Attending the Blue and Gold Banquet impressed upon me the necessity of getting my mother-in-law out here for a visit as soon as possible. She knows how to sew.
"I wonder if you can iron these things on," I mused out loud at the dinner table. The mother of a boy with seventeen patches on his shirt looked like I had just hit her in the face.
"Uh, no," she said. The way she said this made it seem as though ironing on a Boy Scout patch was the same as desecrating the American flag.
Did I mention that the mother was also wearing a Boy Scout uniform?
This was sitting in front of me on the table the entire time. I wanted to try it on so bad I could barely stand it. I reached out to touch it once, but a little boy snatched it out of my hands. He said that it was his and articulated a concern that I might steal it. His fear was legitimate. The minute I got home from the banquet, I ordered one off the Internet. It is scheduled to arrive in 4-6 weeks.
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My mom used hot glue to put my brother's patches on. Only dilemma: it ruins the shirt so if you need it for another boy and you take the patches it leaves dark spots (which is the only reason I didn't do it). Stinkin' expensive shirts...
dear lord how I hated sewing those patches on my daughter's girl scout uniform. Somewhere in a box is STILL a bag of patches and buttons that NEVER got sewn on. That was prob 10 years ago.
I feel your pain.
There is hope! When I was a scout leader I learned about badge magic, made just for ironing on patches. They sold it at the local scout shop.
(And hey, if they sell it at the official scout store, it has to be sanctioned!)
I sew every day, am a Cub Scout den mother, and I hate sewing on patches! I just tried to sew patches on a shirt of a friend's son who's father had glued the patches on. The patches were falling off and when I tried to sew them on they guncked up my sewing machine. Don't glue them on. Just sew them on by hand if you have to.
Meet your new best friend: http://www.badgemagic.com/
Wonderful- a few other people have mentioned badge magic. That's the best route by far. I hope you ordered a bunch of patches for yourself too. I wondered what they would say if you showed up with a shirt and hat with all these badges on it. OH actually don't do that you'll be volunteered as the next den leader.
I was totally going to tell you about badge magic as well. I am a Girl Scout leader for two troops, yes I am also crazy. But be warned, you may need to re-iron a time or two. Good luck!!
I don't know about this badge magic stuff, but stitch witchery (sp?), a no-sew-iron-on option found at Jo-Ann's, def does not last...
I hope you are putting your son(s) name(s) inside those ziploc baggies of cub scout items on your pantry shelf. If so, you can ignore the problem as long as you want, although these items do show how much work the moth, er son has put into the program.
Just sew on the four corners/"points of the compass" of the badge to the shirt....you don't have to go all the way around. I will say, my one Eagle Scout got a compliment at his Eagle board of review for my nice handsewed patches on the sash. Theta's why the badges have that nice rolled edging on them, so you can bring the needle up through the fabric and slip it through the threads and go back down and come up and, but I'm sure you already knew this..
Us the iron on glue stuff and then when they are going for a sewing badge *they* can sew all the way around each and every badge. win-win!
What? You can't iron them on? That explains my sons lack of desire to wear his uniform each meeting. Proud mom... So happy to be past that stage!
Must I meanly say you will have your chance my dear you will have your chance to be den mother of course. You have 3 boys after all. Then you just might proudly wear the lovely scout tiger hat:)
They badgemagic...it even comes in the shape of the patch. Doesn't mean I'm going to put them on though! I still haven't put the wolf on and he's a bear!
Use Sew No More, it does a great job! You can get it at any craft store.
I actually knew how to sew when I was a girlscout many moons ago. But alas I still showed up at the banquet with my badges stapled into place!! I may have got a resourcefulness badge for that one or was it the lazy badge!
seriously? fortunately out of 5 i have only one scout (and only 1 boy) and i have NEVER sewn on a patch in my live-get that scout magic stuff from your scout store-stick it on-throw it in the dryer (no Iron-even better) for 15 minutes and VOILA! it is a true miracle
I agree with the badge magic suggestion. I have FOUR scouts. Which means a TON of badges. Read the directions on the badge magic stuff because you don't iron it on. You just peel and stick the badges and toss it in the dryer to set. To get the badges off you have to take it to the dry cleaners. I don't worry about that. I buy their cub shirt big enough to last until they are 11 and go into boy scouts (tan shirts). Then I just save the whole shirt in their treasure boxes. Easy. Good luck
find a mom who is a real go-getter and offer to pay her to put your sons' on. she makes a little cash and you don't have to do it. win-win
the stuff they sell at the scout store is great! You just throw it in the dryer! Also, I have used a hot glue gun on those little silver and gold arrows. A little goes a long way. Good luck!
I was also told by the den mother that my son's lack of tucking in his shirt shows disrespect and will lead to him not being respectful or successful later in life... I was happy to notice her 16 year old son the week following with his shirt not tucked in and unbuttoned. There are bigger battles to fight in life. I made sure my son's shirt was tucked when he got his arrow of light award. Reminds me of Seinfield: "Lupe, that is one tuck and one un-tuck." :)
Yup. Badge Magic. Its your new best friend.
I know it has already been said but I must say it again...two words - BADGE MAGIC!!!
IT's the only way to fly. It's so easy even a caveman can do it. It even comes in hemming tape. It is the bomb!!
p.s. the patches won't come off during washing, only when dry cleaned. Take your shirt to the dry cleaners and ask them to put it in a special bag so that you can get all the patches back. If you need to take one patch off for any reason Goo Be Gone works wonders as well. You will love it!
you can also take your kids shirts to the local tailor and they usually sew them on ;o) I sew, but there is no way I mess with these dang patches.
Lamest solution yet: I take mine to the dry cleaners and the lady there sews them on.
Oh they apparently also make a little plastic sleevie thing that you can insert the badges into & hang it from the pocket button. I am having to move my son's badge from a blue shirt to a brown shirt soon - wonder if they'll let him in the Boy Scout troop without a brown shirt . . .
I'm all about safety pins.
Staples work wonders on boy scout patches. . .
My oldest is in Girl Scouts... fortunately the majority of their patches are iron-on. For the rest we use a product called "Badge Magic" that I have found at the local Boy Scout Store. It's either 4 or 5 bucks and it's a sheet of double-sided sticky stuff. You cut it out in the shape of the badge, stick it to the badge and then stick it on the uniform. Toss it in the dryer for 10 minutes to set it and you're done. That stuff works much better than the patches with the sticky already on them, you have to put the hot iron on them forever to get them to stay. (And end up burning the dear husband's T-shirt you were using between the iron and the uniform.)
I use a staple gun. Boy Scouts is all about resourcefulness, right?
Your tigger cap should be here about the same time as my pajamma jeans.
She must have been on the pack committee, if she was wearing a uniform, but for Pete's sake, they make Badge Magic for a reason.You will be in love as soon as you try it. Visit a local scout shop or go to scoutstuff.org.
Hot glue. If it ruins the shirt glue another patch on top. Or get your boys into sports, they'll lose interest in Scouts.
Badge Magic!!! It is the best thing EVER invented for scout moms! I have 4 boys- one is an Eagle Scout :) and it has saved my hair from being ripped out!
I LOVE the flip-flops with the Scout uniform.
Ha ha. I never appreciated my mother sewing one all 200 of my Girl Scout badges until I helped her with the last batch of "bridging" my little sisters. Moving 100 badges from one uniform to another because the colors are different is crazy. But she diligently sews each badge on with clear nylon thread and her trusty singer. After three Gold Award Girl Scouts, 2 Eagles, and one Boy scout with less then a dozen from earning each and every merit badge; who keeps track? Of course that is just the adult kids she still has eight to put through the program. Check it out http://twelvemakesadozen.blogspot.com/2011/01/secret-goal.html
It all depends on if your kids are going to keep their uniforms to show their kids. I for one am extremely proud of my uniform and we actually replaced the badges that were ironed on just so I could have a nice looking uniform years later.
I'm pretty sure they do have iron on...or glue on ones. That's I plan to do anyway!
I make them sew on their own after age 11, its great! Maybe you could teach them early
My sister was my nephew's pack leader all the way through cub scouts, and loved it so much that she is now the permanent pack leader for the tiger cubs. So, she's a big boy scout nut, and she uses this stuff called Hem Magic. It's an iron on thing for patches and the like. Works like a charm. And don't worry, she would wait to do my nephew's badges and all those other little knick-knacks until the night before Blue and Gold, too.
My husbands mom made him sew his own patches on, so he learned.
Thank heavens, cause I still can't sew! So he can do our boys patches when they get older.
Really? Wait for you MIL? lol. She probably doesn't want to sew those patches on either...take it to a tailor/seamstress and pay them the good money they're worth. Its much easier this way than trying to DIY.
I vote for stapling them on :) I love the blog.
Oh oh, I've been ironing my son's stuff on using Stitch Witchery. Our Blue and Gold banquet is the end of this month. I guess I'm in a heap of trouble.
This is why I will not allow my children to join anything that they can earn badges in when they get older! That may also be why my brother, sister and I were not encouraged to join scouts! I come from a long line of "The Laziest Mom" type moms!
Maybe someone has said this - but you can buy the iron on stuff at the scout store precut out to the specific size of what needs to go where. I sew but the iron on stuff is sure easy. You can also just use wonder under super super (not the real name, but use the super strong stuff) and you will never get it off. The whole reason to sew it on is to take it off for the next boy to wear. With four boys I have found they pretty much destroy their shirts and I don't want to pass them down.
Maybe someone has said this - but you can buy the iron on stuff at the scout store precut out to the specific size of what needs to go where. I sew but the iron on stuff is sure easy. You can also just use wonder under super super (not the real name, but use the super strong stuff) and you will never get it off. The whole reason to sew it on is to take it off for the next boy to wear. With four boys I have found they pretty much destroy their shirts and I don't want to pass them down.
You need to head over to your Scout store for some Badge Magic! You CAN iron those patched on.
Hand sewing patches is brutal, but I was putting the needle through the thick body of the patch instead of just snagging the threads at the edge. Probably much easier that way.
I bought a used sewing machine. I can zip the patches on without too much tedium and it is handy for other things as well, like hemming the long pants which come un-hemmed from the scout store, repairs, fitting, etc. We have 3 scout uniforms to maintain in our family and I even voluntarily sew patches for one neighbor kid as well. Not too bad with a machine.
Another good option is take it to the tailor.
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