ExperiencedUniforms

Hi AbbeyM: This is the one subject that boggles every organization and every leader. Don't be discouraged. It is difficult to get volunteers for any project. RULE #1. Take care of yourself. If you can't get help, DON'T DO IT ALL YOURSELF. If you do, you will be doing it all by yourself forever. The best way, and most difficult, to get help is to sit down individually with your parents and ask them if they think the program is worthwhile. Explain the various tasks of the organization, and how it can be better with many hands helping. Get to know the parents. What skills do the

Hi KWC57: you are correct. I checked the online catalog at http://www.scoutstuff.org and found this: CLASSIC PATCH BLANKET Display patches on this reproduction of a classic patch blanket. 100% acrylic blanket has a gold fleur-de-lis screened in one corner. Measures 63" x 46". WW55290 $20.00 Keep on Scoutin' ora

Howdy ctablock: Another alternative is a patch blanket. Take a small to medium size blanket, preferably red, fold it in half lentghwise, and cut a "T" shape slot at the fold, similar to a pancho. You can whip the raw cut, or sew a cloth border on the cut to keep the blanket from unraveling. Sew your patches on the blanket, and wear to campfires, use on your bed, or hang on a wall. I have also seen imitation and real animal hides used as patch display. The skin is streched on a frame, and displayed on the wall. Keep on Scoutin' ora

Hi John: If you are interested, Scouter.com hosts no-cost sites for units. Please see http://www.scouter.com/hosting/ for details. Doing a search via the NetCompass, I found this page on Scouter.com that has references to other low- or no-cost hosting: http://www.bsa-gnyc.org/member/freepgs.htm When your site is up and running, please let us know the URL. Keep on Scoutin' ora

Hi Laura: The service stars may be awarded by the unit, or the Scout may purchase them for themselves. It depends on the unit, and the amount of funds available. Some units recognize all of the Scouts at an annual meeting, perhaps during the Charter presentation, or on an anniversary of the Scout joining the unit. Some may present them at fall round-up to recognize the Scouters for their service. It should be a time to publically recognize the dedication of the Scout. I have a few available @ no charge. If you are interested, Click on "Send Private Message, and let me know what year

Sir Robert: Yes, you are correct about the copyright laws. On Merit Badge dot com (http://www.meritbadge.com/home.htm), there is similar information that one can find in the Merit badge books. And, of course, you need not have the book, as long as you fulfil the current requrements. As a good Bobwhite, you did remember that Camping is required....unless you request a waiver [before beginning] for a disablility . In the Great Denver Area Council, if your Troop meets our Commissioner's Challenge, the troop is entitled to free badges of rank. The troop can present the badge, but

HI All: I just reviewed the requirements for all the badges from Scout to Eagle at the US Scouting Service Project (http://www.usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/bsrank2.html). One overnight for T-foot. Another overnight for 2nd Class. Another for 1st Class. If the boy goes camping in the summer, he doesnt need much in the way of equipment, and he can borrow it. No requirement for high-adventure. Figure 15.00 for each overnight camping experience ~ $45.00. Star: Four months from 1st class. Life: Six months as Star Eagle: Six months as Life Minimum time: 17 months

HI Chippewa29 I wish you only success with working with this troop. The next few years may be the most difficult (unless you are the father of infant triplets) that you face. Sometimes you will want to just throw in the towel and give up. The only think that may keep you going is that every boy who walks through that door into your Troop is a wonderful young man in the making. There may or may not be any Eagle Scouts in the troop, one or two of them may make poor choices in their lives, but each boy is very important. If you can locate a Scout book from the 70s, it is written more f

Hi Sheila: Thank you for your comments. Yes, I too have seen some uniforms get way to much decoration on them. Some people just like to do that. It looks tacky, but does it really harm anyone? I can understand the Safe Guide to Scouting rules, and follow them. They are there to keep the children safe. I look at the uniform guide as a source to help people who want to look proper to have a guide to know where to place items on the uniform. If it were up to me [which it never will be 8)] I would just have the boys wear the uniform with no patches, and have all the awards put on

Rule? I thought it was a guide.

How do you know they don't wear it (with pride) on their non-Scouting clothing? Wearing the pins isn't for the others to see, it is for the son to see that his parents are proud of his accomplishment. Should the leader not wear his/her uniform so that s/he can wear the pins?

Hi Webelosmom: In these parts, parents of both sexes wear the parents pins their boy earns on their uniform. It may not be correct, but it does show that the parent is proud of the boy's accomplishment. Keep on Scoutin' ora

Hi ASM1 & et.al.: In a perfect world, the Scoutmaster should obtain a second uniform for the District-level position. Not all of us have the resources that Bill Gates has and it is difficult to obtain and maintain seperate uniforms for the seperate functions that a Scouter may perform. So, they switch loops to to the tasks for District/Council level activities. To be "in correct uniform," they should wear the red loops of their Unit position with the troop numerals, *even though* they are doing a district level function. That would be the most economical way to go. Of course, the sil

Hi All: From what I've read, the WEBELOS Cub Scouts are organized in Dens. The Den may chose a mascot, similar to the Boy Scout Patrol mascot. They are then known as the xxxx den, rather than Den #. If you get a chance, take a look at http://www.gilwell.com/patrolPatch/ . There are images of all the current patrol medalions, and many of the past &/or retired medalions. The one I like are the custom or home-made badges that the dens or patrols make themselves. My personal favorite is one where they take the raccoon patch, turn it upside down, stitch black thread across the c

Hi All: Quite by accident, I entered the following URL when looking for BSA supply: http://www.scoutstuff.com. They have a page dedicated to Scout clothing at http://www.scoutstuff.com/scoutsstuff.html. I don't know how they get away with it, but while it is running, take a look. J.C. Penny's used to carry BSA clothing, but their website only lists GSUSA items. Perhaps a call to 1-800-222-6161 may get you a catalog, but when calling from Korea, it may be difficult. KS, if you need something from supply, I can pick it up and send it out to you, if they have it in stock. I of

Hi All: My hobby is providing uniforms to Scouts and Scouters. I currently have three WEBELOS neckerchiefs that have had the large embroidered WEBELOS diamond removed. I would like to replace the diamond and pass the neckerchifs on to a deserving scout. I've checked with supply, and they do not sell the patch. I need three or more of the diamonds. Do you have one or more to trade or sell? If yes, please click on my profile, and send me a message. I have activity patches, worn CSPs or unused CSPs to trade. I estimate that the diamonds are worth about 1.00 each. Thank you

Hi All: I've had good success with the Krelman Company of Pueblo, Colorado. Some of their work is done in Tiawan, some in CO. They have great stock patches available at http://www.krelman.com. The MacScouter has a great listing of resources at http://www.macscouter.com/Embroidery/index.html. Any of the vendors who advertise in the Scouting magazine are also reputable companies, and will work well for you. Keep on Scoutin' ora

Hi All: From the limited informal research i've conducted, the original uniform from 1911 had woven band of cloth around the wrist to represent service time. The color was green for one year of service. I *think* that for three years, the Scout would wear a red band. (Most likely reflective of the Army's use of cuff cheverons for service time.) I'm not sure when the stars were introduced, but they did not have numerals. They were worn with a felt backing. The backing color represented the years' of service. Green for one year, red for three (or five?) years. The system worked well f

Hi Laura: Congratulations on your Scout's accomplishment! If I may, here are a few ideas for wording. Formal: use if you need a count of your guests. The parents of Jason Scout request the pleasure of your company at Jason' Eagle Scout Court of Honor. Please join us at The First Church of Springfield, 101 First Avenue, Springfield, USA promptly at six oclock in the evening of Tuesday, the sixth day of August, Two thousand and two. Guests are requested to wear Scouting or business attire. A formal dinner will be served prior to the ceremony.

Hi Tim: It's a great site. You did a good job. Keep on Scoutin' ora

Hi All: I beleive the community strips were replaced with council strips for economic reasons. It is more cost-effective to stock one patch that all your units need than to stock 100 different community strips that *may* be needed by 30 different units. At one time, the Cub Scouts even had their own gold and blue community strips and gold and blue numerals to match the cub uniform. Do you think this added to the confusion? Our troop and pack has a distinctive numeral patch. While not "legal," no one has objected to the insignia and forced the boys to remove them. If you are int

Hi tdyer56: Good looking site. If you are looking for comments to improve the site, may i suggest that you place on your site things that are particular to your pack, and not items that can be found on other sites. The links to the requirements are nice, but the boys should have books to look these things up. An alternative would be to show how your dens met the requirements; visits to the fire house, WEBELOS Cub Scouts doing first aid for Readyman, what a color wheel is, etc. Post images of projects that the boys do over the course of the year. Is this designed to be an ad fo

Howdy All: If I were to change the uniform, it would be to make it something that the boys (over 10) would actually like to wear. I would eliminate much of the insignia, the epaulets and the two front pockets. Put all the extra patches and awards on a vest like the GSUSA. Make the shirt a knit polo-style. Use the world brotherhood crest and a small USA flag in place of the BSA strip. The position badges of Assistant Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, and Patrol Leader could go back to the simple green bars worn on the sleeve. Make the rank (Tend

Hi Laura: Have a contest in the troop to design a logo. Keep it simple, and tell everyone that it will be printed HUGE on the back of the current and future shirts. Go big. Design the logo to fit the entire back of a small shirt--that way it will also be large enough on a xxl shirt, but still fit the small shirt. Go with a simplified mascot or a simple line drawing of a wolf, wombat, eagle or whatever is your troop mascot. It can be a simple geometric shape--look at how recognizable the Nike 'swoosh' is. It is a very simple design. Use your troop numbers for ideas. They can be conver

Hi all: Boys grow. Can't get around that. I think that it would be IMPOSSIBLE to create a uniform that 1. Will work for both ceremonies *and* outdoor activities; and 2. Would be a design that everyone will be pleased with. I would be willing to bet that even in a troop of 12 boys, there will be three different feelings of an "ideal" uniform. Many groups wear uniforms; athletic teams, work crews, safety technicians, and of course military units. If you will examine the use of the uniform for each group, they all have various uniforms for various tasks. Take an athletic t