  Or maybe you want to transfer some patches from your old gi to a new gi.

Since we have a total lack of expertise regarding de-blinging a gi, we decided to contact an expert.

Without further adieu, I present, Can Sönmez.

How To De-Bling A Gi

Anyone who has read my gi reviews or seen me comment on a gi thread knows how much I hate bling. Unfortunately, gi companies love to slather their gis in patches and embroidery: it would seem that trend isn't due to stop any time soon (though there are a few companies, like Killer Bee, who are willing to offer a product which doesn't look like a sewing machine threw up on it).

The Stitch Eraser

Fortunately, there is a solution. The most efficient way to de-bling your gi is to use something like Peggy's Stitch Eraser, reminiscent of an electric razor. Failing that, you could go for a seam ripper, which like the Stitch Eraser is specifically designed to rip out threads. Embroidery scissors may be useful too.

[thrive_link color='orange' link='http://gireviews.net/amazn-peggys-stitch-eraser-3′ target='_blank' size='small' align='full']Do your magic with Peggy's Stitch Eraser 3 — available at Amazon![/thrive_link]

Back to Basics: Seam Ripper

Alternatively, a cheap option is to just use some nail scissors, or if you want something even smaller, cuticle scissors (though they are more likely to snap due to their size), which helpfully also tend to be straight. Whichever option you take, it would probably be wise to have some tweezers to pull out threads, and depending on your preference, a thimble to protect your fingers.

Always work from the back, as if you mess up, it's much less noticeable. The basic process I use is to dig underneath a stitch with the blade of some cuticle scissors, pushing it through until the pressure cuts several threads in half. I'll keep on working my way along, until I'm able to pull out a large chunk with the tweezers.

[thrive_link color='orange' link='http://gireviews.net/amazn-ditz-seam-ripper' target='_blank' size='small' align='full']Or go basic and use this effective seam ripper instead![/thrive_link]

Removing Patches

If you're removing patches, you might get lucky and only have to remove a single line of stitches: for example, on a Tatami Zero G. With embroidery (and some patches), there will be multiple layers of stitching, which takes much longer. To get rid of a single embroidered letter on my Predator took over an hour, so clearing all the text meant about a week's work.

The process is the same for both, though with something very heavily stitched, it can be helpful to run an electric razor over it a few times first. With patches, you can also go from the front and cut a few strands, until you can pull up an edge. That then enables you to methodically chop your way through the rest of the threads, which are now clear to see. Most likely you’ll be able to yank the patch to speed up the process, but then you're at greater risk of damaging your gi. With patience, you can return even the most garish gi to its beautifully plain original state. 😉

Can Sönmez is a purple belt blogging at slideyfoot.com

Also: HUGE thanks to Can for such an awesome guide to de-blinging your gi!